THE FIRE-ravaged Mackintosh Library at Glasgow School of Art is coming back to life, says to the experts trying to salvage it.

Archaeologists have started the painstaking operation of excavating the remains of the library, which was destroyed by the blaze at the Art School on May 23.

On the first day on-site, the team recovered parts of three Charles Rennie Mackintosh chairs from the piles of ash as well as books.

They hope that by meticulously examining every inch of the once-world famous library, they will find more treasures which were thought to be lost forever.

The Evening Times was given a tour of the building as work began.

As winter sunshine flooded in through the large windows of the library, which held 10,000 books and was celebrated across the world, dust particles floated across the blackened remains.

The suspended ceiling of the library crashed down in the fire, burying everything underneath.

However, there were some glimmers of hope.

A large shelf of books by the window was covered in ash - but appeared to remain secure.

Overturned chairs were also visible in the wreckage, which resembled a bomb site.

Experts wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets carried recovered items from the scene to be sifted through and examined.

Ranald MacInnes, head of heritage management at Historic Scotland said the library, which he called a "masterpiece within a masterpiece" was the most badly damaged part of the building.

He said: "The day after the fire I was in the building and, as shocking as it was to see this, I was also amazed at how well the building stood up to such a calamity and in fact how much of it is left.

"The library is clearly very severely damaged. This is where the building suffered the most."

Mr MacInnes compared the salvage operation at the Art School with the work which followed the Windsor Castle fire in 1992.

He said: "It's a similar process. This is also an important building of major significance."

Mr MacInnes believes the excavation project will be positive.

He said the library was "coming to life as we look at it".

"The process of removing debris has only just started," he said.

It is thought the operation could take months.

Librarian Duncan Chappell, who had worked in the Mackintosh building for eight years, said the process was "very emotional".

Yesterday was the first time Mr Chappell had returned to the library since the fateful blaze.

He said: "I came in on the Sunday after the fire to see the damage and this is the first time I've been back since then.

"When the fire first hit there were a few hours that we were hoping the library somehow wasn't hit.

"I think on the Saturday I realised it had been and it had, in some ways, been destroyed.

"When it happened, first of all it was a grieving process. You grieve the loss of the space. Now we're in recovery."

The first book ever bought by Glasgow School of Art, in 1847 - a copy of The Arabian Antiquities of Spain - was saved from any damage, because Mr Chappell had removed it from the library on the morning of the blaze.

He said: "It's a very big book - I had taken it out to my office to research something.

"In four or five years, when the space is returning to use, I hope we can put that book somewhere special in the library."

The work is being led by Gordon Ewart, director of Kirkdale Archeology, with a team of 10 others.

He has previously worked at Stirling Castle, Holyrood Palace and Linlithgow Palace.

He said: "The Art School is unique, I've never worked on a site quite like this.

"You've got to be decisive in this process. It's about adding to the archive. We're here to advance things."

Big names have backed the restoration, including Hollywood star Brad Pitt,

He said: "The Art School is one of the great artistic buildings, where art is made and art is learned."

rachel.loxton@eveningtimes.co.uk