The Lord Mayor of York, Coun Derek Smallwood, opens to doors to the newly-refurbished Mansion House

A cup of tea and a tour were on offer today from no less than the Lord Mayor of York himself as he welcomed members of the public in to the new-look Mansion House.

And the invitation was not a one-off - the Lord Mayor intends to allow access to the 275-year-old building as often as possible in the coming few weeks and months.

Coun Derek Smallwood wanted to personally show the city's citizens around his official residence, which has just emerged gleaming from an extensive revamp. A team of builders and craftsmen has spent seven months working on the eighteenth-century building, shoring up weaknesses in its structure and fitting new carpets and furniture, and restoring historic paintings and monuments.

Most of the craftsmen were from local firms, such as sculptor Dick Reid, of Fishergate, whose spectacular carved chandelier hangs above the main staircase, said Peter Brown, of the York Civic Trust, which has footed the bill for the refurbishment with the help of donations from local businesses.

A House to be proud of

The public were today inspecting the £314,000 revamp of the Lord Mayor of York's official residence. SAM GREENHILL had a sneak preview

House call: Dr John Shannon, chairman of York Civic Trust, surveys the newly-refurbished Mansion House

Light fantastic: Dr Shannon on the main staircase viewing the ornate light fitting

It took seven months and an army of builders and craftsmen.

Inside, the furniture and walls were stripped and the paintings taken away for intricate restoration.

Not even the Lord Mayor himself could stay while the historic revamp took place.

But today he was proudly inviting visitors into his newly done out residence, and results of the restoration were there for all to see.

The taxpayer footed £89,000 for structural work, and the refurbishment - costing £225,000 - came from donations to the York Civic Trust and its own reserves.

It spared no expense to make the Mansion House one of the most glorious buildings in York.

The new wallpaper, an early Georgian pearl design first discovered at Hampton Court Palace and hand block printed, cost £220 a roll.

A total of 64 books of gold leaf were used to decorate the ornate pillars and wood panelling, while the carpets all came from McKie's of Durham, which has supplied carpets to Buckingham Palace and the Royal Yacht Britannia.

The Lord Mayor, Derek Smallwood, said: "It is breathtaking, just magic. This is the way it should have looked for years. The fact that it has not is because people have been guarded with their money.

"Now that we have got it to this standard, we must never let it slip. But it should always be a working residence, not a museum."

And a delighted John Shannon, chairman of the York Civic Trust, stood in the extraordinary new state room and said: "There is not another room like it in York. It is so very splendid and it is thanks to the tremendous local patriotism in York that we have been able to afford it. The average citizen is immensely proud and sees the Mansion House as the focal point of civic mindedness."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.