IT HAS been the iconic symbol of Southampton for hundreds of years.

Now the historic Bargate is once again standing proud in heart of the city centre.

It comes after the 800-year-old monument has undergone a four months restoration scheme.

Not the £150,000 work has been completed and the scaffolding had been finally removed from the structure.

The building was repointed and cleaned by south coast stonemasons, restoring it to its former glory and allowing the inside to dry out.

Put up in March, the hoardings and scaffolding hid the expertise of Chichester Stoneworks, who removed old cement pointing and replaced it with lime and water.

A spokesperson from Southampton city council said: “The grade I Iisted gatehouse had been suffering from water ingress on the battlemented parapet, which was passing down inside the thick stone walls dissolving the ancient lime mortar.

"This had been caused by the use of Portland cement mortar in the early 20th century when the parapet was rebuilt.

“Portland cement was also used on the front face of the building in the 1930s, which was trapping the incoming water and causing the stones to decay.

"To remedy this, the parapet has now been waterproofed and the old repointing cut out. All the restoration work has been completed using lime mortar, matching the materials originally used during construction.”

West Sussex-based Chichester Stoneworks, who were appointed by Southampton City Council to complete the work, have had extensive experience in working with scheduled ancient monuments, including projects with the Royal Palaces, The Quadrangle at Buckingham Palace and many more in the city of London.

Contracts manager John Rye who oversaw the project said: “You can still see that it will have to be left for a couple of years to be completely dried out.

"We’ve also still got to go back and look at the shields which will also have to dry out prior to being redone.”

A spokesperson from Historic England added: "Netting will also help to prevent birds nesting and causing damage to detailed features of the monument.

"The shields on the northern side had suffered serious decay so the next phase of works will involve restoring the shield faces.

"The work has been done to a very high standard, with great care and attention from the contractors.

"We’re really pleased Southampton City Council have been able to invest in these repairs: the work will help to conserve this beautiful and extremely important monument, which is the key northern entrance to the walled medieval town."

Councillor Satvir Kaur, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Leisure said: "I've been really excited to see the scaffolding coming down from around the Bargate over the past week, so that it can be enjoyed by residents and visitors to the city once more.

"This crucial work will ensure future generations can continue to admire one of the south's most famous historic landmarks for many years to come, and demonstrates the council's continued commitment to maintaining our city's heritage".