A FORMER hotel in Gourock given a new lease of life as a cafe is off to a flying start after a successful launch.

Business is booming once again at the former Albert Hotel on Cove Road after Rashith Siriwardhana and Liuda Johnstone opened their new cafe, 1830 Eatery, at the premises.

The former bar, which was one of Gourock's oldest before it called last orders in 2016 due to financial issues, was snapped up at auction by Kirsteen Murray who transformed it into a guest house and planned to lease it out.

The Albert had lain dormant until the 1830 Eatery team stepped in to breathe new life into the establishment.

The newly opened cafe is proving popular with locals and has already garnered glowing write-ups on online review websites.

Co-owner Rashith told the Tele he was delighted to have finally got the cafe off the ground.

He said: "We planned this for a long time.

"It's a dream come true for us to have opened at last.

"We're trying give people good food made from locally-sourced produce with locally-sourced suppliers."

The cafe has been very busy since opening its doors earlier in the month, with customers enjoying the modern feel and mouthwatering food in a venue with a rich past.

Rashith said: "Hopefully we have created a good atmosphere for people to come along and join.

"The history of the hotel is the main reason we named it 1830 - we wanted to pay tribute to the building's historic background.

"When we first viewed the property we didn't really know about its history, it was the owner that told us.

"For me, I always love a good back story.

"The idea is to bring a bit of history but also to create something new for people to enjoy."