North West Premier Hospitality

The Clarence

The Clarence, Silver Street, Bury
Written by Roma Publications

The Clarence, Silver Street, Bury

Located on Silver Street in Bury, The Clarence is a fantastic eating and drinking establishment showcasing a strong selection of tasty dishes, an impressive collection of drinks and real ales and a truly wonderful atmosphere.

All housed within inviting surroundings, The Clarence is open seven days a week in a beautifully restored building.

The Clarence opened its doors in October 2014, following an extensive refurbishment programme which saw the venue’s owner work closely with architect Rob Morley and structural engineer Ted Russell to ensure the entire building was structurally sound. The 12 month project – which was three years in the making – covered all five floors of The Clarence, so that upon completion the building could include a basement craft brewery, a ground floor pub, a first floor restaurant and a second floor cocktail lounge.

The Clarence, Silver Street, Bury

Works on the project included the installation of new plumbing and electrics throughout the building. In addition, the site was given a beautifully restored makeover to make it tip-top for all guests who walk through the doors, with new front and back of house areas.

Dawnvale was responsible for the installation of the bars and kitchen areas on the project, whilst Den Interiors was responsible for the furniture, fixed seating and upholstery.

Speaking to Premier Hospitality about the project, Lee Hollinworth, Owner of The Clarence, said:

“We wanted to get all of our problems ironed out before any customers came in, ensuring that we could operate smoothly. The work paid off, as we hit capacity within the first two weeks of opening – which we never thought we would do.”

A genuine highlight of The Clarence is its microbrewery located within the basement of the building. The Silver Street Brewing Company offers Clarence customers a selection of fine beers on tap and is already proving to be a big draw with the crowds.

The Clarence, Silver Street, Bury

Lee said:

“We run the Bury beer festival, so it was always our intention to include a microbrewery at The Clarence. As far as real ale goes, this town can sing from the rooftops about real ale as it has a wealth of real ale’s available. We are enjoying Bury’s real ale culture so much we wanted to make sure we were a part of it too.”

The ground floor of The Clarence is reserved for pub space. During the project makeover work was undertaken to restore as much of the pub’s unique history and character as possible, whilst providing a few unique twists here and there.

Lee commented:

“As we opened up the walls we came across different materials, which gave us an idea of what the building would have been like when it was first built in 1905. We looked at archives and part of the project was understanding the building and then understanding how to work with it. Once we had got so far we knew what we could work with.”

Another highlight of The Clarence is of course its truly scrumptious menu which is available via the venue’s restaurant, The Kitchen. The menu is packed with an array of dishes, from pub lunch classics and nibbles, to The Kitchen’s a la carte offering. Dishes range from the Todmorden venison Scotch egg with mustard mayonnaise, to the Yorkshire pork belly and the pan fried fillet of sea trout.

The Clarence, Silver Street, Bury

The restaurant’s menu also includes a market meat offering, with a selection of steaks ranging from a £15, 8oz rump steak, up to a £52, 16oz Chateau Briand for two. The beef used at The Clarence is salt aged in the highest quality environment and comes predominately from locally sourced Galloway cattle.

Alongside the restaurant’s regular menu is its early bird deal, Clarence Comforts menu and a workers lunch deal, offering a no nonsense meal for workers for just £10. In addition, The Clarence boasts its magnificent Sunday roast which is available in three different portion sizes.

For children there is a kids menu, including a Sunday Roast priced at £6.75 guaranteed to keep the younger family members happy. The Traditional Roast is the standard Sunday roast and includes a choice of either slow roasted, 28 day dry aged beef rump or a roast leg of English lamb, served with goose fat roast potatoes and all the trimmings.

For the more adventurous there is the Full Monty Roast, which is priced at £14.75 and is arguably the last word when it comes to Sunday lunches. The belly-busting dish includes slow roasted 28 day dry aged beef rump, with goose fat potatoes, glazed carrots, green beans, Savoy cabbage, Yorkshire puddings and gravy. The Full Monty Roast also includes the Chef’s special treat board, loaded with garlic and herb crusted roast bone marrow, cauliflower gratin, champ mash and red wine jus.

The Clarence, Silver Street, Bury

To complement The Clarence’s food offering is an extensive drinks menu, which includes cocktails, wines, draught beers, home brewed real ales and more. Soft drinks and hot drinks are available too, including the mighty 16oz Builders Mug of Tea! Fresh leaf tea is also on offer with a slice of Tea Loaf for just £2.50

The Clarence also includes the Fallen Angel, an impressive cocktail lounge which is reserved for diners either pre or post dining. Located on the 2nd floor, the Fallen Angel works on an invite only policy, but is available for hire, making it the perfect place for parties, celebrations and events.

Reflecting on the work involved with The Clarence, Lee said:

“On the night we opened we were full and as I walked through the building it was exactly what I wanted. The pub atmosphere is great, which is something which you often forget, so it is great to see the different atmospheres from the different parts of the building.

The Clarence, Silver Street, Bury

“A lot of people suggested that we were taking a big risk with this project because it was in Bury, but they seem to really underestimate Bury. We are really pleased that we have changed their minds now that they have been able to see what we have achieved.”

With work now complete on The Clarence, Lee is looking towards new projects, including the relocation of Manchester’s Cornerhouse to its new home, a purpose-built centre coincidentally called Home.

Lee said:

“We’re working with Dawnvale on this project, who we worked with on The Clarence and then we will contract out the remaining work on this £25 million project.”

The Clarence is open Monday to Saturday 11am to 11pm and Sunday 12 noon to 11pm.

The Clarence, Silver Street, Bury

For more information about The Clarence, please visit: www.theclarence.co.uk, or to make a reservation or private booking, please email: reservations@theclarence.co.uk.

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Roma Publications