A Newcastle restaurant has brought a historic building back to life as an exclusive function space, dedicated to hosting a range of drinks-related events such as wine, beer and whisky tasting.
Blackfriars Restaurant and Banquet Hall has opened a Tasting Room, situated directly above the main restaurant, which has space to seat up to 36 guests. The Tasting Room is located in what was originally the Crafts Guilds meeting area, featuring antique 19th century seating used by the guilds of the city.
The room will now be playing host to a number of scheduled events over the coming months. Guests can also choose from a range of bespoke options for a date of their choice, for private events, corporate groups, and hen and stag parties. These options include wine, whisky and cheese matching, local beer tasting, a beginner’s guide to wine tasting, exploring the restaurant wine list, an introduction to whisky, and chef and sommelier: food and drink matching.
Blackfriars dates back to 1239 when it was the medieval home of the city’s ‘Black Friars’. In 1543, Blackfriars’ first floor rooms became the meeting houses for the crafts guilds including brewers, bakers, butchers, dyers, skinners, glovers, smiths, tanners and tailors. The Guild of Tailors, among others, continued to meet at Blackfriars until 1974. The first floor space has in recent years been used by North East of England Civic Trust who moved out a few years ago, with the space lying dormant ever since.
Now, the Tasting Room has been refurbished by traditional craftsmen, who have carefully chosen furniture, lighting and fabrics in-keeping with the rich history of Blackfriars.
The room is just one of the areas that owner Andy Hook has carefully renovated as part of an ambitious scheme to give previously disused areas of Blackfriars a 21st century facelift – including the Dominican Friary’s Parlour, library rooms and Dormitory Rooms.
Andy Hook said: “The beautiful first floor rooms above Blackfriars have been something of a hidden gem for many years now, so we were delighted to have the chance to bring them back to life, and to show them to our guests. The circular seating lends itself very well to relaxed, sociable gatherings – perfect for wine, beer and whisky tastings.”
Blackfriars is one of the oldest restaurants in the UK. Its ornate 50-seat Banquet Hall was built to entertain guests and nobles to Newcastle, and it was the celebrated venue used by King Edward III to receive royal Scot, Edward Balliol, in 1334.
The restaurant received the Taste of England accolade at the North East Tourism Awards and was voted Best North East Restaurant in the Licensed Trade Awards.
The team at Blackfriars also opened Hinnies Restaurant in Whitley Bay in February 2016, and most recently Dobson and Parnell in December 2016, which offers refined British and European food on Newcastle’s Quayside.
To find out more about Blackfriars’ Tasting Room, visit www.blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk/explore-our-spaces/tasting-room
Blackfriars, Friars Street, Newcastle, NE30 1XN, 0191 261 5945 www.blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk
Twitter: @BlackfriarsRest Facebook/Instagram: Blackfriars Restaurant
Dobson and Parnell, 21 Queen Street, Newcastle, NE1 3UG, Tel: 0191 2210904 www.dobsonandparnell.co.uk
Twitter: @DobsonParnell Facebook/Instagram: DobsonandParnell
Hinnies Restaurant, East Parade, Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear, NE26 1AP, 0191 447 0500 www.hinnies.co.uk
Twitter: @HinniesRest Facebook: HinniesFamilyRestaurant Instagram: HinniesRestaurant