From Print Works to a pint-pulling, in-house distillery, Newcastle leisure company Vaulkhard Group is set to open its doors to its latest offering.
Home to the City’s only working in-house gin still, Bealim House will be open to the public from early September and will reveal its new look following an extensive £590,000 redevelopment.
Honouring the history of the building which was established in 1896, Bealim House pays homage to what was formerly Bealim Print Works for over 100 years – a move which has lent itself to the inspiration of the design.
Honouring its print history
Director Ollie Vaulkhard said: “With such a magnificent building and history in Gallowgate, we wanted to honour that history throughout the design of the bar.
“The theme includes printing blocks and historical printing memorabilia along with some amazing original features we discovered as we stripped it all back.
“We have turned the interiors on its head in the sense that the stair cases and the main entrance are in different places, we have incorporated features like wooden flooring that was once table tops and a bar top that was a wooden floor.
“That, along with so many other quirky features, creates not only a relaxed environment but something that aesthetically gives it the ‘wow’ factor and a bit of talking point.”
Spanning two floors
Bealim House which spans over two-floors incorporates antique leather seats, vintage tiles, varnished brick walls and an open-plan kitchen on the first floor serving bar tapas, sharing platters and a unique twist on classic bar food.
Along with Bealim House’s own brand of on-site distilled ‘hibiscus’ gin, the impressive drinks menu will also comprise fine wines with tasting glasses, an extensive cocktail menu and a beer table complete with self-pouring pumps where private parties or groups can pre-order a keg of beer of their choice.
Mark Dobbin (Sintons LLP), Harry Vaulkhard (Vaulkhard Group), Mike Cross (NatWest), Ollie Vaulkhard (Vaulkhard Group) at the ground floor bar in Bealim HouseAdding a little Gin to the bar
Vaulkhard Group has also formed an exclusive partnership with award-winning gin specialists, Durham Distillery, in a collaboration that will see Newcastle’s only working gin still in Bealim House.
The new formation called The Newcastle Gin Company allows for the 400 litre custom-built copper gin still – one of the largest in the country – to be installed in the eagerly awaited refurbished bar that was previously sports pub, Fluid Bar and Kitchen.
Set behind bullet proof glass, the 8ft still will be a fully functioning feature on the ground floor of the multi-storey venue.
While city centre bars have gained much media exposure lately for establishing gin-only bars, director of Vaulkhard Group and The Newcastle Gin Company, Harry Vaulkhard, believes that this concept will be something the city hasn’t experienced before.
“The idea was always in the pipeline when we formed Vaulkhard Group earlier this year as distilling gin has been a hobby of mine for quite some time,” he said.
“To be able to distil on-site within a bar is pretty revolutionary as opposed to simply diffusing gin. The vision for the new bar has grown naturally and we wanted to create something a bit different to offer customers as well as providing a sociable experience with an unusual talking point.”
The Bealim House refurbishment forms the first of Vaulkhard Group’s £4million development plans across several of its city centre bars over the next three years, and the six-figure investment for Bealim House was supported by NatWest and Sintons.
Bealim House on Gallowgate will be open to the public from early September