Barkers Restaurant at Clumber Park
Barkers Restaurant for the National Trust
* The Brief
The National Trust engaged Jamie Hempsall Ltd to undertake the “Front of House” conversion of the former Head Gardener’s House at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire.
The brief was to create the National Trust’s first ever destination fine dining restaurant and conference facility to attract new public and corporate clientele drawn because of its ambience and the catering offered, rather than providing refreshment during a visit to Clumber Park: an important new revenue stream for the Trust.
* The Property
The property was built in 1892 and until recently had been a rental home, suffering from unsympathetic modernisation in the 1960s, including woodchip wallpaper and extensive fitted cupboards.
* The Concept
The concept for Barkers design is that a guest should “think that they are entering a comforting and inviting home, rather than a commercial restaurant”.
The layout and design were developed to be commercially practical, providing the maximum possible covers, but within a pleasant, safe and usable dining environment. The consultancy devised the “story for the venue” and conducted iterative concept meetings with the National Trust.
The finished venue mixes modern designs and antique pieces, creating an ageless “evolved” property that at the same time has a sense of history. It is sympathetic to the period features of the property, but primarily aims to appeal to the ‘leisure luncher’ with areas such as the WCs providing an element of “wow”.
* Project Success
Jan Siddons, National Trust Catering Operations Manager for the East Midlands, confirmed Jamie Hempsall Ltd had exceeded the brief and delivered more than the National Trust could have hoped for. The restaurant opened in June 2011 on schedule and to budget. Press & client feedback of the interior and food have been extremely positive and Barkers is now regularly fully booked.
