Thank You

Thank You

Well, at last, it has all come together…. Blacks of Chapel Street opened for business on Friday 13th (we’re not superstitious….) and we would like to say a big thank you for all the hard work put in by the team that made it possible.  There are many who helped, whether just for a day or two on specialist jobs or longer throughout the project. At the risk of missing somebody out (if we have, sorry!) we would like to say a particularly big thanks to the following –

Paul Drew who worked long hours to put into place the design and aided with many practical ideas for improving the original concept. Then there is the delightful Lynsey, Paul’s long-suffering and very patient girlfriend, who came in to help after finishing her proper day job to work many late nights cleaning up after Paul.

Mike brought his vast experience to the equation and has produced some great carpentry for the interior of Blacks along with solutions to issues encountered along the way. All of which has been expertly painted over many times by Richard who fortunately is tall enough to reach the tops of everything here! Richard was ably assisted by Pete and Phil who were roped in and given a paintbrush when the finish was in sight.

Ian, thanks for your ‘executive’ input, appreciated by all (especially when we know you would rather have been spending your time cycling).

Alan Cargeeg and Graham put in the electrical wizardry for the new lighting which has transformed the interior with all sorts of clever effects for us to play with. We even have a special ‘Alan’s Cupboard’ where he could often be found contemplating how to get it all to work!

Jackie O’Keeffe brought her expertise with industrial scale upholstery and showed Susan how it can be done – so if you are ever thinking how comfortable your backside is on our new booth seating, remember to thank Jackie….

Justin from PlusPrint did an excellent job with the signage and our interior photo wall, we are especially appreciative of the calm and professional approach to dealing with the old transfers that covered the lower parts of the windows – not an easy task.

Penny Rumble, the artistic talent behind the colour scheme was invaluable (as usual) and really helped bring together a bewildering choice of options.

Throughout the work, our own Craig cheerfully hung up his chef’s whites and got stuck in to help Paul and Richard with painting and basically anything that was thrown at him. We are sure he is probably glad to be back in the kitchen, after all, that.

Then the friends, Julie, Chris, Helen, Jonathan & Jackie (again), who appeared ready for cleaning and removing glitter from where it shouldn’t have been – all worked furiously during the last couple of days to help transform Blacks from ‘building site’ to ‘dining room & bar’ and still managed to look their usual glamorous selves (err well maybe not Chris and Jonathan – but you know what I mean!).

So once again, cheers team! Great work… thank you!

Refurbishment Progress

The Big Project

We are now at the half way mark with our big refurbishment project. The team have been working hard and the final layout of the new bar & seating is becoming clear. Electricians have been up ladders for what seems an age, but their initial cabling and hole cutting is now complete and we have had great fun with our new spray painting machine working on the ceiling in preparation for when they come back for the final fix.

The big mirrors have gone (what were they all about?!) and the old ‘UFO’ lighting has thankfully departed (hopefully back to whichever part of the galaxy they came from…) and the change to the place with just that is amazing.

Some impressive carpentry skills have been in evidence and we are now preparing the soft furnishings to ensure you get a comfortable seat when you visit us.

While so much work has been going on in the front of Blacks we shouldn’t forget the kitchen team – Matt has been hard at work on the new menu (will be published next week)  and taking the opportunity to do plenty of research to fine tune his creative approach to the food we will be serving.

A very difficult task has been undertaken this week with representatives from different drinks suppliers presenting their ideas for new wines and beers… It has been hard work trying all the samples, but we do take our responsibilities seriously and will continue to work through the ‘backlog’ until we are sure that we have the correct offerings for you to enjoy either with our without the food.

Lots more decorating – walls and bar in particular – to be done over the next couple of weeks. New signage and the delivery of the tables and chairs. Final selection of the colours for walls is being made as I write.

Don’t forget to check our gallery page for images of the work (saves you trying to peer through the small gap in the paper we have placed over the windows…).