Star Inn the City, York

Our brief was to "Bring the Country into the City" - and that's exactly what we did with the Star Inn the City Restaurant of York – opening to rave reviews. In November 2011 Rachel McLane Ltd were commissioned to re-design the layout and interior of an old Victorian Engine House at Lendal Bridge in the historic city of York which, at the time, was a derelict, empty shell echoing with ghosts of its railway heritage. The new owners of the site were the award winning chef Andrew Pern (of the famous Star Inn, Harome) and his business partners. Andrew saw the potential of the enviable location on the banks of the River Ouse and the opportunity to create a fresh, unique city centre venue sharing the kudos of its sister restaurant in Harome. This was an exciting project to transform the building into vibrant riverside restaurant within a very short timescale. Much of the design and concept work happened before site work began and, as project managers for the interior fit-out, we worked closely with the main contractor for the fabric of the building. The building, extension and interior fit out all happened within five months. The restaurant opened on 21st October 2012 to fantastic reviews – for ambience as well as food. We are delighted with the results of this project. We feel we have retained the heritage of the original building and fully integrated the new with the old. The desired atmosphere has been achieved, to bring the country into the city, and it feels as though the restaurant has been a feature of York for a long time.