Elizabeth Mackay, of administrators Zolfo Cooper, said: “Unfortunately the business has experienced severe cash flow difficulties within a tough trading environment.

“There remain a number of contracts for work outstanding and we will now enter a period of assessment with a view to offering these contracts to potential bidders.”

In the last few months, Hunter & Clark has started work on three major new contracts in Glasgow and Lanark, worth a total of £3.7m.

The company was carrying out restoration work on the external stonework of Glasgow Royal Infirmary and for a major internal renovation project on the Gothic-style St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Lanark.

It also has a deal to take on phases 10 and 11 of the ongoing roof restoration work for Glasgow University.

The firm also worked with Rosslyn Chapel Trust on a major restoration and conservation project on the Grade A listed Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian, thrown into the media spotlight by Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code.

The Hunter & Clark was set up in Gallowsgate in the early 1900s doing specialist masonry work for the nearby Necropolis Cemetery in Glasgow.

It also also runs a plant business Hunter & Clark Plant and a separate associate scaffolding and steeplejack specialist contractor G.S. Height Services.

Last year, Hunter & Clark strengthened its core building and restoration work with the integration of mechanical and electrical services under the ancillary company Prime Business Services, domestic and commercial heating engineers, Heatcare