Charnel-House restaurant and cocktail bar is set to open in Rothwell
A new Rothwell restaurant has linked its name to the town’s bone crypt – but they’ve promised they won’t be serving anything macabre.
Charnel-House, which will also be a cocktail bar, is set to open soon at the site which was formerly The Old Bakehouse.
Its name is a nod to the 13th century charnel house found under Rothwell’s Holy Trinity church, which contains the remains of about 2,500 people dating from the year 1250 to as recently as 1900.
But co-owner Anthony Young, who is taking on the project with a business partner, said diners’ plates won’t feature bones or anything gruesome.
The 45-year-old said: “The name has caused a fair amount of discussion because of its link to the crypt.
“It’s a little bit macabre but I thought it was quite nice because there is a connection to the history of the town.”
The restaurant’s loose theme will be small plates and tapas which a focus on ‘communal eating’ – aiming to offer something completely different to what was there before.
They want to be a destination venue where groups will go for food and then move into the bar and courtyard for cocktails.
It will be a new challenge for Anthony, who had always admired the venue and decided to take the plunge after seeing that it was available. His background is in hairdressing and spas and he also owns Bijou salon in the Bakehouse Mews courtyard.
Anthony, who lives in Saddington to the north-west of Market Harborough, said: “I used to go to Rothwell socially and I always thought The Old Bakehouse was a nice venue. It felt like a silly idea but I thought that if it ever became available I’d love to have it.
“Then I drove by it one day and saw it had closed down so I rang up and said I wanted to take it on.”
Having faced some delays they’re now working to give the venue a fresh look and they hope the bar and courtyard will open first in October, shortly followed by the restaurant. In total the venture will create 15-plus jobs.
Anthony added: “I’m really excited. It’s a new area for me but customer care is customer care whatever sector you are in.
“If you look after them and give them good food and drink they will come back time and time again.”
– Anyone interested in applying for a position at the venue should email [email protected]