But later this month the dusty and derelict Hutchesons’ Hall will take on a smart new short-term identity as the venue for Scotland’s first “pop-up” champagne bar. The beleaguered National Trust for Scotland has granted permission for it to be used as a temporary licensed premises.
“Pop-up” is the latest buzz-phrase of fashionable consumerism. A bar or store is often situated in vacant or unusual venues and its transient nature is intended as an antidote to “massclusivity” on the high street. In retail, such venues have been hugely popular with those seeking a new, original shopping experience because they rely solely on word-of-mouth to spread the news.
Scotland’s first-ever such bar is the brainchild of Seumas MacInnes, owner of Cafe Gandolfi in nearby Albion Street, who has been “gifted” use of the A-listed building to host a four-day licensed event from September 24 to 28 -- despite it being earmarked for closure by the NTS as part of its controversial cost-cutting drive.
The one-off event, Gandolfi Goes Pop, will run from noon to 1am each day to mark the launch of Cafe Gandolfi’s 30th birthday celebrations, which take place during the Merchant City festival. Ironically, the event will be in full swing just as the NTS’s annual meeting, in which proposed closures will be debated, gets down to business on September 26.
Perrier-Jouet will build its first-ever “guerilla” champagne bar for the event, with a glass priced at around £8. There will also be White Russian vodka cocktails served with Oreo chocolate biscuits, and Whisky Macs served with ginger snaps. Food will include Scottish lobster hand rolls with mayonnaise, creme fraiche, and celery at £9, while a Gandolfi hot dog from a specially-created stand will cost £3.
Cup cakes by Glasgow baker Sam Joffe will be iced on site. Burlesque dancers, fire-eaters, soloists from Scottish Opera, folk singers, a pianist and a harpist will provide live ad-hoc entertainment, while models wearing Vivienne Westwood and the latest designs by Derryck Walker for Harris Tweed Hebrides will also “pop up” among interiors by Graven Images for HTH. Interior room sets will be created in eclectic style by Marie Barr of the Antiques Warehouse in Glasgow, and specialist lighting will be installed. Candlelight will be provided by Shearer Candles of Glasgow. Mr MacInnes said: “The idea is to create a ‘Belle epoque’ type salon that is here for the moment, then gone. It will be fleeting, but I hope highly memorable.”
Despite being in debt to the tune of £3m, the National Trust for Scotland is not charging for the one-off use of the building, whose magnificent first-floor hall will be used for the first time for two years. The ground floor has been unstaffed for six months. “The National Trust for Scotland has gifted their landmark building to us for our birthday celebrations,” said Mr MacInnes. “We have a profit-sharing agreement only where I’ve agreed to give NTS 50% of any profit I make.”
Gandolfi’s existing drinks licence has been extended, and insurance will be covered by the NTS’s policy. Joe Bowden, property manager of Pollok House and Hutchesons’ Hall, who gave permission for the venue to be gifted, said: “I think this is a fantastic idea, and it will be the first event of its kind ever to take place in Scotland. What Seumas is doing will challenge people’s perceptions that the National Trust is a middle-class, elitist organisation; we’re not, we’re for everyone. “We have to put ourselves out there for people to see what can be done with a historic property. I believe that by showcasing this iconic building’s commercial potential there is a chance that it will be hired by other paying bodies and thus be saved for the nation.” Mr Bowden added: “At Pollok House, we have all sorts of people visiting and I don’t see why that can’t be the case with Hutchesons’ Hall too.”
He rebuts any suggestion that Hutchensons’ Hall will inevitably close. “We have no intention of closing Hutchesons’ Hall or any of our properties if we can help it,” he told The Herald. “But we need the public to support it and take ownership of it. People forget the National Trust for Scotland is a charity and that we rely on visitors, members, and donations for our income. Hutchesons’ Hall could be a key hire venue. If people don’t use it, it will die. “There’s grandeur all over the UK, but who really wants to come and see that? We have got to give people more than that -- always with conservation as our main concern. “These properties don’t have to be used for traditional events. Gandolfi Goes Pop is quite cutting-edge and up to the minute.
To be associated with the first pop-up bar in Scotland is a great start.” Mr MacInnes also hopes that Gandolfi Goes Pop will inspire other guerilla-type events to take place at Hutchesons’ Hall, and thus ensure its future.
