A 19th century manor house in Rochdale, which has lain empty for decades, has been transformed into a café, which will formally open this weekend.
Nestled in the heart of Denehurst Park, the café will occupy the ground floor of Denehurst House and visitors can see it for themselves when it formally opens its doors this Saturday (5 September).
More than just a café, the new venue will be managed and run by local Community Interest Company, Get Together After Serving (GTAS), and will be staffed entirely by former armed forces personnel and their families.
Set up by Rochdale residents, Adam Trennery, Wayne Traynor and Wayne Simms, GTAS aims to support the local veteran community in a number of ways, including through wellbeing programmes and local events and get-togethers.
Customers can expect café favourites like hot and cold sandwiches, cakes, breakfasts and tea and coffee, alongside generous opening hours and honest prices. The team is also hoping to team up with other local businesses to do specials on Fridays, like curry, pizza and pies. With plenty of space, the café will also serve as a place where local veterans can get together.
The building has been transformed by its owners, Rochdale Borough Council, who commissioned local builders, H Bell and Sons, alongside interior design specialists, to renovate the building while honouring its period features, which include ornate coving and bay windows.
The council is hoping to use the rest of the building as accommodation for local veterans, and recently completed a public consultation on this proposal.
‘We know good quality cafes and other facilities are always welcome in our communities, but this one is particularly special’
Councillor Danny Meredith, cabinet member for housing and regeneration said:
“This has been a really important project for us and it’s great to see it coming to fruition. We know that good quality cafes and other facilities are always welcome in our communities, but this one is particularly special. Not only was this a derelict old building, which has been lovingly brought back to life, but it will be run by local veterans and their loved ones.”
Local veteran, Adam Trennery, who is one of the directors at GTAS, said:
“We’re made up to have the opportunity to open a café in this brilliant space. It means a lot to me personally, as I live round the corner and I’ve always thought having a café in that lovely park would be great. It was always a missing link, the food and drink offer, so as soon as we saw that the council was looking for café operators, we put in a bid. We’re really excited that we can use this as a base to further our support for veterans, while also welcoming the wider community. We can’t wait to get started and we hope to see lots of local residents popping in to see what we’re all about.”
Mayor of Rochdale, Councillor Faisal Rana, who is the council’s spokesman for the armed forces, said:
“It’s great to see this fantastic facility is ready to open its doors. I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen here; it’s simply stunning. This will be a really welcome addition to this much-loved park and it will help further support our wonderful veteran community.”
Denehurst House has a fascinating history, having been built for Alderman, Robert Turner, founder of Turner Brothers Asbestos company, in the 1890s. It was originally set within extensive wooded and landscaped grounds, with a carriage turning circle and an ornamental fountain in front of the house.
The house and its grounds were donated to the town in 1932 and were later used as council offices, before being left been empty for a number of years.
The new café’s opening hours will be every day, with operating hours from 9am to 6pm between May and October and from 9am to 4pm between November and April.