This is the first look inside an 100-year-old bank in the Vale of Glamorgan that has been transformed into a 1920s-inspired bistro bar. The Old Bank in Dinas Powys will welcome the public for the first time through its doors on Thursday, April 14.
The Bath stone building operated as a bank for more than a century from 1914 until it closed its doors in 2017. The extensive renovation has seen owners Antony Obaid and John and Lucy Mcquade embark on their first hospitality and commercial property venture. Antony previously worked in national sales for Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior, while John has a property development business and Lucy has a hairdressing background.
"We've knocked walls down, pulled floors up and knocked down and rebuilt ceilings. The windows and the doors are all going to be replaced to be in keeping with the original character of the building,” Antony told WalesOnline in January during the huge revamp.
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The new 56-seat venue is a coffee shop, wine bar and kitchen all in one, serving breakfast, brunch and lunch seven days a week. On Thursday to Saturday it stays open for dinner and on Sunday roast dinners are served until the early evening. Its evening menu offers a selection of small plates for sharing such as fire roasted lamb chops with salsa verde, rock shrimp tempura with chilli, lime and miso mayo, and truffle mac and cheese.
With the help of well-known local interior designer, Tim Rice, who’s previously created the looks for the Purple Poppadom, the Coorp and TukTuk, The Old Bank’s decor is inspired by the boom times of the Roaring Twenties. There is Art Deco lighting, velvet green furnishings, a vintage photo booth, deep dark brown colours on the wall, and patterned wallpapers to add flashes of colour. The focal point of the venue is a grand marble-topped bar, with a mixologist serving an extensive selection of cocktails.
“The reason we've pitched ourselves there is because the bank started operating in 1914 when the building was built. Then in the Roaring Twenties when the First World War was over, people started taking a completely different perspective on life,” Antony told WalesOnline in January. “We kind of feel that’s where we are now having been through this crazy pandemic over the last couple of years. We want to go back to that bygone time of saying, okay, we've ridden the storm and now we're in today's decade of the 20s."
Speaking to WalesOnline ahead of The Old Bank opening to the public, Antony said he was "very proud" of the project, which has taken just over seven months to come to fruition since it was first envisioned. "We started having conversations in September last year. Over a period of four to six weeks, the vision changed and snowballed and then we really started working on this as The Old Bank in October, which is when we were working behind the scenes on things like branding, logo and colour schemes. The renovations physically started full-on just after the new year," he said.
"The last few weeks have been very full-on, but we've built a great team, with great supervisors/managers on board. The construction team has also been brilliant, helping us to overcome obstacles and finding solutions. It's been a very intense journey, but exciting, and now we're at the end of it all and it's great to welcome people through the doors."
Antony said The Old Bank has a warm reception from local residents and businesses throughout its renovation, as well as a successful VIP pre-opening launch event on Thursday, April 7. "The building looks absolutely amazing, shining in the sunshine. To see so many people turn up [on Thursday] and express their interest and show their support, we could sit back and say: 'Wow, we’ve done this.' There are s till more hurdles in front of us, but it feels great," he said.
"The general reaction from people of all ages - mums walking past with their children, retired people, people walking their dogs - has been amazing. Other local businesses have been so accommodating and excited for us as well. Hopefully what this will do for the area is bring footfall and attract new customers, rather than just locals who use the pubs - we want to be a destination for people."
He added: "A local older man came in the other day, and he said he can’t believe we’re in Dinas. He said: 'Being in here feels like somewhere so far away from Dinas - I feel like I'm being transported elsewhere.' That made me smile - that’s what we want."
Antony added that he and his business partners hope The Old Bank could become a "scalable operation" in the future." So many banks are closing their doors. So many of these buildings are dotted around the city, which are now unfortunately left empty or closed," he said. " If we can execute it and deliver and achieve our ambitions for this place, the vision is to replicate it."
The Old Bank is taking bookings from Thursday, April 14, and you can head to the website to check availability.
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