Scaffolding comes down to unveil refubished Bridgnorth town hall

Bridgnorth Town Hall has been painted and refurbished – and the final cost of its restoration is expected to be in the region of £100,000.

Work has been carried out on the hall's windows, roof and bell tower while the entire building - which dates back to 1645 - has been completely repainted.

The hall had been leaking water due to poor lead flashing in both of the bell towers, as well as suffering from severe woodworm and a rotting ceiling.

Town mayor David Cooper said he was "delighted" to see the scaffolding come down.

"We're very pleased to see it finished," he added. "We have been addressing some issues that have been there for several years.

"It's very difficult to carry out work in a busy location such as that. Hopefully it will mean that we won't have to have any more works for years to come."

Anne Wilson, clerk of Bridgnorth Town Council, said: "The council would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience caused to residents, traders and visitors alike. We hope, like us, they will agree the temporary disruption has been worth it."

Builders still need to make a few minor repairs in the main building and the stained glass window restoration will continue for a number of weeks.

Ms Wilson said the final work would not have any impact on businesses or the general public.

She said: "The council would also like to thank every member of the work force involved with a special mention to Ian Nash of the restoration trust for his tireless perseverance throughout the project, dealing with a number of previously unforeseen challenges.

"Most of them were as a direct result of poor repair works carried out in the past.

"He also dealt calmly and most professionally with a number of unfounded criticisms.

"His company and his team of decorators have had more than 30 years experience in the restoration business and from a client's point of view there is no other contractor that we would have preferred to have had on site.

"We are very grateful for his exceptionally high standards and the splendid end result.

"We hope the residents and businesses of Bridgnorth, the markets and our visitors help us to look after the town hall now the work is complete to keep it in its pristine condition."