THE Buttermarket, a restoration project delivered by Community Interest Company Redruth Revival, is opening it’s doors tomorrow (November 14) following the completion of extensive construction work.
The historic marketplace has been transformed into a modern food hall, events and shopping hub, featuring a collection of kitchens, retail spaces and a large courtyard. The kitchen lineup includes a wide variety of styles, as the Buttermarket looks to provide a platform for local culinary businesses to take the next leap in their career.
Acclaimed Asian street food providers Bango Kitchen were the first to come on board, they have since been joined by luxury beef burger joint Cowgirls and neighbourhood Italian restaurant Little Ears, who pride themselves on their authentic homemade pasta.
The Buttermarket will also be home to locally-sourced Cath’s Cornish Kitchen, Indian and Sri Lankan inspired street food vendors The Jar, and Earth and Soul - who focus on Mediterranean food with a Cornish twist.
From 5pm on November 14, guests will be able to enjoy these six independent kitchens, offering lunch menus from Tuesday to Saturday and dinner service Thursday to Saturday. The venue hosted a successful taster event on November 7, where 120 guests sampled the menus of the new kitchen as a test run for opening day.
Jonathan Bray, General Manager of the Buttermarket Redruth, commented: “It’s great to see our kitchens settling into their new homes now the building work is complete, the only missing piece of the puzzle is welcoming the local community through our doors.
“The Buttermarket has been in the works for several years, initial fundraising to purchase the dilapidated courtyard began way back in 2017! So, it’s great to now only be days away from seeing years of hard work come to fruition.”
Guests will also be able to visit the in-house 'Earle's Bar’, a permanent fixture in the Buttermarket serving local ales, wines and house cocktails, whilst the Koffi Melyn coffee counter will offer warm drinks throughout the day. Soon after opening night, the Buttermarket will begin hosting community events in the evening and will soon be announcing its full schedule of Christmas activities.
The Buttermarket project has seen a £4-million injection into Redruth’s high street, restoring the Grade II listed, at risk properties found on Station Hill and Alma Place.
Vicki Kent, Heritage Development Trust Project manager at Redruth Revival, added “Redruth Revival’s goal is to contribute to the development of a strong, sustainable, and socially inclusive economy in Redruth that will benefit our communities and our businesses.
“The Buttermarket is the first property we have refurbished, and the hope is its success will generate profit which in turn can be used to save and re-purpose another of our town's historic buildings.
“We believe the future of town centres depends on providing a mix of goods, services and experiences that will bring people back into our towns – we can provide unique, characterful, vibrant, and exciting places where people want to shop, relax, eat, drink, socialise and work.”
The project has been made possible thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Architectural Heritage Fund, Historic England and Cornwall Council through the High Street Heritage Action Zone programme.
Jonathan added: “This project is for the people of Redruth, organised by those passionate about the town and giving it a new lease of life - we can’t wait to re-establish the Buttermarket as the jewel in the crown of Redruth.”
“We truly believe our selection of kitchens has something for everyone and hope the town comes out in force to enjoy this wonderful food and share this incredible space. We can’t wait to get underway and start enjoying Cornwall’s best ever Christmas present!”
Attendance to the Buttermarket is free, and more details - such as exact opening times and future event announcements - will be announced on the project’s social media feeds in the near future.
The Buttermarket site can be accessed from a new entrance lobby on Alma Place, via a public walkway through the site on Station Hill, from the Fair Meadow car park or just off Fore Street via Market Way and is just 50 yards below Redruth Railway Station.