New tenants for St Mary in the Castle café

Owners of the White Rock Hotel Laurence Bell and Catherine Parr will be taking over from Buckswood School students who have been running it for the last 18 months.

The pair hope to fully refurbish the Pelham Arcade café to replicate the original features from its heyday in the 19th century.

Board of trustees chairman Marcus Weeks said: “I’m delighted that we shall be working with Laurence and Catherine of the White Rock Hotel, who have the experience and expertise to make the café at St Mary in the Castle a real attraction for visitors and locals alike.

“In our discussions, it was clear from the outset that they share our enthusiasm for this wonderful venue, and for the town.

“We shall be working closely together in the coming months to establish this new venture as an integral part of the activities of St Mary in the Castle.”

The board were incredibly keen to find people with an existing interest in Hastings and a love of St Mary in the Castle.

Laurence and Catherine have already made a success of the White Rock Hotel and their pet accessories shop Collared on the corner of Robertson Street.

They both believe that St Mary in the Castle and the Pelham arcade have got fantastic potential and hope to be a catalyst in the regeneration of that area.

Laurence and Catherine are currently devising a delicious menu; they are really keen for the café to operate as part of the wider venue, with food and drink offers to complement events taking place in the auditorium.

The café will continue to offer tea, coffee and cakes as well as a great breakfast and lunch menu but will now be offering pre theatre dining.

People will be able to enjoy food and refreshments beneath the restored glass lantern roof ‘very, very soon’.

To get updates on the progress of the café you can like the St Mary in the Castle Facebook page or sign up to their mailing list by visiting www.stmaryinthecastle.co.uk.

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