Paolo Packham surveyed the new bar of The Burlington hotel with a slightly pained expression. He said: "It's been like giving birth."

Nine months ago, he walked into a building which was falling down around him.

Nobody knew how long the roof would last but it was letting in water at an alarming rate through gaping holes in the storm-damaged slate canopy.

Sodden bedroom ceilings had given way and there was a general feeling of terminal decline.

Many people in Worthing felt the once-grand Victorian building next to the Beach Hotel in Marine Parade would ultimately be demolished or converted into flats.

So many historic buildings in the town had gone the same way during the past 40 or 50 years, the victims of neglect.

However, Paolo, a property developer from Brighton, fell in love with the faded grandeur and embarked on a long, expensive and sometimes frustrating battle to restore the structure along with his brother and business partner Bruno.

The ambitious project is nearing completion and the transformation is miraculous.

When The Burlington was built in the middle of the 19th Century, it was regarded as one of the finest hotels along the South Coast, attracting the social elite of the day, including lords and ladies, millionaires and stage stars.

Then known as the West Worthing Hotel, it had stables and a first-class reputation for its fine rooms, food and service.

The Burlington maintained a superior standard until the late Thirties and even played host to Mussolini's Italian ambassador to Britain, who holidayed in the town with his wife.

During the Second World War, Worthing was in the frontline and became a restricted military area from which visitors were banned, with disastrous consequences for the hotels in the town.

Business picked up again in the Fifties but declined as the jet-set era arrived and people started flying to Spain.

The Burlington muddled on during the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties under a succession of owners who were unable to stop a slow deterioration.

By the end, the upstairs rooms were uninhabitable and, apart from the occasional coachload of foreign students, visitors gave it a wide berth.

Paolo had to fund the project as no grants were forthcoming, despite The Burlington's Grade II listed status.

First the roof was replaced, then in came builders, plasterers, plumbers and electricians to take back each room to its shell, while keeping features such as the ornate coving and banisters.

The weeks turned into months and the restoration was delayed by the stringent demands of fire safety experts and building control officers.

Then Paolo suffered a heartbreaking blow when his brother Giovanni was killed in a motorcycle crash.

As a tribute to Giovanni, the new cocktail bar and restaurant have been named Gio's Place.

The cocktail bar, which inter-connects with Tides night club (formerly The Tunnel Club) and a restaurant specialising in regional Italian food, is clean, spacious and airy.

The trendy red radiators curve up the walls and the lighting is subtle, encouraging an atmosphere where people can talk.

There is a reception room filled with decorative Venetian glass, while the restaurant has giant mirrors at either end of the room.

The restaurant floor is made from oak imported from France, while the pale cream window blinds are embroidered with the initial G.

The dining furniture was imported from Italy, as were the three chefs.

While the restaurant can seat 80, Paolo plans to keep numbers to a comfortable 50-60.

Already a Christmas party from American Express in Brighton has booked and a number of couples getting married have expressed an interest.

The cocktail bar, restaurant and nightclub are open for business, having undergone a remarkable transformation, but workmen are still working to finish the 25 en-suite bedrooms.

Paolo hopes they will be open in February or March, each with a particular theme, bringing the total restoration bill to more than £800,000.

He is keen for local artists to get in touch with a view to displaying their work in the Burlington.

Paolo plans to make The Burlington the finest hotel in Worthing, employing up to 50 staff, overseen by general manager Dave Walton.