The Torphichen in Mid Calder is undergoing a major £475K refurbishment, a joint investment by owned Star Pubs & Bars and, multiple operator, PG Taverns Scotland. The pub, which has been closed since September, is scheduled to re-open in April as the Fork & Field.
Iain Pert of PG Taverns said, “Choosing the right site is key to the success of a pub, as is the investment needed to create an appealing offer for customers. The Torphichen has both. Food will be the focus with ingredients locally sourced. We expect it to do well as there is a gap in the market for a quality food-led traditional welcoming country pub in the area.”
He continued, “We’re delighted to be working with Star Pubs & Bars again on another joint investment on the back of the runaway success we’ve had with The Jolly Botanist.”
Star is investing £275K and a further £200k is being invested by PG Taverns The reconfiguration of the Torphichen will increase the space in the pub, almost doubling the number of food covers from 48 to 94 and increasing the kitchen size by 60%. The changes will enable the pub to offer modern classic Scottish food with a twist, as well as great cask ale and a range of quality premium drinks creating a warm and welcoming pub. PG Taverns investment will be spent on the addition of a conservatory, decking and six letting rooms.
Lawson Mountstevens, managing director of Star Pubs & Bars said, “It’s positive news for the community that P&G Taverns has taken on the Torphichen. They’re top operators with award-winning experience. That coupled with the pubs location, its new focus on food and great potential are a compelling combination.”
Iain is pictured with business partner Gordon Gilhooley.
The Jolly Botanist on Edinburgh’s Morrison Street opened last month, and has already proved a hit with customers. Owners Iain Pert and Gordon Gilhooley of PG Taverns have been delighted with the response to their newest venture.
Gordon told DRAM, “We’ve been really busy since we opened. Some of our other places have been a slow build, this has been the opposite.”
The new bar, on the site of the former Spider’s Web, is unrecognisable. For a start the bar is no longer gloomy it boasts full length windows which open onto the street and windows to the rear which overlook a back area. Explains Iain Pert, “The windows were all boarded up, and when we were ripping out the interior we discovered them. Although these windows look old, they are actually new.”
In fact the bar looks lived in, despite only being open a couple of days when I visited. Says Iain, “We had the idea of a gin bar concept and originally we wanted a really old building which we could put a high quality bar in to. When we took over the Spider’s Web it was dark and dingy, and we also found asbestos.”
It was the asbestos which delayed the project somewhat. Says Gordon, “Initially we had planned to be open last September but when we started work we found asbestos.”
Unusually Iain and Gordon used just one company for its architectural and design work, DBP and Dimension was the main contractor on the job. Says Ian, “We would come up with ideas and DBP would interpret them and come back to us with mood boards. Some of it was spur of the moment. It’s definitely not an ‘out of the box’ design.”
Gordon comments, “We wanted a mixture between an old Victorian house and a Jules Verne/steam punk type of gin house.”
This included putting old looking windows in, aging the brand new steel work to look rusty, and leaving the fire retardent on the ceiling exposed. Some walls have been plastered but others have been left with exposed brickwork. Says Iain, “We wanted the wall at the back left looking like a work in progress, but the efficient plasterer plastered it smooth. It was too difficult to undo so we had to add a paint effect that made the wall look old.”
By now you will be getting the picture! The bar at the Jolly Botanist is a long dark wooden bar but says Iain, “It’s long, but not long enough. We’ve been so busy that I realise that we could be doing with more space at the bar.”
What they don’t have at the bar is stools. Says Gordon, “We want people to sit down.”
And there is plenty of seating to choose from from high tables eating eight, to low booths, to tables for four there is even a one seater that sits two.
As you enter the bar there are a couple of large barrels and a comfortable looking booth to your right, beyond which lie the toilets… and even they are a work of art. Says Gordon, “There are lots of wee touches that I hope people will appreciate. They are not always immediately obvious, such as the hand painted toilet bowls and the mural in the men’s loos.”
The main bar is split into three areas – the barrels as you come in which are situated beside a hearth with a wall splitting this area from the central part of the bar. Sports lovers can enjoy a giant screen here, and there is another screen on the opposite side of the wall. Says Iain, “These really are state of the art.” It’s not the only state of the art piece of equipment – the till system is from Ipos – and is utilised through ipads. Says Gordon, “They look great, and this latet technology allows us to see, from our phones, exactly what our sales are at any time of the day, and even who has completed the sale. We can also work our Spotify through the till, and our speakers are all wireless.”
It’s beer dispense is also ‘Smart’. The Heineken systems has Octopus attached to the ceiling of the cellar. Says Iain, “It is the 3rd generation of the system and is fixed to the roof. We have no wastage and Innserve do all the line cleaning.”
But back to the actual bar design. The furniture is all new but it looks established. It’s not shabby chic, but its anything but shabby. But it is quirky. For instance around the barrels there are leather, three legged stools at waist height. The tables by the windows are small and round with a mix of small stools and dining table chairs… I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a variety of chairs in any venue. All look like they have been around a while, but actually are beautifully upholstered and are brand new. There is also a nice wall detail beside the large windows. Fixed to the wall there is a glass piece of artwork – seven old fashioned taps have been fixed to a piece of old wood and glass pendulums hang from the taps spout. At night these light up. Says Iain, “The idea is that at night this lighting formation highlights the mural below which states ‘Show me Gin’ with a finger pointing to the door in.”
This is just one of the quirky features. I think if you sat in the bar all day you still would be able to come with a feature for an eye-spy game. Many of the other quirky details have been brought in by Iain’s wife Angela. Says Iain, “She found all the glass domes under which sit various plants. She also made the colourful stag heads at the rear of the bar, and has created the flower arrangements which come in small brightly coloured painted cases, amongst other accoutrements.”
In fact son, Tony, has also been involved in the opening of the pub. Says Iain, “He went on a social marketing course and came back with some great ideas. Our social media presence has increased massively. Already we have more than 3,200 likes and our page has reached 85,000 people. We’ve had comments from people as far away as Singapore! And it seems to have paid off. We didn’t imagine how busy it would get on our opening week. It totally surpassed all our expectations.”
Iain’s favourite part of the bar is the rear area. You go up a couple of steps and there is a mezzanine which takes around 30 people. It has two chandeliers and another fireplace. It also has two large windows which although they look like they have always been there. They are in fact, new. The tables here have a leafy stencil design, which adds a quirky effect.”
Downstairs there is a dedicated area for washing dishes, which is separate from the kitchen – there is even a separate dumb waiter/lift for dishes. There is some office accommodation, a large spirit store and a large new cellar. Says Iain, “This all used to be the downstairs function suite – we have utilised it for other means, however the old bar downstairs actually still exists and we have left it exactly as it was complete with dusty bottles of wine and old glassware. It’s a relic from a bygone age.”
Of course upstairs the bar is anything but. The backbar displays a huge range of gins. (as you would expect from a gin bar). Says Iain, “Most of our customers, particularly the women, are drinking gin.”
Iain concludes, “We are really happy with it, and so are our customers. We couldn’t get any busier at the weekends than we are now!” That’s a good complaint to have!
The Cask and Still, formerly The Volunteer Arms, on Leith Walk in Edinburgh is the latest addition to Iain Pert and Gordon Gilhooley’s PG Taverns pub group, and marks another development in their ongoing relationship with Star Pubs & Bars following the opening of McSorley’s last year and the soon-to-open The Jolly Botanist.
When I met Iain, The Cask and Still was scheduled to open that very night. The bar was a hub of activity, with various tradesmen concentrating on snagging issues and staff scheduled to arrive to finalise the clean-up before the first customers began filtering into the bar.
Says Iain, “We had the concept ready to go, it was all about waiting for the right venue to become available. We had some conversations with Star Pubs & Bars about some new ideas that we had. They then came back to us with this site and we thought it fitted perfectly. Star are very keen to invest in new venues at the moment, and we have a real partnership with them.”
The interior design was completed by Rough Design, who worked with Iain and Gordon on the concept. Director Grant Rough told me, “We really enjoy working with Iain, Gordon and the guys at Star Pubs & Bars, as it’s both a challenging and ultimately rewarding journey. The projects always start with a strong brief and vision, and as this venture involved links with both Caledonian Brewery and Diageo the research phase of the process was particularly interesting. This led us to incorporate some subtle and playful references relating to the industrial nature of the brewing and distilling process within the project.”
As you approach The Cask and Still from Leith Walk the venue’s frontage provides a clear indication of the bar’s ethos. The exterior has been painted gunmetal grey, with the bar’s name printed in small, minimalist letters above a black, Victorian lamp. Large windows featuring the logo sit on either side of the doorway, and below there is barrel-effect wood panelling made from old flooring and metal straps. The outside seating area can hold up to 24 people, and features brushed metal tables and chairs in keeping with the design of the interior. The canopies hanging above the tables bear The Cask and Still’s two slogans, ‘Where Beer is the Hero’ and ‘Today’s Rain is Tomorrow’s Whisky’.
The message continues as you enter, with a large, neon red ‘Where Beer is the Hero’ legend bearing down from a reclaimed brick tile wall halfway up the room. The bar’s brickwork and red windows are a nod to Edinburgh’s iconic Caledonian Brewery, which was rebuilt in the old style following a fire.
The same whisky barrel-panelling from the exterior wraps around beneath the bar top, with the slightly worn, paint-dashed wood bound together with black, bolted metal. The bar top itself is light, varnished oak, with two bronze taps protruding from the surface for those wanting to add a little water to their dram. The back-bar has dark stained oak shelving in front of the brick wall, and houses an array of whiskies ranging from the well known, larger distilleries to rare expressions and single cask bottlings. Sitting above the gantry are small whisky barrels, nets and wooden delivery crates, a contunuation of the warehouse-feel theme.
When I asked Grant about the back bar he told me, “Iain and Gordon tasked us with designing a feature back display that would show off their trademark wide range of products. This was manufactured by the skilled team at Dimension Shopfitting with a specialist painter originally from New York working alongside the experienced decor team from Esk Solutions, achieving the reclaimed finish we wanted.”
Six cask ales line the bar top, featuring three regular ales and three rotating guests beers. Iain told me that there is also a spare line installed for a potential seventh ale, should the need arise. As you would expect from a Star Pubs and Bars venture, Heineken is featured prominently, with two Heineken Extra Cold taps as well as the latest in Heineken’s Smart Dispense technology. A doorway behind the bar leads into a small food dispense area, with a sign above the door highlighting The Cask and Still’s food offering, pies and pickles. A black, vintage clock hangs on the brick wall adjacent to the bar, and long-hanging metal lampshades illuminate the bar top itself.
Past the exposed brick pillars there is a snug seating area; tartan covered bar stools sit around restored whisky barrels and intimate booth seating featuring brown, leather banquettes either side of a table made from reclaimed scaffold wood. A large, chesterfield sofa is fitted into the wall, and directly above is one of The Cask and Still’s most striking features, a collection of inter-linked copper piping and pressure monitors that look like they’ve been transplanted directly from a nearby distillery.
A few, small steps take you down to The Cask and Still’s tasting room. Grant told me, “We transformed a neglected area at the back of premises into the ‘Tasting Room’ with our custom designed large format artwork and bespoke screen, which aims to convey the client concept of a ‘marriage’ between beer and whisky and allows the area to be used for everything from whisky and beer tastings to corporate events.”
The walls are lined with benches with burgundy, leather cushions, which face varnished wooden tables that match the beech wooden floorboards. Small, burgundy stools and leather-cushioned seats dot the tables’ exteriors. The area has a very traditional feel to it, and two large murals across the walls serve as a reminder to the heritage of The Cask and Still’s featured drinks. The first is a collage of old whisky barrels, date-stamped and worn. Two stand out however; one wears the famous Johnnie Walker logo, the other, bearing the pub’s name, looks as fresh and new as The Cask and Still itself. The second wall mural shows an old group photo of workers at the Lorimer and Clark brewery in Edinburgh, the predecessors of Caledonian Brewery. Iain tells me that Mr Clark himself is in the centre of the picture, a fitting nod to the city’s brewing heritage.
Despite The Cask and Still’s tribute to Scotland’s brewing and distilling past the bar is very much grounded in the present, and serves as a welcome, contemporary addition to Leith Walk. Yet for all the hard work that Iain and Gordon have put into the bar, they don’t have the time to take a step back and admire their work, as their other venture with Star Pubs & Bars, The Jolly Botanist, is due to open imminently. No rest for the wicked indeed!
Iain Pert and business partner Gordon Gilhooley have been busy. They opened McSorley’s in Edinburgh just before Christmas and this month they completed the refurbishment of the former Standard on Howe Street and have created a new gin bar called Mother’s.
This bar has a small shop front, which is really deceiving because the bar extends back and becomes, what is in fact, quite a substantial sized bar. Says Iain, “It was quite run down, and we have made quite a few alterations although we did keep the location of the bar and the bar itself.”
These alterations include removing some pillars and taking away the fixed seating, and recycling some items such as the lights, the bar and keeping others such as the fabulous traditional radiators.
Iain explains, “We have a lot of bespoke features here which our designer created himself. He also recommended that we put in bespoke tables, and although there was a lot of discussion about them because they were quite costly, they have really brought the place to life.”
He is right. The tables which look like they have been created from parquet flooring – gleam in the light, adding warmth and a point of difference. The warmth is also enhanced by the red walls at the entrance, and the colour was mixed to Iain and Gordon’s specification.
Although this is a gin bar, with more than 200 gins on offer, the theme is quite discrete throughout. From the bowler hat lighting, personally created by the designer, to the art deco style wall lights (recycled from the Standard’s ceiling lighting) to the black and pin-strip rear wall (hand painted), and a couple of murals of a well dressed gentleman… it’s not in your face.
Explains Iain, “Everything is quite bespoke and discreet. We didn’t want the bar to be too male orientated which is why we introduced the bright red bespoke lampshades at the front of the bar, and the velour covered booth.”
This booth, which seats two, is situated near the window and is almost like a small carriage. Says Iain, “This was dead area, but now the booth is there it is one of the most popular seats in the room.”
Further through into the body of the bar the walls now feature bluey/grey wood panelling which has just been put in, and some fixed seating, which lies horizontal to the bar. All the bar chairs and leather upholstery have been refurbished by a car company, who specialise in restoring old cars. Says Iain, “They rejuvenated all the leather and buffed it up. It now looks, and feels, great. They also refurbished the pewter bar which had been left to languish and the beautiful gantry had been covered up by the previous occupant and we have redesigned it and used some beautiful tiles to add definition.”
The shelves of the bar groan under the weight of the multitude of gins on offer, and there is a specials board for the Gin & Tonics of the month. The nature of gin bottles mean that this display also is very creative and adds to the overall feel of the bar.
Mother’s also has a downstairs area which has been transformed into a private party area. The stairs down to it, situated at the rear of the pub, are also a work of art and very art deco in nature. But they have merely been restored and the black paint removed. It looks great and some beautiful bespoke wallpaper in a lovely teal blue and featuring little birds, adds a slight oriental feel to the space. This wallpaper is continued into the space below, which is a bit edgier than the bar. Says Iain, “It holds 100 people and it has its own bar, and of course the kitchen is here so it’s really easy to cater for private parties.”
There are still a few details to be introduced including the cocktail menu, which now that they have sourced enough leather bound books called ‘The Drunken Botanist’ will be adapted to exhibit Mother’s cocktail list. And of course not forgetting the font that has been used – called would you believe it ‘gin’. Very appropriate! Mother’s is at 24 Howe Street.
At the end of the year McSorley’s opened in Edinburgh’s Clerk Street. Formerly McEwans Alehouse, the new look McSorley’s has been taken over by Iain Pert and Gordon Gilhooley. The venture is another Star Pubs and Bars lease for the duo.
The bar has been totally transformed, with exposed brick walls, lots of wood – rough cut and rosewood, leather banquettes, and creative artwork. The lighting is all industrial chic and the bar itself offers a good range of beers. The bar will focus on live music and good drinks rather than food, although the food offering is good too. See licensee interview for more details.