News / Sundial Kitchen
Cafe fundraises to repair stained glass windows in historic building
A cafe is fundraising to preserve architectural elements of a building that they say is an “important part of the community”.
The Sundial Kitchen currently sits within the Amba House, a building that first opened in the late 1960s as a pub before becoming an upholstery factory and then one of Bristol’s most-famous restaurants, Glasnost.
A defining characteristic of this building in Totterdown has been the stained glass – which sits within timber frame windows on the first floor – that was commissioned by the Glasnost owners in 1992.
is needed now More than ever
But these windows and the building in all – as current owner Pete Croft puts it – have been a “money pit” requiring constant care and attention.
The original stain glass designer, Jake Peggs, today operates as a partner at Opus Glass Designs in Redland – photo: Pete Croft
Croft who took ownership of the building on William Street in 2015 added: “We saved the building back when developers were buying it and were going to convert it into flats. So far we have completely restored the facade of the building, bringing it back to its former glory and how it would have looked in the 1860s as the King William Hotel.
“We have installed modern heating and an exhaust air source heat to take waste heat from the kitchens to heat the hot water.
“The elephant in the room has always been the state of the timber frame windows that house the beautiful stained glass windows that give this unique building its character.
“Installed in 1992 and commissioned by the Glasnost owners, after years of neglect and wood filler it is time to tackle them.”
Croft along with the owners of The Sundial Kitchen, Chloe Hunt and Paul Lusmore, have finally found a craftsman from Bristol Stain Glass, Craig Turner, who is willing to restore and repair all 48 panels of the stained glass.
But these repairs are amounting to an estimated £25,000 which has pushed the custodians of the building to start a fundraiser.
Money collected from the fundraiser will be used to repair and double-glaze the windows, which involves taking out each glass and replacing them with plain glass temporarily. The funds will also contribute towards replacing the wooden frames that are rotting.
Rob Aspire is currently half way through an artwork on the one side of the building – photo: Pete Croft
After five years of serving the Totterdown community, The Sundial Kitchen’s brunch menu has become an easy favourite within Bristol. To add more colour to their site, graffiti artist Rob Aspire will soon be unveiling an artwork outside the cafe.
More artists are also expected to work on other walls in the cafe over the weekend.
Features like the stained glass, according to Croft, is “character that isn’t built, it’s like a patina that takes many years to form and it’s that, that attracts people to this sunny corner of Totterdown at The Sundial Kitchen.”
Main photo: The Sundial Kitchen
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