A new lease of life for former 17th Century public house

10-05-2022

Estimated to have been built in the 17th Century, the former Anchor Inn pub in Market Place, Bolsover, had been in a state of disrepair when it was acquired by a local couple in 2019.  With work to transform the premises into a new bistro, bar, bed and breakfast and beauty spa severely disrupted during the pandemic, it is now enjoying a new lease of life, as well as a new name, as Sanctuary Garden.

The building required major structural renovation which included replacement of many of the roof supports and almost all of the internal floors.  During the painstaking restoration work to showcase as many of the original features of the premises as possible, the original solid wood Kingpost roof support was uncovered - a beautiful piece of architecture that had been hidden for many decades.

Having invested so much time, passion and money into the project, of paramount importance to the couple was to ensure the safety of the overall premises and this is where ESP’s expertise in fire protection systems came into play.  Working with the contractor responsible for the renovation project, Russ Cutts, managing director of Sheffield-based firm RT Electrical, ESP was called on to supply the whole package of support – from the creation of the fire design scheme, supplying of the appropriate products, as well as commission of the fire alarm system once installed. 

It was agreed that ESP’s MAGDUO two-wire fire alarm system was the ideal solution for the premises.   Its adaptability, speed of installation and cost-effectiveness, makes MAGDUO an ideal fire alarm solution for a range of small to medium sized projects such as restaurants, retail outlets, schools, offices, apartments and hotels and was the ideal solution for Sanctuary Garden.  The 8-zone control panel was selected along with five combined smoke and heat detectors, 15 combined smoke and heat detectors with sounder, six resettable surface call points and a fire panel isolator switch.

Two-Wire fire alarm systems are based on standard conventional system technology. Unlike standard conventional four wired systems where the detectors, call points and alarm devices for each zone are wired on separate circuits, MAGDUO utilises intelligent Two-Wire technology, which allows all devices to be wired on the same set of two-core zone cables back to the control panel - enabling it to use a single circuit per zone both for detection and to power the sounders.  This advanced technology can reduce both installation and material costs.

ESP’s fire commissioning service was also included in the overall project.  This means that a qualified engineer will confirm that the system has reached the relevant British Standard, and they will issue a certificate on completion of the project prior to system handover. 

Commenting on the project, contractor, Russ Cutts said: “I have worked with the team at ESP for around ten years now on a range of different sizes and complexity of projects and utilising products from across the different categories – fire protection, CCTV and emergency lighting.  When it came to this particular project, I knew I could rely on them for excellent service and the right fire protection solutions for our requirements.  It was great to have one company able to supply the whole package – from design, selection and install of the MAGDUO fire system and then to undertake the commissioning of the system once it was installed.  Installation of the equipment was very straightforward and the programming was very easy.  The added benefit is that there is scope to build on the system installed with additional devices as and when required.”

Sanctuary Garden is situated just 200 yards from English Heritage site Bolsover Castle and benefits from its proximity to this "nationally important" historic building and archaeological site.  The holistic and wellbeing clinic Sanctuary Rituals, already established by the couple, is based upstairs in the restored building’s two large treatment rooms, along with a shop for customers to buy beauty therapy products and there are three bedrooms for guests to stay overnight.  On the ground floor is a rustic, botanical themed gastro-pub and bar with outdoor dining space