We took the keys in 2019 with a plan to open in a few months. Then we started removing walls.
Behind two layers of drywall at the back of the room was the original brick, still carrying the ghost of a painted sign. Above it, timber beams nobody had seen in decades. Under a false floor near the freight door: a shallow channel cut for the press feed, worn smooth.
What we kept
Nearly all of it. The brick is exposed the length of the room. The freight door still works, although it now opens onto a service corridor rather than a loading dock. The beams are lit from below, which is where most of the light in the room comes from.
What we added was the back bar, the piano, and enough seating for a room that had never been asked to hold people before.
Why a fox
There was a brass fox on the door plate when we arrived. Nobody has been able to tell us why. It is still there, at eye height, and it is the only thing on the street that tells you the bar is here.
Come and see it — we are open Tuesday to Saturday, five until two. Directions and hours.