Premier Hospitality

Geronimo Inns

Geronimo Inns
Written by Roma Publications

Geronimo Inns – The changing of The Guard House

Geronimo Inns

In a brand new opening for Geronimo Inns, the Grade II listed Guard House building, dating back to 1787-88, at the Royal Arsenal Riverside in Woolwich, has been dramatically transformed into The Guard House pub.

Part of the Berkeley Homes’ redevelopment, this 5,060 square foot pub and dining room has a capacity for 220 people across four different areas: The Mess, The Glass House, The Deli and The Dining Room.

The extensively refurbished venue now houses a cosy bar with a glass walled extension to the side, which provides a large contemporary restaurant area. A new conservatory extension has also been constructed to the rear.

A £1.8M undertaking, the new pub is part of the wider Royal Arsenal regeneration – the largest project of its kind in Europe, already 15 years into a 30-year term.

The Guard House has a casual bistro feel with all-day kitchen and includes communal tables and banquette seating as well as smaller tables for two, bar stools and armchairs.

Interior design features include wall finishes ranging from wallpaper to exposed brick, wood paneling and paint, together with a spectacular bar – enhanced by a distinctive palette of bright turquoise, natural wood tones and greens, combined with multi coloured tiled and wooden flooring and complemented by distinctive feature lighting.

The pub serves traditional, hearty food, including signature dishes of guinea fowl Kiev, pie, mash and liquor and rice pudding with raspberry jam. The dinner menu might include such dishes as: sweet potato and butternut squash tart with chive cream; breaded aubergine with Devonshire blue filling and winter slaw; pot roast whiskey ham with mustard dumplings, kale pesto and liquor; Guinea Fowl Kiev with Savoy cabbage, bacon, and chestnut gravy, and Dorset crab with spinach, cod cheek gratin and crayfish toast.

The venue also has an in-house bakery.

Gin cocktails have prominence on the drinks menu with a wide selection of bitters, ales and an expansive wine list.

According to Geronimo Inns: “The Guard House is Woolwich’s village pub, a local eating house which just happens to have a bar which knocks spots off your average boozer and brings together the best of the old with the best of the new, just like Woolwich itself does.”

Patrick Dardis, Geronimo Inns retail director, says: “It’s a great time to be at Geronimo Inns and we’re thrilled to have opened this new pub. The partnership with Berkeley Homes presents us with some fantastic opportunities and this new location is the perfect example of that.”

Award Winning London Pub Company Geronimo Inns is now owned by Youngs but retrains all its individuality and passion. They have 35 pubs and an expansion plan of five per year.

This chain of upmarket, food-led managed pubs was founded in 1995 by Rupert and Jo Clevely when they took on the tenancy of Young’s Chelsea Ram pub in South-west London (although this pub did not remain in the Geronimo stable).

According to Geronimo Inns: “We’re not a chain – we’re a group of proper pubs with an eye for the different and the delicious.”

“Each and every one of our pubs has a flavour all of its own and the only similarities are the luscious array of drinks behind the bar, the temptingness of the treats on the menu and the smiles of the friendly folk who serve them.

“We take our social responsibility very seriously. Concentrating on the best way to source food that is local, seasonal and environmentally positive. We are hugely successful in our achievements of responsible marketing, waste management, community engagement and treating people fairly.”

 

Ted Todd – Champions of the original

If you are a champion of the unique, the ‘one-off’, the original, then Ted Todd is for you.

The company has built a reputation for manufacturing the world’s most beautiful – and unusual antique and reclaimed wood floors over the last 23 years.

Meticulously sourced, reclaimed wood floors, some up to 250 years old, are offered alongside more contemporary flooring collections. All hand-made in the UK and using only the finest timbers, Ted Todd’s skilled craftsmen reveal the woods’ natural beauty – highlighting the individual texture, character and age of each timber.

You can walk on Ted Todd’s floors at The National Portrait Gallery, Selfridges, Harrods and the headquarters of Sony (UK).

Ted Todd is pleased to have supplied The Guard House with all the vertical cladding used in the bar area. Reef from its Origins Collection was used to create a relaxed, bright feel that complements the vivid colour scheme perfectly.

Each board is unique in its colours and quirks, having been reclaimed from Indonesian fishing boats. Reef can be used for ceilings, walling and cladding to make a weather-worn and beautifully accented statement.

For more information, please visit: www.tedtodd.co.uk/commercial.

4 Farm Street, Mayfair, London W1J 5RD

Telephone: 01925 202 303

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Roma Publications