New restaurant opens in medieval style
The final work being carried on the Tithe Barn
A unique £900,000 Tithe Barn restaurant at Bosworth Battlefield will officially be opened in true medieval style.
The official opening of the Tithe Barn Restaurant will be marked by the crossing of swords, cutting of medieval ribbon, a medieval banquet with period music and demonstrations by re-enactors ‘Les Routiers de Rouen’.
The restaurant, which replaces the Buttery Café, can now seat 80 people, providing visitors with an excellent new facility in keeping with this nationally important visitor attraction. One of its striking features is the beams from a medieval tithe barn that once stood in Sandiacre in Derbyshire. The new restaurant also incorporates recycling features such as a system to collect rainwater to use to flush the toilets. The Tithe Barn will also be available for private functions.
Funding for the project was in the region of £800,000 and was provided through a partnership between Leicester Shire Economic Partnership who contributed £500,000, Leicestershire County Council, Waste Recycling Environment Ltd (WREN) and the Derbyshire Archaeological Society who also donated the timbers.
The barn has been designed by Leicestershire County Council architects and has been built by Denmans, a Leicestershire building firm.
Peter Winkless, Chairman of Leicestershire County Council, said: “This is a magnificent building of great quality and character. It not only adds to the facilities for the visitor centre but will become an attraction in its own right. The restaurant is a result of excellent partnership working between everyone involved. I congratulate all those involved in its construction.”
Martin Traynor, Deputy Chairman of Leicester Shire Economic Partnership, added: “We shared a vision when we were asked to fund this project and I’m very excited now that the dream has turned into reality. The completed building exceeded my initial expectations and it will help the LSEP achieve some of its objectives. These include creating jobs in the rural areas, increasing the sustainability of communities and improving the environment.”
Mrs Cherry Orton, previous manager of the Bosworth Buttery and the Almshouse in Sutton Cheney will run the restaurant, which will open to the public from Good Friday, 25th March 2005. The Tithe Barn is at the Bosworth Battlefield Visitor Centre and Country Park, Sutton Cheney near Nuneaton.
