The Castle

A Web site at last

2007-10-23T14:31:00.000Z

Read all about The Castle including the newly opened boutique bedrooms at: -

www.flatcappers.co.uk

The great outdoors

2007-07-24T17:30:00.000Z

A rare sunny day at The Castle

Food review

2007-07-18T08:43:00.000Z

It's our first food review courtesy of The Bath Chronicle

IT'S HATS OFF TO THE FLATCAP MAKEOVER

A Friend had been raving about an old pub in Bradford on Avon which has had, she said, THE most amazing makeover and that I really should try it.She warned me that Friday and Saturday evenings at the newly revamped Castle Inn - at the top of a hill overlooking the rooftops of the town - were very busy, so we went for a mid-week meal with two other friends, and a very jolly time we had too.

The makeover of what had been a tired looking pub, by Wiltshire brewers Flatcappers, has been astonishing. There are slate and wooden floors, muted grey walls hung with fascinating old portraits, stone fireplaces and, in the snug where we sat, a wall of tactile modern grey flockwallpaper, lit by mini-chandeliers and fascinating retro lampshades which my friend assured me were made by two-old-ladies-who-make-lampshades -in-Idaho.com. Wherever they came from, these cream and black draped affairs reminded me of a seance.

The music was muted jazz, the service friendly and efficient (you order at the bar) and the drinks and wine menu simply presented, and best of all, reasonably priced. A bottle of Chilean sauvignon blanc, complete with ice bucket, was £13.50.

Our party of four were all very impressed by the food too. My rump steak (£11.95) with cafe Paris butter, thin, crispy french fries and a huge helping of spinach-rich salad was melt-in-the-mouth tender and tasty too. J's risotto of creamy butternut squash with rocket and candied walnuts (£8.50) was a hearty big bowlful and Helen's enormous roasted field mushroom topped with smoked goats cheese (£7.95) was beautifully presented with an interesting mixed leaf salad and a pesto dressing.

We barely had time to register Carolyn's bowl of chargrilled fresh tuna, salad and a poached egg (£12.95) before she'd scoffed the lot appreciatively.

The evening progressed with much chat and laughter. We ordered a second bottle of wine and shared two puddings. One was a light, creamy white chocolate cheesecake with an unusual Amaretti biscuit base, the other was a chocolate brownie of such huge proportions that we didn't think one person would manage it all, delicious as it was. The puddings were all £4.95 each.

As the rain swept across the town beneath us, obscuring the view of the Westbury White Horse in the distance, we agreed it was a shame we couldn't sit out on the comfy looking wooden benches and tables in the garden at the front of the pub.

If we ever get a summer, I can imagine coming up here again to sit outside with a bowl of mixed olives and parsnip crisps, or some sweetcorn fritters with a chilli dip, which were on the 'picking/grazing' menu. Or coming on a late Sunday morning for a brunch of The Works Breakfast (£6.85) complete with bubble and squeak and Toulouse sausage and a pint of Flatcappers ale.

The Castle is a very welcome addition to the Bradford on Avon foodie scene. A couple of waitresses at weekends to take food orders at tables would ease the congestion at the bar. But otherwise, I doff my titfer respectfully to the Flatcappers.

The Castle Inn

Who for? We saw customers aged between one and 70, women out for an evening, couples, plus groups of friends just enjoying a drink - this is no gastro foodies-only pub

Price ranges? From £2.50 for olives and parsnip crisps, puddings all £4.95, specials from £5.95 to £12.95

Where? The Castle Inn, Bradford on Avon

To contact: 01225 865657

Food served: 9am to 10pm, daily, Sundays, 10am to 9.30pm

Family friendly? Well behaved children welcome

Vegetarians: Typical meat-free dishes include chickpea fritters and roasted red onions with onion and coriander, or a full veggie breakfast

Menu's

2007-06-20T18:27:00.000Z

Castle Menu
___________________________________

Smoked Salmon eggs Benedict – 5-50

The Works Breakfast – bacon, Cumberland sausage, tomato, black pudding, mushrooms, bubble & squeak, choice of egg – 6.85

Eggy bread & bacon tower – 5.50

Tortilla, Borlotti beans, cheese, tomato salsa, guacamole & coriander yoghurt (V) – 5.50

Veggi breakfast with sweet corn fritter, beef tomato, field mushrooms, bubble & squeak & egg (V) – 5.95

Smoked haddock with bubble & squeak, poached egg & butter sauce – 7.95

The Castle Burger with sweet dill gherkin & tomato salsa served in ciabatta – 7.50 cheese/bacon 0.50

Flatcapper Ale battered fish with mushy peas, chunky chips & tartare sauce – 9.50

Warm salad of chickpea fritters & roasted red onions with onion & coriander (V) – 7.50

Spinach & cream cheese pancakes with a Gruyere sauce – 6.50

Rump steak with cafe Paris butter & frites – 11.95

Crispy honey glazed duck confit on a creamed celeriac & rocket with bacon lardons – 10.95

Steak sandwich on ciabatta with blue cheese butter, rocket & sweet potato crisps - 7.95

Ploughman’s with a selection of English cheeses, pork terrine, pickled onions and wholemeal bread – 7.95

Pickings / Grazing
___________________________________

Cheesy chips with garlic mayo – 2.95

Mixed olives & parsnip crisps – 2.50

Roasted sweet peppers with herb de Provence
& spiced almonds – 2.95

Marinated char-grilled aubergines – 2.95

Sweetcorn fritters with chilli dip – 3.50

Deep fried squid rings tartare sauce – 4.95

Specials
___________________________________

Leek and potato soup 3.50 (S)

Country pork terrine with spiced onions and wholemeal bread
5.95 (S)

Prawn cocktail £5.50 (S)

Fresh mussels £5.50 (S) / £8.95 (M)

Salmon fishcakes with fries and tartare sauce 7.50 (M)

Pan-fried calves liver with grain mustard mash, glazed carrots, roasted red onions and Port jus 12.50 (M)

Chicken and leek pie with new potatoes and glazed carrots 8.95 (M)

Puddings all 4.95
___________________________________

Walnut & treacle tart with lightly whipped cream

Old English syllabub with Cape gooseberry & homemade shortbread

Chocolate St Emillion with brandy cream & grated chocolate

The transformation

2007-06-20T15:14:00.001Z

THE MAIN TRADING AREA

THE POOL ROOM & OLD LADIES

THE SNUG BEFORE & AFTER

WE ARE OPEN

2007-06-20T15:06:00.000Z

On Monday at 3pm (3 hours later than we'd hoped) The Castle finally re-opened it's doors for business. It was a fantastic first night & the pub was extremely busy. Other than one of the chef's walking out at 8.40am there were no major hitches & food & much ale was enjoyed by all. Very heavy head on Tuesday not to mention strange memories of break-dancing with the builders!

1 DAY TO OPENING...AARRGRH!!!!

2007-06-17T08:36:00.000Z

We're almost there & it's all go - builders, chefs, cleaners, all on the final push. Late gas crisis averted after the metre wasn't fitted until 2 days after the supply came in & we almost didn't have any cellar cooling until Monday. All we need to today is some dry weather so the painters can finish off the outside. In 24 hours we need to be open - WE WILL BE OPEN!

We love the Bath Chronicle!

2007-06-14T17:14:00.001Z

Our 4th feature in the Bath Chronicle!

REFURBISHED CASTLE PUB TO THROW OPEN ITS DOORS
Date : 14.06.07
One of Bradford on Avon's oldest pubs will reopen its doors to the public next week after months of restoration work.

The Castle Inn, which was originally built as two houses in the 18th century, has been transformed inside and out since its closure in September last year.

Almost a year later, the pub is back in business under the leadership of a team that includes Pierre Woodford, a former general manager at Sir Terence Conran's Bibendum restaurant in London.

Mr Woodford said the new pub would be much more family orientated, with a large garden and traditional open fireplace.

He said: "The building will be cool in the summer and lovely and warm in the winter.

"We want people to come in and utilise it all year round.

"The sense of space in the building is completely different now to when we started.

"We've moved the main entrance and we're now using a reclaimed Georgian front door."

Maintaining the history of the building was one of the priorities of the £250,000 project by Mr Woodford and his developing partners, Alex Reilley, Dave Reid, Jake Bishop, Peter Dixon and Lee Jones.

Elm floorboards reclaimed from the upper parts of the pub have been laid in the bar area, with all doors, except emergency exits, made from reclaimed Georgian timber.

The public has been able to follow the progress of the project since it began in October through the developers' online diary at www.thecastle-boa.blogspot.com .

Mr Woodford added: "The transformation now is stunning from when we first went in and looked at buying it in April last year.

"Lots of people are interested in what it will look like, and hopefully we won't disappoint."

The Castle Inn at Mount Pleasant opens at noon on Monday and the new owners plan to offer upstairs accommodation to guests from mid-August.

5 DAYS TO GO !!!!

2007-06-14T05:16:00.000Z

We Have Gas! (not flatulence)

Another landmark last night when we had our brand spanking new gas main put in, we were overcome with joy, due to it being done earlier that originally thought, until we realised that they weren't attaching a meter and that the meter was to come from our supplier, a slightly nauseating moment as we have done practically everything to get this far and the appliances are supposed to be commissioned this morning. If it doesn't happen there is a possibility that our plans to open on Monday could go tits up. We just have to look on the bright side, our beer engines have arrived, we have some beer, Heineken have done their install, we have more proper ale arriving today -unfortunately there is, as yet no stillage, a somewhat essential bit of cellar equipment that should be arriving on Friday in time for us to put it up and get the beers on the stillage to settle, and hopefully ready for us to sample a couple on Sunday (just to make sure that it's alright of course) for the opening on Monday.

Meanwhile the site is total chaos with every trade & their dog clambering over each other trying to get finished. All of this whilst stuff for the pub is being delivered. It's all at critical mass & we're all bloody knackered!

11 DAYS TO GO

2007-06-07T16:58:00.000Z

Water, water everywhere

Yesterday evening saw a major landmark in the build – we finally got our water supply upgraded. Just the gas to go now & we’re home a dry (ish). It is truly remarkable how happy such simple things as having your water supply upgraded make you feel.

Internally work is cracking on. The parquet floor is down in the hallway, the relocated elm/pine floor in the snug is being sanded, the flagstones are being laid in the bar overnight tonight & tomorrow, the plumbers & sparkies are final fixing, & the decorators are, well, decorating It’s all a bit well oiled & by far the most together build we’ve ever done with 11 days to go. How’s that for a kiss of death statement.

On the recruitment front something nothing short of a miracle has happened. From having no staff at all to speak of at the beginning of the week we are now fully staffed front of house & we’ve even been contacted by some of those rare breed ‘the chef’.

Orders have been placed for delivers next week & we’ve sample the house stout ‘Goodness’ & it is indeed very good.

This is the calm before the storm; next week’s going to be hectic.

14 DAYS TO GO

2007-06-04T22:22:00.000Z

The pubs chefs are raring to go (if only)

Two weeks today we should be funnel drinking ale & basking in the success of having seen this long project come to fruitarian. Suffice to say there’s still a shit load to do.

The gas, which has been a major potential stumbling block, looks like it may just work out for us. From a provisional date to upgrade our gas supply of the 21st June we are now informed, after twice daily pestering for 3 weeks, that this will now happen on the evening of the 13th June. This is going to be tight. The kitchen equipment arrives on Monday 11th but can’t be commissioned until 14th once the new gas metre is in. This will give the chefs a little over 3 days to get cooking in preparation for opening. Which leads nicely into another little problem, we don’t really have any chefs at the moment!

We have made a formal offer to a head chef, which we are confident he will accept. He is able to start next week & he’s very good (news on him when (!) he accepts). In addition to that we have a plan that involves using chefs from Flatcappers sister company Loungers as Loungers has a surplus of chefs waiting to start work at their new café/bar in Oldfield Park, Bath. This will get us through for the first month or so & buys us valuable time to get ourselves sorted.

Front of house staff are also a tiny bit scarce with Pierre being the only certainty, should his health hold out over the next 2 weeks! So suffice so say we trying to bust some serious moves on the recruitment front.

In addition there’s concern about when the flagstone floor for the bar will arrive. Wednesday would be wonderful but may be a bit too much to ask.

At this stage of pre-opening it gets very hectic & the trades on site all want a piece of you. The floors are being sanded on Thursday but the parquet in the hallway has not yet been laid. The kitchen is being delivered on Monday but the floor sanders might need Monday to finish & the floor that the kitchen fitters need to walk back & forth over is in the hallway. We need to sign off the proofs for the signs & the pump clips & god we need to decide on the menu presentation as that’s going to take a week to turnaround. Coke want to install, as do Heineken, we need to schedule in delivery of the stillage & who’s going to install the beer lines for the ales? The stone masons don’t think the stone we need to finish off the fire place will be with us on time, the sparkies are whinging about the antique wall lights we’ve bought, we can’t get into one of the ladies cubicles because the sink is too big, the door to the gents is too big & will look stupid if we trim it back, & the porta-loo should be condemned!! Not to mention we’ve forgotten about the bedrooms.

The 18th, the beer, the relief, & money going into the bank (we hope) instead of flowing out.

Rumours Abound

2007-06-01T15:29:00.000Z

Having spoken to a few of the locals rumour would have it that we are to be somewhat of a fine dining establishment, one that has a separate restaurant and bar. In order to dispell these rumours I can with uptmost confidence say that this is not the case. What we have set out to (hopefully) achieve is to be an inn, where you can come and grab a proper pint of local beer (or three), relax with a bottle of wine, maybe have some homecooked grub if the fancy takes you and, in time, be able to stay in one of our four wonderfully decorated rooms. We won't be taking reservations and it'll be first come first serve with all orders to be placed at the bar. If all goes to plan will be starting from Monday 18th June - not that far off now and it still seems like theres a ton of work to do.

Talking about opening we are now recruiting staff for bar work and for the kitchen so if you are interested call 07703570228.

Some Physical Work

2007-05-31T06:35:00.000Z

It's probably been a while for some of the guys or maybe not, but they were getting some exercise this week and it wasn't shifting more urinals. In fact we had the turf for the lawn delivered and it was down to all the boys to unload it and get it piled up ready to be laid (first and second photo). When it finally is laid the transformation is stunning, from what used to a wasteland (third photo) to an expanse of dirt (fourth photo) and finally a lush green lawn fit for a game of bowls & for our punters to enjoy on those warm sunny days, fingers crossed!(last photo). It's amazing to go through all the photos we have documenting the various stages and see the transformstion, so we will show a few more examples of before, during and after in time.

We're still on tender hooks regarding water & gas. Gas has a provisional date of 21st June, which is going to make opening on the 18th just a little bit impossible. We're hopeful that with enough nagging the date can be brought forward. Other than that (remarkably) the build is on schedule.

It's Looking Less Like A Building Site!!! (but only slightly)

2007-05-22T12:59:00.000Z

Work really is motoring with the bar in the first stages of assembly, unfortunately the chippies have had to go away whilst the floor is being laid behind the bar but at least they are managing to get some of the shelving made off site (photo 1). The plasters have all but finished downstairs with only a few patches that need touching up after the kitchen extract guys made a few holes (they were non too popular!) and they have now started on the bedrooms. The decorators have even got some paint on the walls in what will be the snug area off to the right of the main entrance (photo 2). The panelling is also nearly completed with just a few touches here and there to get sorted out(photo 3) and the flag stone flooring still needs to go down in the bar area. Outside the turf needs laying (and soon if it stands a chance of making it) along with a different type of flag stone for our seating area (photo 4, is taken from what will be the way to the main entrance). We have even had to have an arched door made to fit the archway (last photo) into the snug as we were not allowed to square off the arch (listed building) and it looks the business and will look much better once it has been painted mahogany to match the woodwork.

On the finish

2007-05-17T12:59:00.000Z

With work progressing at a frantic pace the time has come to set a target date for the opening of the pub. After some fag packet calculations & a surprisingly positive conversation with the main contractor we decide to aim for: -

Monday 18th June 2007

There are some known, & undoubtedly some unknown, obstacles but it’s a date for everyone to work towards. We start praying hard to the services god that our gas & water will be connected on time. We’re up with preverbal without a paddle if they’re not!

Oh that first pint is going to taste mighty fine.

It's taking shape

2007-05-17T12:53:00.000Z

Floors laid, walls plastered, windows in, skirting & panelling up, it's decorating next - when the 'takes an eternity to dry' plaster allows.

It's hernia's all round!

2007-05-17T12:41:00.000Z

More whinging from the builders as our now famous urinals get lifted into place. Anyone would think they were heavy or something!

The things that make the news!

2007-05-17T12:31:00.000Z

It's offical,the blog (& our urinals) are local news! Yesterday's Bath Chronicle: -

PUB WHERE YOU CAN STILL SPEND A VICTORIAN PENNY
Date : 16.05.07

Pub loos have the reputation of being a bit grim.

But gents spending a penny at a newly renovated pub in Bradford on Avon will find their surroundings more dignified following the installation of antique urinals.

The Victorian porcelain loos have been installed at The Castle. In their heyday, they were considered the height of fashion.

Businessman Alex Reilley said he hoped that such attention to detail would pay off when the pub opened next month.

"We really liked the idea of having some proper urinals and they are a very grand piece of porcelain ware," he said.

"A lot of them have been ripped out and replaced by stainless steel, but we managed to track some down.

"When blokes come to use them, most will not give it a second thought and think it is part of the building that we inherited.

"There are so many things we could do to cut costs and corners, but this is more than creating a business.

"As perverse as it might sound, it is quite fun sourcing things like urinals."

The painstaking renovation work has been detailed on a blog - an internet diary - and Mr Reilley said this had proved popular.

Entries detail the hunt for 1850s American, saloon-style lampshades - and the panic caused when a specialist workman broke his leg playing football and couldn't start work as planned.

"People are fascinated by this sort of story - how businesses are set up, how much they cost - the blog is a bit Kitchen Nightmares meets Grand Designs," said Mr Reilley.

The Castle will be a boutique hotel and family pub with the emphasis placed on locally sourced and reasonably priced food.

"We are very fortunate that The Castle had a lot of character already and we wanted to add to that character," said Mr Reilley.

"We have taken on what is effectively a building that is very, very tired with the interior in a poor condition, and are going to create a great looking pub with a lot of attention to detail.

"Half of the pub is reasonably safe in terms of its interior and people won't walk in and feel out of their depth.

"In the other half we wanted to have a grandiose theme with some lovely flocked wallpaper.

"Our lampshades and a lot of antique wall lights we bought on ebay, and we have got a fantastic finished product."

The scaffold's down

2007-05-17T12:08:00.000Z

You know your getting somewhere when the scaffolding starts to come down. With all the repointing finished & new windows installed the main entrance elevation overlooking the garden is exposed. There is still some stone work required at ground floor level & we are yet to replace the front door but this elevation is already looking stunning.

Next week will see the laying of the flagstone patio &, weather permitting, the new garden turf will also go down.

We're turning a corner!

2007-05-11T17:47:00.000Z

What a week! Just when it seemed as if the build was never going to end we entered into that magical stage in a refurbishment of this scale where it all starts to come together. After weeks of deconstruction where now start to see reconstruction & the builders are suddenly working with more hyperactivity than a 5 year old on Christmas Day morning.

The plastering has started at such as place that you get the sense that if you stand still long enough you’ll get skimmed! The sparkies has actually started final fixing in the kitchen, where the white rock walls are up & the extract ducting is in place. The kitchen could be made ready in less than a week if need be but the rest of the build wouldn’t, plus we do have the major snag, & concern, about when our water & gas supplies will be upgraded. The gas in particular is always a fun process & requires a degree in patience & good humour if you’re going to get through the 10 point process.

All the new windows are in & the elm/pine floor is down. Most excitingly the bar is now being constructed using the Allied Irish mahogany bank counter we purchased a few months back & the lengths of panelling seem to fit so perfectly it’s as if it had been purposely made for the space.

All the progress suddenly alerts us to the fact we are going to open in June (probably) & suddenly the many tasks you can put off until just before opening need tackling, & there is the major issue of not having a head chef yet.

To boot the method for getting money from the bank is fantastically complicated – instead of just giving us the loan we’ve agreed with them we have to draw it down as jobs get ticked off. There also the issue of probably not having enough money so the pub will need to open first with the rooms being finished off a couple of months later. This should give us the opportunity to get some cash into the business to help towards getting the project finished. And just to compound matters our VAT quarter, when we can claim a sizable amount of VAT back doesn’t fall very favourable.

It’s squeaky bum time that’s for sure!

Disaster

2007-05-03T18:01:00.000Z

Lime plasters aren't quite as rare as rocking horse shit but they are few & far between. After finding a lime plaster who could actually start sometime this year it came as a big blow today to discover 4 days before he's due to start that he's broken his leg in 2 places playing football last night! This is potentially a major snag as the process of lime plastering is very specialised not to mention lengthy & a delay on the plastering effect's the schedule for the whole build. We need to bust some serious moves to avert a crisis. Did I say we'll be opening in June...

A Few Of Nifty Purchases

2007-05-03T16:57:00.000Z

We have been really lucky with some of the purchases we have made for the Castle, although they sometimes haven't gone down too well with the guys doing the job. One example is the Victorian urinals (first picture) that we got for the gents, they set us back a bit but then they look fab. The only problem was that they didn't have drainage so we would have to come up with a means of directing the flow as no matter how hard we tried we could not find any original glazed half pipe to go at the bottom of them. We managed to overcome this obstacle along with a means of having them separated enough to allow comfort whilst standing at them. Another good purchase was the front door, which featured earlier in the blog came with its original furnishings one item in particular was the original door lock mechanism which has been restored (second picture) and will set the door off magnificently. We have also got a couple of green marble lamp stands for the bar, which when adorned with our old western whore house esque lampshades will be really cool. These are just a small handful of buys, we have managed to get hold of some great portraits, chairs, tables and some gazelle heads.

Downstairs The Boys Are Busy

2007-05-03T16:27:00.000Z

The work downstairs has progressed well with the batons going up in the kitchen (first picture), the walls being plaster boarded ready for the White Rock (hygienic wall covering) to be added (second picture) and the ceiling has been plastered and painted, all we need now is the kitchen equipment and extract. The stud work has gone up for the ladies and disabled toilets (third picture) and a new window put in. As it used to be the old store room the walls were taken down and completely rebuilt, with a new roof going on with better insulation and build quality. We've found some great reclaimed Georgian doors for the cubicles as with most of the fittings for downstairs we have used several reclamation yards and ebay has been quite useful as well. We have been able to use the reclaimed elm and pine floor boards from upstairs on the floor, we have dated them for prosperity and also because we were told to (fourth and fifth pictures). We found some lovely old pine boards that we are going to use for panelling to break up the walls and also to tie the rooms in with the main bar area as it retains some of the original wood panelling surrounding the fire place.

The Bedrooms (with en-suites)

2007-05-03T15:54:00.000Z

The rooms look a little cluttered, you can hardly expect them to be spotless whilst work progresses. Even with window frames, insulation and doors being kept in them the stud work has been put up for the en-suites (first, second and third pictures) it really gives a sense of scale and enables us to picture the layout of the individual rooms finally rather than referring to plans. The first fixings are in for the plumbing and electrical work so the plumbers and sparkies can now concentrate on the ground floor to get things up and running in time, although at the moment we are still waiting for a new gas supply and meter along with a new larger water supply which can take time and could possibly hold things up. We have the beds ordered already along with the fabrics, carpets, lighting and mirrors (pictures to appear at a later date). We just need to sort out a few wardrobes and desks.

Exterior Work

2007-05-03T13:38:00.000Z

The painters and the stone mason have been cracking on with their relevant jobs. The painters have been applying an under coat to all the new sash windows which have been fabricated to match the old ones taken out and have put the first coat of paint on the Mount Pleasant side of the building which is a soft green colour Antique Verde and will look even better when the door is painted black and the window frames painted White Tie (first picture). Meanwhile the stone mason has practically finished re-pointing the stone work and has a few stones to replace which haven't worn so well over the past couple hundred of years or so (second picture). Which leaves the mason to tidy up a couple of our open fireplaces inside and to replace the pillars at the front entrance with newly mined solid pieces and to repair the cornice above the entrance (third picture). We are also having the coach lamp at the front entrance replicated as the original was all but a bit of rust held together with cobwebs and ancient paint.