City's Crowning glory unveiled

The Crown Bar is being refurbished Enlarge Image

One of Belfast's most famous faces can be seen again following a five month face-lift.

The facade of the 180-year-old Crown Bar had the scaffolding obscuring it removed over the weekend as work nears completion on a £500,000 restoration programme.

A reconstruction of the bar featured in the 1947 film Odd Man Out, starring James Mason. The pub's interior has also been in receipt of restoration.

Work on the listed pub's 10 carved wooden snugs, as well as ornate tiling, stained glass, mosaics and mirrors - are due to be completed by the end of November.

Specialist cleaning of the ceiling has removed decades of dirt and grime to reveal the original vibrant primrose yellow, red and gold colour scheme of the building.

Andrew Whitten (l) of Gilbert-Ash Fitout and George Greig, the Crown's manager give it a final shine

Andrew Whitten, general manager of Gilbert-Ash Fitout which is responsible for the restoration, said that they had come to know the Crown intimately since the company began working with the National Trust, which owns the property.

"Everything inside the Crown is listed, so even the smallest jobs are not as straightforward as they might be elsewhere," he said.

"But working specifically with the conservators and other specialists on this restoration project has been an intensive, but worthwhile, five months. "

John Baird, conservation manager with the National Trust, said the restoration had been an exciting project.

"As a conservation charity which cares for special places forever, for everyone, we are delighted to see the Crown so fantastically restored to its former glory," he said.

The restoration of the bar is being filmed by BBC Northern Ireland and a documentary on the process is scheduled for broadcast next year.