Once hidden under thick paint, the limestone facade of Cork’s Victoria Hotel has been revealed
A little bit of old Cork has been restored on St Patrick Street.
As works on the Victoria Hotel site continue, passers-by have been given a sneak peek at the beautifully restored limestone facade, which has been painstakingly preserved by heritage conservation company Southgate Associates.
“When Southgate Associates Conservation Consultants discovered beautiful Cork limestone below layers of waterproof paint there was no option but to carry out a best practice conservation repair, cleaning and pointing project.” the company posted on Twitter.
The masonry work was completed by SummerHill, Youghl-based Ahern Bros and Christian Helling with leadwork by Thomas Parsons. Arup and Grafton Architects are behind a transformative design of the new on-street shop fronts, set to be revealed soon.
The expert work has been roundly applauded by Cork people, who were quick to notice the “transformation unfolding” on Patrick Street.
God, who knew. What a find. Had to remind myself of how it looked before; pic.twitter.com/IVmMryS6sW
— Karl Shane Dískín (@KarlDiskin) May 18, 2022
“It’s either quality and character or plastic bargain-basement these days. Cork must always choose the former.” said CEO of Nano Nagle Place, Shane Clarke.
We couldn’t agree more.
