Building an empire

4th January 2010, 3:29pm

The need to build a modern British gastropub with character was at the top of Peach co-owner Jo Eames's wish list last year. But did she manage to achieve this with the Almanack pub in Leicester? She explains.

What was your aim when designing this venture?

Our aim was to build a modern British gastropub with character and conviviality in a new build site.  It's at Highcross, a new retail development in the heart of Leicester city centre.

How did you achieve this? For example what fabric, furniture, paint etc did you use?

Essentially by putting plenty of warm, natural materials, for example brick, timber and woollen fabrics, into what was essentially a glass and steel box. That way, we can create real warmth and something that feels human and friendly as opposed to something that's cool and unapproachable. 

We've used bespoke furniture made in England, both for the main seating and the custom-built orange booth seats, as well as a selection of Danish rosewood tables and re-upholstered vintage dining chairs, mostly sourced from eBay and auctions.  There's also a jumbled collection of mid-century modern sofas and armchairs in the bar for thoroughly comfortable lounging. Overall, it creates the feeling that this is a place you can make your own, rather than something that's corporate or filled with contract seating.

The walls are painted a neutral pale umber colour, which takes many different shades depending on the mood of the lighting, and provide a simple backdrop to the iconic album covers from the 60s and 70s that we've framed to decorate the place.  Again, the personal touch is important to us, so we've been scouring our local charity shops for months collecting records we've loved ourselves and think will mean something to our guests too.

What would you describe as being the key and unique features?

The splashes of bright colour on the upholstered furniture, the stair risers and the kitchen tiles are quite a change from the current vogue for browns and creams in many restaurant schemes.  They combine well with the natural materials used –  brick for the bar construction and the open kitchen front, plus the oak tops on the bar and the back-lit wall feature running at mezzanine level above the bar which is made with curved timber tiles – it all gives a warm glow and is very fresh.

In addition, everything inside the scheme has a curvaceous theme, to match the Almanack logo and branding. For example, the tables are either round or have curved corners and leg details and the furniture has a very organic feel to it – things like the vintage 60's sideboards.   

Does your team have a particular signature style?

We are not commercial designers as such. We design as an integral part of our business as pub operators, and feel it's as essential a part of our job as writing the menu or training the team. If we have a signature style, it involves making every one of our pubs into a place where our guests will feel right at home, somewhere that's fun and relaxed.  In the older properties we refurbish, we work hard to bring out the character of the building and highlight the quirky, period details; in the new ones, we've developed a way of adding character using hip, well-designed but comfortable furniture, natural warm materials and soft, curved lines.

Stage by stage, how did you approach this project?

The Almanack in Leicester is the first time we've taken the same elements of design (from the pub's namesake in Kenilworth) and used them again. So what we've done is to refine everything we learned at Kenilworth and tweaked the things we thought we could do better second time around.  As a result, we feel we've ended up with an even more satisfying space overall. 

Plus we chose to work with the contractor who refurbished the last pub we restored, a Victorian inn with twenty bedrooms called The Embankment in Bedford.  We aim to develop long-term relationships with all key suppliers to our business and good builders are one of those.  A building project is like a battle – no plan made in advance survives the first exchange of fire - so it helps to be in the trenches with guys you know are going to dig in and fight it through.  

Where did you get your inspiration from?

The Almanack was inspired by the Kinks' song 'Autumn Almanac', a classic piece of quirky English pop that celebrates the seasons (and ties in with our seasonal British menus). The idea behind it, the bright, primary colour scheme used for the Almanack branding and the 60's and 70's furniture is a direct reference to a time which, looking back, seems happier, freer and more innocent than now – we want people to feel that mood when they spend time within the pub.  As well as the whole look and feel of the place, there are lots of songs from that era on the pub's play-list – it all adds to the atmosphere.

What is the size of the venue?

There are 75 covers in the lower eatery and 50 in the bar.  There's also a private dining room on the mezzanine floor overlooking the main pub that seats 40.

Timetable, how long did it take from start to finish?

We did the deal in May of this year, were on site for a total of 11 weeks from September and launched in the third week of November.

Fit out cost

The cost came to a little over £800,000.

If you were to change anything about the venue what would it be?

We're really happy with everything inside The Almanack – it all looks great. The one thing we would change – which was outside our control – would be not having a remote cellar. Two floors is a long way to run to change a barrel!

Who are the key team members of the design company?

As I said, we're not a design company, but business partners in Peach, where Lee Cash and myself are the two key people who look after design.

Lee sits down at the beginning and does the work on the ergonomics of laying out the bar, the eatery and the kitchen to get the flow right – he's an expert on that.  Then Jo provides the look and feel of the space.

We then work with Drew Keen from Hunter Patel Creative Group to produce a drawings package and project manage the builders. 

What are the recent projects?

As well as the Almanack in Leicester, in 2009 we have worked on:
The Embankment, a Victorian pub with 20 rooms on Bedford's beautiful riverside
www.embankmentbedford.co.uk

The James Figg, a retro style traditional pub in Thame, Oxfordshire
www.thejamesfiggthame.co.uk 

The Richard Onslow, a gastropub in Cranleigh, Surrey, just acquired (already refurbished) where we will be adding Peachy touches and letting bedrooms in the next 12 months.

Related Articles:

• 17 Nov 2009 - Peach launches its 11th site
• 27 May 2009 - Peach Pubs signs deal for 11th site