South West

Another successful serving for Jamie’s Italian

Jamie's Italian Cheltenham- Jamie Oliver

Housed within the former Magistrates Court in central Cheltenham, Jamie’s Italian is a 170-cover restaurant from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

Since its launch in July 2011 the restaurant has proved popular with diners and recently received a nomination at the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2012. Although the restaurant didn’t win an award, its nomination was certainly a sign of the restaurant’s popularity within the town.

In discussing the Cheltenham site, Jamie Oliver, said:

“I wanted to create a local restaurant that was classy, reliable and inspired by what people want – good tasty food.

Jamie's Italian Cheltenham- Jamie Oliver

“I was so excited to bring Jamie’s Italian to Cheltenham. The restaurant is one of the most historic in the Jamie’s Italian collection and the restaurant’s designers were careful to maintain some of the Grade II Listed building’s original features while adding some new additions including a Hollywood-style spiral staircase.”

Jamie added:

“We’ve got a beautiful building in a great town in a gorgeous country and I know the team at Jamie’s Italian have quickly made it a favourite amongst local people.”

Jamie's Italian Cheltenham- Jamie Oliver

Work began on transforming the Magistrates Court into a new Jamie’s Italian in April 2011, with work reaching completion on the 11th July, just in time for the restaurant’s grand opening.

du Boulay Contracts Ltd was the main contractor on Jamie’s Italian Cheltenham and Stiff+Trevillion Architects was the interior design architect on the site.

A very noticeable element of Jamie’s Italian Cheltenham is the large amount of existing features which were retained from the building’s former life, including ceilings, doors and a small amount of ceramic flooring. Meanwhile, new features include bespoke light fittings, an antipasti counter and a bar which is housed in one of the old judge’s rooms.

Jamie's Italian Cheltenham- Jamie Oliver

Jamie’s Italian Cheltenham is spread across three storeys and upon entry into the building diners are brought into the lobby, where a staircase to the left leads to the first floor and a door to the right leads into the ground level dining area.

Stiff+Trevillion Architects Company Director, Richard Blandy, said:

“The local authority in Cheltenham was delighted to bring a Jamie’s Italian to the Magistrates Court as it is a major building in the town which has now gained a new lease of life.

Jamie's Italian Cheltenham- Jamie Oliver

“Before work started on the project, the plan was to keep the original fabric of the building and then fit-out the interior.

“All of the original rooms and spaces remained intact from when the building existed as a court house but we introduced a new colour scheme into the site that complimented the brand and the existing features.

“The main courts room is a magnificent tall space, with vaulted roof lights located above the original jury area and diners can now sit and eat in areas that were once used by the jury, the press and even the clerks.

Jamie's Italian Cheltenham- Jamie Oliver

“Retaining existing elements of the site created a challenge as we had to install services and new features without affecting the historic elements of the building, but we kept an ongoing dialogue with the project’s conservation office during the works and the conversion ran smoothly.”

To date Stiff+Trevillion Architects has completed eight restaurants for the Jamie’s Italian brand, including sites in Bath, Portsmouth, Reading, Liverpool, Leads, Guildford and Bristol.

Discussing the site’s nomination at the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, Richard commented:

“It is always great to be recognised for the work that you do, so being part of a site that received a nomination at the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2012 was fantastic. The feedback from Jamie’s has been good and they are equally pleased to know that their sites are getting nominated for awards such as these.”

Jamie's Italian Cheltenham- Jamie Oliver

APS Plumbing, Heating & Gas Engineers Ltd

APS Ltd specialise in the design build installation of mechanical services for use in new restaurant projects. The company has been in operation since 2004 and have completed works for many leading brands, including Hawksmoor, Wahaca, Union Jacks, Brasserie Blanc, The White Brasserie and Lochfyne, amongst others.

Whilst working on the restaurant projects, APS Ltd has worked with many leading contractors including Brasserie Co Ltd, PNW Design Ltd, Tekne and DuBoulay.

To date APS Ltd has completed works on three Jamie’s Italian restaurants, including Jamie’s Italian Cheltenham, Jamie’s Italian Bluewater and Union Jacks inWinchester. In addition, APS Ltd has also worked on Jamie’s Deli inBath.

Working on Jamie’s Italian Cheltenham, APS Ltd was responsible for the design build installations of all plumbing, heating, gas and drainage services, as well as the sanitary ware on the site.

APS Ltd Managing Director, Lee Anstey, said:

“The company prides itself on delivering projects on time and the quality of workmanship is always to the highest level throughout, providing the best possible service.”

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