A historic building in Cooper Street, Bideford has been brought back to life as a wine bar, restaurant and guest accommodation following an extensive renovation.
The Patch Wine Bar & Kitchen opened in November after owner Ali undertook a major restoration of the former Patch and Parrot premises, which had fallen into serious disrepair after years of closure.
The building had been closed for a number of years before eventually being sold at auction three years ago, although redevelopment did not take place at that time. It later returned to auction, where it was purchased by Ali, who has now overseen its restoration and reopening.
Ali said keeping the building’s historic name was an obvious decision.
“Everyone already knew it as The Patch,” he said. “It used to be the Patch and Parrot, so there was no point giving it some fancy new name.”
Work to restore the building revealed just how much structural damage had occurred over time.
“When we started opening things up, some of the ceilings had been shut for decades and half of one ceiling was already on the floor,” Ali explained.
“Once we started digging into the floors we found some of the joists had completely rotted away because the roof had been leaking for so long.”
In one upstairs room, Ali said the floor structure had deteriorated so badly that the floorboards were effectively holding the room together.
“When we lifted the boards the joists going into the front wall were basically gone,” he said. “Someone could easily have fallen through.”
Rather than strip out the character of the building, Ali chose to retain many of its original features.
During the renovation, ceilings that had hidden the structure for decades were removed, revealing large timber beams which were sanded and restored.
“I got up here and sanded and oiled all the beams,” he said. “You’ve got the original beam there which looks fantastic.”
Some visitors believe the beams may even have come from ships, reflecting Bideford’s long maritime history, although Ali says that remains speculation.
“Some people think they’re beams from ships, maybe from a mast or something, but who knows.”
Other historic elements have also been kept, including original windows, curved seating and the tiled floor in the main bar.
“This floor was lovely,” Ali said. “It might have looked a bit of a mess when we started but it’s original and it’s been here forever, so there was no point changing it.”
Among the discoveries during renovation were items from the building’s former skittle alley.
“We found the old skittles here,” Ali said. “They were part of the skittle alley that used to be in the building.”
The distinctive curved seating area in the main room has also been retained, something Ali says many locals remember from the building’s earlier life.
Inside, the venue now includes several different spaces, creating a series of intimate rooms.
“It’s a bit like a warren,” Ali said. “You’ve got the garden, upstairs rooms and lots of little spaces where people feel like they’ve discovered somewhere special.”
Upstairs the building also includes a function room and three letting suites which are currently being completed and will operate as guest accommodation.
The rooms include both couple suites and a larger family suite with two bedrooms.
Ali said the concept behind the venue was to create somewhere in Bideford where people could enjoy a relaxed glass of wine and a meal.
“Bideford has loads of good pubs where you can go for a pint,” he said. “But there are very few places where you can take your wife for a glass of wine and a nice meal.”
Food at The Patch includes rotisserie chicken and a selection of traditional pies.
Ali said he spent considerable time developing the pie offering, even travelling across Devon searching for the right supplier before eventually creating his own recipe.
“I wanted a proper pie all the way around,” he said.
The venue opened in November in time for the Christmas season, although work was still ongoing.
“We opened to catch the Christmas bookings,” Ali said. “In fact when we opened the back door wasn’t even fitted yet – we just needed to start getting some money coming in.”
Since opening, he said the venue has attracted a relaxed crowd looking for something different from a traditional pub.
“We’ve been careful not to turn it into a shots-and-silly-things place,” he said. “It’s naturally become more of an over-30s, over-40s venue and we’ve had a really nice clientele.”
Reflecting on the project, Ali also offered advice to homeowners and investors considering their own property renovation.
“You’ve got to love it. With old buildings you have to see through to the potential — through the delays, the challenges and the things you don’t expect along the way. There’s always something hidden and it always costs more than you think. This place is a bit like the TARDIS — it’s much bigger than it looks from the outside.”
