The New Continental Countdown

A bit of spit, polish, and make-up for the website

2009-02-23T08:09:00.000-08:00

Hi there all of you who may wander this way...considerably fewer now as i've not posted for about oooh ages. but there are changes afoot which means i will be cranking up the blogging tool once more...

So, in the time i've been absent, all has been ticking along quite nicely here at Continental HQ. We've got lots of music, bands, theatre, live literature, and a whole lot more on in the 'Continental arts space' venue which is what used to be known as coconuts. ok, so it is still known as Coconuts in our hearts, but i couldn't justify buying the neon sign of the girl kicking her leg out of the cocktail glass while the word coconuts flashes on and off. having said that, when we looked at our licence, we were unsure if we could have burlesque performance (an artform!). Apparently we're not allowed any naked adult entertainment. so there we go, the girl in the cocktail glass will have to ensure she is wearing her fans at the appropriate angle. Anyhow, you can find out more on the events side of things at www.newcontinental.net/events.

We're currently having our website overhauled. The new one will be all bell, whistles, and small exotic dancers (no, sorry, i was just back in coconuts for a moment). It will be at the same address, but it'll look different. Shinier. Newer. More depth. More content. Like the geeky, clever girl / boy in class when they get over the teenage angst phase and into some decent clothes. Not that we don't love our current website, but it could do with a bit of spit, polish, and make-up, so that's what we're doing.

But we'll still have a blog space. So I was thinking about that, and feeling very guilty for not blogging more. I think i'll go down a different road with the new blog...watch this space, as it'll be coming this way before too long. And possibly, just possibly, we'll put some flashing neon on there, too.

The Judgement of Mr Jenkins - Saturday 1st November

2008-10-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

The Continental gets its first taste of studio theatre from the award-winning Second Nature Theatre Company on Saturday 1st November 2008 at 8pm.

Ross Andrew's Manchester Evening News Award Winning dark comedy is touring again, and taking in The Continental along the way. If you missed this last time around in Manchester’s 24:7 Theatre Festival, here's another chance to see it, and if you've already seen it - come and see the new extended version.

Developed with the support of OLDHAM COLISEUM
''Mr Jenkins wakes from a disturbed sleep in the early hours of the morning to find a smartly dressed stranger in his living room. The stranger is as reluctant to give answers as he is to leave... Can our everyday choices and seemingly irrelevant actions have serious consequences? Has anyone told Mr Jenkins?

''sharply written by Ross Andrews and compellingly presented...'' Kevin Bourke MEN * * * * *

''the drive and pace were fantastic and the packed audience were howling with laughter. Make sure you don't miss this show - even if you have to bring your own seat!'' Caroline May, UK Theatre Network

''CAUGHT LIVE - 3 OF THE BEST OF THE 24:7 THEATRE FESTIVAL BOLTON...
First and my favourite was 'The Judgement of Mr Jenkins', a darkly humourous morality tale...there were plenty of laughs, what with the afterlife having been privatised and the criteria for entering heaven changed. New modern day sins included not rewinding the cassette before taking it back to the video shop, and it certainly struck a chord with me...''
Caroline Dutton, Lancashire Evening Telegraph, Sept '06

Prices: £8, £5.50 concessions (OAPs & Students, ID required)

Tickets available from the Continental (telephone & over the bar)
Also available in person or by telephone from Preston Tourist Information, Lancaster Road, PR1 1HT. Opening Hours 10am - 5.30pm Monday – Saturday. Tel 01772 253731 (telephone booking fee £1).

Pre-Theatre menu available with tickets - £11 for 2 courses, £13 for 3. Bookings required, available 5pm - 6.30pm

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40675231840

Beer Festival this weekend 23rd - 26th October

2008-10-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

Beer Festival this weekend!!

The inaugural Continental Beer Festival kicks off on Thursday 23rd October at 6pm for the whole weekend in the Continental’s events space.

The festival will be a paradise for ale drinkers with 100+ beers available, including 60 cask ales, a cider & perry bar, plus foreign beers including those brewed specially for the Oktoberfest in Munich. Speciality food will be available throughout the weekend including a hogroast. In addition, the kitchen will be open lunchtime and in the evening as usual, serving up the usual excellent fare to soak up the ale.

There will be live music every evening. Thursday sees smooth jazz trumpeter Nick Holme rolling out the standards to help the beer slip down. On Friday, Preston 6-piece Saraban have promised a mix of songs and genres, from jazz to pop, folk to rock - songs that you'll know, some that you won't (but you'll love anyway) and some that you'll think you don't know then realise that you do. Saturday sees the magnificent Dr Butler's Hatstand Medicine Band, who will do two sets of insanely entertaining blues & jazz http://www.myspace.com/drbutlershatstandmedicineband. Music for Sunday evening comes from contemporary jazz guitar duo Bailey & Mockler, whose sweet jazzy grooves are sure to make the approaching week a little sweeter.

The Continental’s famous authentic Boddington’s Beer large outdoor pub lit sign, which spent generations lighting the outside of the pub, will be auctioned off to raise funds for the Neonatal Unit at Royal Preston Hospital during the first beer festival run by the pub this weekend.

The auction will take place on a rolling basis over the 4 days. The sign will be on show during this time. It will be a pound to place a bid and the daily highest bid will be announced at the end of each day to start of the following day’s bidding. Bidding will finish at 5pm on Sunday afternoon 26th October, and the winner and total announced at 6pm.

But here is no doubt there will be lots of beer drunk!

see you there

Team Continental

crazy photo

2008-10-03T10:31:00.003-07:00

no, that photo isn't supposed to be like that. i'll try and sort it out!

Chicken Licken at the Continental

2008-10-03T10:14:00.001-07:00

Upcoming Children’s Theatre at The Continental

The Continental opens its doors on Sunday October 12th 2008 to the first in a series of children’s theatre events. Chicken Licken is a one-man show for early years from internationally touring Preston Company, Dynamic New Animation (DNA). DNA will be returning to the Continental in December with a 2 week run of the acclaimed A-Tishoo!, a theatre piece for the under 6’s.

Further information about A-Tishoo will be circulated in October. Chicken Licken information is below.

Chicken Licken
An early years show & workshop by Dynamic New Animation

"DNA’s wonderful blend of classic tales is one of the best children’s shows touring the UK" - Barney Jeavons, The West End Centre, Aldershot

“A one-man and several-puppet show from the innovative storytelling outfit Dynamic New Animation, it's cuddly farmyard friends are brought to life in an avuncular narrative and a attractively rustic set: all good wholesome fun for new theatregoers” - Ronnie Haydon in Time Out, May 17th 2000

A baby chick is born and thinks the sky is falling down. On the way to tell the King, she meets Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky & Turkey Lurkey, but there's a shocking surprise! Chicken Licken grows up to be the Little Red Hen and asks her friends to help her make bread, but no one wants to play! Mixed into this recipe of food, puppets and music is the story of Little Red Hen and the sly Foxy Loxy. Will she outwit him and save her stuffing?

This one-man show is a trilogy of classic tales from the Ladybird books - Chicken Licken, The Little Red Hen and The Fox and the Hen. Starting as a baking demonstration, the show rapidly becomes the adventures of a growing chick and her encounters with a hungry fox.

This show uses shadow and rod puppetry and has an original musical score by Jon Owen.

Family Workshop

A special workshop for early years, to extend their participation, and aid audience development and family learning.

The Chicken Licken performance is accompanied by a simple shadow puppet workshop. The kids cut their favourite characters from the show out of card.

If it's a chicken they bring it to life with a magic feather. If it's a pig it gets a pipe cleaner curly tale. They make a cellophane window in the creature, tape on a bendy straw and hey presto! It's a shadow puppet!

They get to try out their creations on the actual stage set, two by two, in a 'Parade of Poultry' with music from the show as the others applaud. All materials supplied.

Family theatre & dining deals are available for those wishing to dine before or after the show & workshop. For further information please see www.newcontinental.net.

Information:

Performance date Sunday October 12th 2008
The Continental, South Meadow Lane, Preston, PR1 8JP
Suitable for age 3 – 6
Show running time 45 minutes
Workshop running time 40 minutes
Children must be accompanied by an adult

Shows 11am & 2pm, followed by workshops.
Prices: £5 per performance ticket & £3 per workshop place. Workshop discount: 2 children for the price of one (accompanied by an adult)

Tickets available from the Continental
Also available in person or by telephone from Preston Tourist Information, Lancaster Road, PR1 1HT. Opening Hours 10am - 5.30pm Monday – Saturday. Tel 01772 253731 (telephone booking fee £1).

Drinks reception to launch the place

2008-09-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Here's the invite!

We'd like to officially invite you to our opening reception on Friday September 26th, from 6pm - 8pm. Ok, so we've been serving up great food, beer and music for a month now, but we thought we'd like to throw the doors open, show the place off a bit, and thank everyone who has helped us with the journey to get here - plus, we've just finished the first phase of the new events space, and are itching to try it out! By then, we should even have finished off the garden electrics, although looking at the rain I think finishing the outside of the conservatory is too much to ask!

We'll put on a spread from the kitchen, and some drinks from the bar - we'll also have some words from our local councillors. This will all be complemented by a great music set from local Latino guitar blues band, Lava. You can see them here on http://www.lavamusic.co.uk. The reception will be followed by an all-welcome disco, with the Continental's resident dj spinning soul, funk, reggae and maybe some disco if you're up for it... All of this will be in the newly refurbished events room, which is through the conservatory at the back of the building.

Saturday night will see Preston's very own slam winning poet, Mark Mace Smith aka Thud Dub. A regular Apples & Snakes Seconds Out slam winner, alongside BBC Radio 4 North West Slam winner 2007, and Commonword Superheroes of Slam finalist 2008, Thud Dub won 2008 Glastonbury Festival's poetry slam. He steps up in the Continental's snug on Saturday 27th September. You can hear him here: http://www.myspace.com/thuddub.

The weekend will close up with the SUNDAY NIGHT JAZZ CLUB, 28th September 2008 from 9PM. This month we're hosting a very special session from MIKE WALKER.

Fresh from the Ditson Festival of Contemporary Music in Boston, the Salford born guitarist plays The Continental Jazz Club for the first time. Expect to hear world-class improvisation from the man the Guardian called "one of the most powerful jazz guitarists in Europe" - this is a rare opportunity to catch him in such an intimate venue. Mike's debut album, "Madhouse and the Whole Thing There" is out now on Hidden Idiom records - if we're lucky, he might bring a few copies with him... Check him out at http://www.mike-walker.co.uk

He'll be playing with Harold Salisbury - we're sure Harold needs little introduction to the Preston jazz aficionado. The sax stalwart has become something of a local legend, having blown all over the northwest for the best part of 50 years. Backing up Mike and Harold are the rock solid rhythm section of ex-Free Parking bassist Gary Culshaw, and Jonathan Hartley on drums. All we can say is you'll need to be there early to grab a seat!

To ensure you're on the guest list for Friday night, email us back at info@newcontinental.net with your full name - also include the full name and email address of any guests you want to bring. See the invitation for further details.

See you there!

The New Continental is back on the map

2008-09-10T02:51:00.000-07:00

This review was in the Metro - we're very pleased. 4 stars, no less!

by AARON LAVERY - Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The New Continental

Many of you will have travelled through Preston on a train at some time and, for most, it's not a particularly interesting journey. However, if the weather's good, the last moments of the journey, travelling over the River Ribble and looking over into the city's Avenham Park, can provide a glimmer of glamour before you trundle into the decrepit train station.

A decade ago, there was a pub in Preston that utilised these views wonderfully. Situated at the base of the bridge over which the trains roll, The Continental was the perfect place to spend a summer's evening, before the clientele and the standards of food and drink drove even the hardiest fans away.

Now The Continental has been reborn, thanks to an ambitious revamp from a young couple, Ruth Heritage and Jeremy Rowlands. They have also attracted some impressive collaborators - Stephen Kerfoot from the Running Pump in Catforth is the head chef, while ex-Marble Brewery manager Warren MacCoubrey is in charge of the cask ales.

MacCoubrey in particular is doing a good job. It was genuinely difficult to find a spot at the bar, but when we did, we were greeted by Marble's own 1334 (£2.40), one of the Manchester brewery's lighter, more delicate drinks, but it was surpassed by something from further afield. Whim Ale (£2) from Buxton was a real find, a light citrusy beer perfect for summer supping.

The money spent by Heritage and Rowlands on the decor also catches the eye. The old pub is still visible underneath, but there's some subtle tiling and lighting, plus a complete renovation of the large conservatory, which brightens the place up considerably. Taking a table in the conservatory near the large beer garden during the post-work bustle of a Friday evening, it was almost like being back at the Continental of yore.

When the food arrived however, it became clear that rather than returning the pub to its former glories, Kerfoot had surpassed them in the kitchen. A savoury fresh herb-baked cheesecake (£4.50) was testament to the risks being taken; nothing unusual in a celebrated city kitchen, here in a pub it seemed gloriously out of step. Bursting with tangy Lancashire cheese flavour that went well with the red onion relish, it was a clear statement of intent.

So, too was the warm ham hock salad (£5.50), basically a dish of Bury black pudding, Lancashire cheese and meaty strips of ham on a bed of rocket. It ticked all the boxes for those looking for locally sourced grub, but more importantly, it also impressed those around the table for whom salad is a dirty word.

Whether red snapper served with stir-fried vegetables (£9.50) is native to Lancashire is up for debate, but any concerns over food miles were forgotten after the first mouthful. A huge piece of fish offered a clean, meaty taste - it actually would have been better served on its own or with plain veg, as the sweet chilli sauce tasted a bit too close to the type you find on a supermarket shelf.

There were no such worries with the other main, a pan-fried French cut of chicken (£9.50) stuffed with black pudding and that Lancashire cheese again. A seemingly innocuous cheese, it can be inexplicably offensive to some, but having been brought up on the stuff, I cannot think of a dish that wouldn't be improved by it. It certainly added a lovely creamy counterpoint to the rough texture of the black pudding here, served on a hefty bed of mash.

To go with the mains, we decided to forgo the ales in order to examine the wine list. A 2006 bottle of Orballo Albarino Rias Baixas (£16.95) was a good choice, aided by a casual recommendation from the jovial waiting staff. Light and only slightly dry, it went well with a hearty meal, but might not be as successful sampled alone.

Both our mains were chosen from the extensive specials list, as were the desserts, scribbled down by the chef and narrated to us by the waiter (once he'd deciphered the handwriting). Opting for a chocolate fudge brownie and vanilla crème brûlée (both £4.50), the massive portions that arrived at our table suggested we had either chosen well, or that the puddings are designed to finish off any appetites still left standing. They may have lacked the surprising touches found elsewhere, but both desserts made up for it with sheer sweet delight.

It seems that Heritage and Rowlands have done an impressive job, hauling the Continental back on to its feet and adding some exciting flourishes. Solid choices in the kitchen and behind the bar have obviously helped, but there's an ambition to the whole project (plans are afoot for a performance space to be opened) that is obviously their own. Next time you're delayed at that train station, you know where to head.

South Meadow Lane, Preston. Food served Mon to Thu noon to 2.30pm and 5pm to 8.30pm; Fri noon to 2.30pm and 5pm to 9pm; Sat noon to 9pm; Sun noon to 8.30pm. Tel: 0177 249 9425. www.newcontinental.net

see it here:

http://www.metro.co.uk/metrolife/article.html?in_article_id=300626&in_page_id=231

Really is a team effort that's got it that review - good on everyone!

Deb's Puddings

2008-09-10T02:39:00.000-07:00

For the uninitiated, Debs’ puddings range from the sublime to the ridiculously divine. On the menu we have vanilla crème brulee and seasonal fruits, apricot-glazed bread & butter pudding, meltingly gorgeous chocolate brownie with velvet milk chocolate sauce, and poached pear.

But if that’s not enough choice, the pudding of the day multiplied into three on last Friday's specials board: Belgian chocolate terrine with a vanilla sauce and chocolate ice cream, brandy snap basket filled with chocolate brownie ice cream and chocolate sauce, and finally the fabulously-named longue du chat biscuit filled with fresh strawberry fool and garnished with seasonal berries.

If that choice isn’t enough for you, I suggest you seek help for your serious pudding problem. What's on tonight? I don't know. But whatever it is, it'll taste very good.

Upcoming Jazz

2008-09-10T02:33:00.000-07:00

We’ve now been open for three weeks, and like everyone else we’re more than a bit sick of the rain. However, our cosy snug has provided a haven to shelter in. And we can at least watch the Ribble roll threateningly by from the conservatory window.

Just to keep you going through September, we’ve started to schedule regular Jazz in the snug. Happening at 9pm on the last Sunday each month, anyone who was there for bank holiday jazz will know that the vibe was super cool and the snug was filled. We’ve got a great line-up for the 28th September: Preston’s favourite jazz saxophonist Harold Salisbury, Gary Culshaw on bass and Jonathon Hartley beating the skins will be joined by Manchester guitar talent Mike Walker.

Mike Walker appeared aurally in concert on BBC Radio 3, last Friday (the 5th) at 11.30pm. This is his Ropes project, recorded at the Manchester Jazz Festival. You can listen again this week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00d6zx8. Mike’s website is at http://www.mike-walker.co.uk, and here’s what the Guardian had to say about his long-awaited album Mad House and The Whole Thing: ‘this debut is a soaringly confident piece of idiosyncratic contemporary fusion, with brief borrowings from what sound like radio monologues and pub singalongs dropped into the thick-textured, backbeat-smacking grooves’. He’ll be here on the 28th September so you might want to claim your seat sometime around now!

Back to school at the Continental

2008-09-10T02:31:00.000-07:00

It's a new school year, and so it's time to dust off that school timetable and add some curriculum-based events to your diaries:

General Studies:
Tuesdays – starting tonight – will be our weekly pub quiz night. We'll be starting at 9.30pm and each week we'll include a general knowledge round, and three other specialist rounds taken from picture rounds, entertainment, sport, history, music and all the trivia favourites. It’s 50p a person to join – all teams welcome – and ½ of the money goes out in team prizes on the night. The other ½ goes to a snowball question and this prize money will roll over every week until someone gets one of these stonkingly tough questions right. Warren is the quizmaster, so be warned. The winning team will also get a gallon of beer. That's eight pints – get studying now!

English:
The first Thursday of the month will be our monthly book club. Do you have books on your shelves gathering dust, which you've always meant to read? Want to read them before either you die or they get sent to Oxfam? Come and join us for a monthly book discussion at 7.30pm in the conservatory, with coffee and cake or maybe a readerly glass of wine. We’ll pick books democratically with titles drawn out of a hat. And if you don't already have the book, the lovely people at Waterstones have offered us a 10% discount on reading group books. If you're interested in joining us then drop me an email on ruth@newcontinental.net and I’ll email back the book we'll be reading for October.

Music:
Looking for somewhere to showcase your musical talents? Keep an eye out for our regular acoustic open-mic night, coming soon to the snug. We're going to start this in a couple of weeks, so dust off your guitars, write some lyrics, and get practicing. If you want more information about this, drop me a line on info@newcontinental.net. We've also got the monthly jazz nights on the last Sunday of each month, kicking off on the 28th September with Preston's favourite jazz saxophonist Harold Salisbury, Gary Culshaw on bass and Jonathon Hartley beating the skins, joined by Manchester guitar talent Mike Walker.

Drama:
Coming up in the events space we have a couple of Saturdays booked in for children's theatre from Dynamic New Animation, and a 2-week Christmas run for their play 'Atishoo!', which has been performed at Bristol's Young Vic & the Lowry Studio, Salford. We'll also be having visits for the grown-ups, from Second Nature Theatre Company (who've won a Manchester Evening News theatre award recently) & one from Mike Heath, whose work has been performed amongst others at the Library Theatre Manchester & The Lowry Studio.

Art:
You'll soon be able to see some work from local photographers Helen Cooper and John C Taylor on the walls. This is shortly to be accompanied by a wider exhibition of local artists, which will adorn our walls for the near future.

Home Economics:
As if we need to mention what's going on here…lots of lovely food, that's what.

Beer Studies (we run a pretty liberal school, ok?):
Plans are currently being brewed for the inaugural Continental Oktoberfest – We'll announce the details shortly, but look forward to a long weekend of great beer and music in the new events space towards the end of next month. Of course in the meantime, you can still pop in to enjoy our wide range of cask real ales, bottled beers, draught lagers, wines and spirits any time (not forgetting the superior selection of soft drinks, tea and coffee).

Why not book the school gym?:
The Events Space (formerly Captain Coconuts) is nearly completed, and will be available to hire for private functions in the very near future – email us for information on our availability and rates, and to find out what The Continental team can do to help with your event. You guessed it, the email address is info@newcontinental.net.

If you've got any other ideas of things you’d like to do or see at the Continental, please let us know!

We’ll see you soon,

The Continental Team

All quiet on the blogging front

2008-09-10T02:26:00.000-07:00

I will get back to proper blogging and recounting the story of the
refurb at some point soon...but it's just been crazy busy round 'ere so in the meantime i'm just going to post a couple of newsletters i've been sending out.

Jazz & Continental sunshine for the Bank Holiday Weekend

2008-08-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

A bit of a press release in lieu of a proper post...

Preston’s landmark riverside pub The Continental throws its doors open this bank holiday with a great menu of the best in British food, fine wines and beers, and a free jazz concert for the whole family to enjoy.

The pub will be open all weekend, but the date for your diaries is Bank Holiday Monday from 4 pm, when Preston’s favourite jazz saxophonist Harold Salisbury will be leading a band stuffed with local talent in a sunshine filled set of cool tunes out in the beer garden (sunshine to be confirmed). In the event of less than perfect weather, the music will be moved inside so you can still enjoy a meal or a drink to the accompaniment of the best jazz the city can offer.

The Continental has been completely refurbished after years of neglect. You’ll find a relaxed cosmopolitan atmosphere in the main bar room, and an intimate new snug complete with comfortable sofas and an open fireplace for when the nights start drawing in.

Whether in our spacious, stylish interior or al fresco in our large landscaped garden, with comfortable bench seats, and new lawns and flower beds, you can watch the river roll by while enjoying our tasty food with a well-deserved beer. And because we can’t absolutely guarantee good weather we have a covered, heated outdoor area and, of course, The Continental’s famous conservatory.

The bar offers the very finest in British and continental beers, with up to five cask-conditioned ales available at any time, as well as a wide range of bottled beers, lagers and wines. And if you aren’t drinking alcohol there’s still plenty of choice, with a fantastic range of soft drinks, coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

The kitchen cooks the best of modern British food, with all ingredients sourced locally and produced organically where possible. Seasonal specials are cooked to order every day, and our indulgent puddings are a perfect way to complete your meal.

The Continental is open until midnight during the week, and until 1am on Friday and Saturday. The kitchen serves lunch and evening meals on weekdays, and all day on Saturday and Sunday.

so we're open...

2008-08-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

And we are now up and running - albeit other than some missing mirrors, curtains, planters, wall decor, and the like. We're finally open all day every day, albeit with some slightly slow service, and the snug is welcoming its first guests tonight. it looks a bit like a mexican bordello, welcoming and slightly laciviously decorated. that's a good thing.

here's a couple of photos that will give you a general idea of how the place looks now.

I'll update more once i have a five minute breather.

Today is opening day

2008-08-17T00:19:00.000-07:00

as long as we don't have any major incidents before midday. And the conservatory door is finished. we're calling it 'preview' day.

normal posting will resume in a couple of days, when i'll get the rest of the pics up and put pictures of the whole refurb on line.

come down and have a look.

Hang on a minute...

2008-08-15T15:24:00.000-07:00

Well after TRYING REALLY HARD to get everything finished for tomorrow - which involved us cajoling, shouting, and at points crying - it looks like we're not gonna make it. The cellar was supposed to be installed last week, but somehow they seem to still have crucial things to do tomorrow morning. So after many crisis management conversations today, the running order of opening will be

Opening sunday from noon until close
- food, beer, garden, but no snug
we'll be calling this our preview day and will be having a couple of special offers on

- opening monday & tuesday evening from 5pm
well we have to fit the rest of the snug floor you know

- hopefully, wind in our favour and all, open all day every day as of wednesday

with the grand opening early september

All apologies if anyone goes down and finds us shut. we'll do the guided tour if you catch us, although you may have to do some dusting on your way through. It will be worth it!

SO - i's half eleven in the evening, i've been down there all day, i'm concerned social services will come and get the baby for keeping him out too late (he was with responsible family members most of the day). Bedtime and back on site tomorrow 7am

12 noon Saturday 16th August...

2008-08-14T02:03:00.001-07:00

...we are opening! About time, too. And after numerous sleepless nights, a couple of major fears (the phonelines! the floors!!). Here's something to celebrate.

Kitchen-Aid

2008-08-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

The size of the kitchen was a problem from the off. In the old continental there was about enough space in there to swing a small kitten. The health inspectors would not approve. Neither, in fact, would those crazed how clean is your house ladies. So we decided to make some more space by knocking a wall or two down.

Here, I am standing taking pictures from where there used to be a wall. On one side, a grimy kitchen-shaped area (and Andy, the elusive - or is that camera-shy - plumber, about whom there will be in posts yet to appear). So basically, what used to be the whole kitchen. On t'other, a timber structure in what used to be the cellar.

See, small! Stevie C was most excited about knocking the wall down. 'I'll get me mallet, flower', he said, 'get the wall down, job's a good un'. And it was.

As for the stud wall - all I can say is these joiners work quickly...that took literally no time. Well maybe a day.

Premises-manager-Warren was more than a bit disgruntled when we stole some of his cellar for the kitchen. But we built him a nice new bottle store, so it's ok now. Stephen, the chef, however, was rightfully pleased.

And then the kitchen man Bob Dickinson came back and installed the kitchen - and finally Stephen can get cooking.

Mailing list & news on the opening

2008-08-07T00:02:00.000-07:00

We've had loads of people email to sign up to the mailing list. That's brilliant - thanks! I'm about to send the first mailing. However, I know that some people have also had specific requests that we've not got round to answering yet. All I can say is sorry, we've been busy getting the darn place together, and I will get round to your individual requests soon. But in the meantime, you should get some news this week.

We're waiting for a date for the floors to go in before we announce the grand opening, but we should be open the weekend of the 16th / 17th August...watch this space for exact details

Missing Pictures!

2008-08-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

There seem to be some pictures missing from older posts. I will investigate with people who know more about blogging & compressing than I do. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. On the other hand, they may reappear, making this post irrelevant!

The Garden Part 3 - like a butterfly

2008-08-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

And so serenity began to settle onto the back garden at the Continental. And it all looks so much better when the sky is blue.

Flowers appeared! Andy looked stern! The turf went down! And finally, Jeremy & Stevie C looked on the patch with pride. Still some way to go, but I wasn't the only one with a tear in my eye when we could see that we weren't going to open the place with a mud-bath out back.

NB: the patio still looks huge. in real life, it's only about a third of the back garden. Even Sue agrees that it's looking smaller.

The Garden Part 2 - Planting begins

2008-08-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

The plants got delivered and we put them in Captain Coconuts for safe-keeping.

When Claire the gardener arrived, she was stunned at our stupidity. 'You can't keep plants indoors!' she shrieked, 'they'll...die!' So we put them in the skip for safekeeping.

And so the garden continued. The patio was pointed, diggers were digging, Claire was wheeling her barrow up and down through the mud. And eventually, the plants started to go in.

The Garden Part 1 - the Somme

2008-08-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

Here's the story of the garden broken down into a trilogy.

Firstly, it got very messy. And then the autumn-gold indian sandstone patio started being laid. And continued being laid for what seemed like 3 years. Sue, Jeremy's mum, exclaimed 'I hate it. It's the most ridiculous patio in the world. What have you done with all that lovely grass?!' She's known for her diplomatic approach when it comes to family matters, as you can tell. She likes it now, though. As you can see, Andy & co are working very hard.

Those crazy huge posts you see are for waterproof sail shades - a very good way of providing a bit of shelter. I have to say that no-one was pleased when I stamped my foot and made the chaps re-dig the meter-deep holes to move the first 2 posts 2 foot either way. However, I'm sure we'll all agree that they'll look much better that way - won't we? hello? anyone listening? oh well.

This large structure - some call it 'Ruth's folly' - is a feature wall which will have lights and planters round it. We'll be able to project onto it. It will look good. I promise (see a recurring theme??). The Culsh is quite frankly looking slightly bemused.

Cherry Picking

2008-08-06T13:25:00.000-07:00

This was what was going on about 10 days ago...the outside was painted. Stevie C & the painting boys had a good ol' time up in the cherry picker. Here they are!

Round Preston in a cab

2008-08-06T07:13:00.001-07:00

on another note, this slightly surreal taxi journey around Preston city centre must be the most relaxing thing I've seen for a long time. Yet strangely makes me want to dance. Nothing happens, except for taxis. I just wanted it to go on and on. Nothing happens! Bliss.

It's the 'adventures of a taxi driver' chap who is listed in the Preston Blogs bit to the right.

Maybe this will start a craze. Music journeys round Preston. Best soundtrack wins a bottle of vino in the pub. Send your links. I may have to go on a trip specifically to make one. Back to work...

Colour chaos, Part Two

2008-08-05T15:15:00.000-07:00

Before the frantic 2 weeks we’ve just had, Chris - who pulled together the plans, the furniture & finishes schedule, the whole damn lot – came for a final visit to the site. I’d call him Designer-Chris, but that makes him sound like something Grazia magazine is trying to convince you to buy. Anyhow, he came down from Glasgow to help us get some final colours in place.

As you can see, at this juncture Jeremy & Chris are having a good chinwag and looking like they are doing Something Highly Important. I also took a picture of the wheel so I can post for posterity and say that these were carefully discussed and deliberated decisions. No matter how many times we may have changed our mind.

Off Chris goes, in his urban manner, back to his sophisticated life in Glasgow, where I imagine* he sit in metropolitan café-bars drinking fashionable lagers with his hipster friends. See why we asked him to do the Continental? Exactly. To import some city-attitude into Broadgate**.

Back to the point…

And then the grey came.

The beautiful colour-pathway of subtle olive greens & browns we had chosen for the outside of the pub looked good on the sunny Friday afternoon. I liked it. Classy***. On a dreary grey Saturday morning, however, the pub seemed to actually vanish into the grey sky hanging about above Preston.

Jeremy said ‘It looks like the Bismark’.

So we painted over the bottom half in a ‘nice ivory’ (I say in a sarcastic tone), so as not to put people off coming into the joint. It is, after all, our aim to be busy.

When we came to the colours for the snug, decorator-in-chief got a sample pot and painted a couple of patches on the wall****. The colour was grey. Matt, dark, urban, chic grey. The kind of grey that would pick you up at eleven, take you to a meeting of an anarchist organisation before cocktails and dancing, and a bike ride through town at dawn. Radical grey.

Jeremy said ‘It’ll look like we’re inside a nuclear bunker’.

Actually, he had a point. He seems to have switched off his internal ‘I want to live in Berlin’ dial and repositioned it at ‘San Francisco 1969’. We have settled on a beautiful dark (greyish) turquoise for the bar, and a light (sky) blue for the walls. It’ll look amazing. And the best thing about it is it’s nearly finished!

* Actually, as he is a friend of my friend Jane, I am pretty convinced this is a fair representation. Not that I’m in any way jealous or anything.
** And also because Chris is the only person we know who designs the insides of bars & restaurants. He also gets nominated for awards for it, ‘cos he’s very good. Pretty handy really.
*** A bit like myself before 3 white wines (bottles).
**** This was probably due to his increased awareness of our decision-making processes. You could say actute perception of dithering.

I heard a rumour…

2008-08-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

Today site was very quiet. In fact, at lunchtime, you could hear the tumbleweed blow through the pub. Kevin the joiner was asleep on the bench seating. Everyone was staring into the middle distance as they munched their sandwiches. And why? Because all but Stevie ‘never touch a drop’ C & the decorator-in-chief (who was going home to his friend Mr Bonaparte, brandy, geddit??) had a touch of a hangover. Because last night was the contractor’s party. Much fun was had by all, and everyone deserved it because they’ve all worked so hard.

Andy the landscaper spent some time last night asking why I’d not updated this page. I won’t give a detailed account of the conversation as most of it was (on my part) in wine speak, so probably made little sense then and would make even less in text. He apparently checks it quite a lot. Vanity, gets ‘em every time! (only joking Andy)

Anyhow – The rumour also got to me today through a spy in the council chambers that there had been mumblings of concern around the dusty towers of the town hall. These mumblings seemed to think that the refurb was under threat due to…my lack of blogging. I believe that there was fear that my silence meant that work had ceased. Not so my good council types! I was just very very busy. It's quite time-consuming, starting a new business, not to mention the baby... To scotch these rumours and to keep Andy happy, I’m back blogging with a vengeance.

And, before you ask, I won't post any pictures from the party last night. What do you think this is, some sort of 3-am girls’ gossip blog? Tsk.

Who am I kidding? Here's some of John Towey, master plasterer, doing some bar tending. Also a spot of dancing / fighting with Warren, who was defending his bar with honour. Beautiful.

Colour Pathway Chaos Part 1

2008-07-18T01:58:00.000-07:00

When the decorator-in-chief (on the scaffolding above) saw the color of the 'feature wall' paint, he sucked his teeth. Alot. And looked slightly ill. Now decorator-in-chief is very good at his job, and quite honestly he's the neatest chap you could wish to be doing your painting. But this latest colour was possibly one which added insult to an already injured decorating soul. His not-being-one-to-mince-words comment on the colour we'd done the rest of the main room in was 'it's a bit like living in operation desert storm. I best get me camouflague gear'. He had a fair point, and we duly lightened the room by doing a spot of repainting.

When he opened the feature wall tin (Dulux 50RR 10/229 for the paint-spotters) he could only look shocked. When I muttered that maybe he thought it was, well, a bit bright, he could only manage 'well, I'll put anything on a wall'. Clearly - a man suffering some sort of trauma.

He did cheer up when we all realised that the wall colour exactly matched that of the Brite Sparks jumper. You can see it in the picture - jumper on chair (next to Andy the landscaper). I may get them to stand in front of the wall for a photo fairly soon so we can play spot the sparky. Or possibly get them to sponsor the wall!

The Goshawk Man

2008-07-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

There we all were, collectively getting on with the job down at the Continental. I was minding Silas while multitasking, (probably quite daintily) bellowing orders and finding fault, as is my job (some might say whimsy). Stevie C was sorting everything out, decorator-in-chief & co were painting the walls, and the Brite Sparks boys were making everything – brighter, of course.

Our routine was then shaken by Warren bemusedly saying ‘There’s a man with a hawk. Outside. Now.’

Stevie C, Warren, and me pushing Silas in the pram, rushed outside like a motley band of demented sticky-beaks* with nowt better to do. There was indeed a man with a hawk lurking on the pavement opposite. He firmly (obsessively?**) told us the bird was, in fact, a Goshawk. The Goshawk looked sternly at us. So did the owner, who had somewhat callously got rid of his previous bird of some years to replace it with a younger model. In fact, his look unrepentantly said ‘back off, she’s mine’, as Stevie C reached out his hand in a half stroking, half peace-making fashion.

‘Ah, that’s alreet then,’ said Stevie C, ‘I thought he meant a hawk.’

Cue quizzical looks from Warren, Silas, and myself.

‘A plastering hawk. Fer t’put plaster on with. I thought he were a lost plasterer.’

Right then.

Just another episode in the crazy world of the Continental.

*Neighbours circa the Mrs Mangle years.
** He was pretty nice. I saw him again a couple of days later. He didn't remember me: thus I am not as interesting as a Goshawk. I was embarrassed when I had to explain 3 times why I had said hello like a crazy lady in the street.

Halfway through...

2008-07-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

Here's some pics from last week.

Firstly, the snug - still lots to do there. But at least there's no crazy inside-outside roofing. And then, the main room - this pic here has the full wall of green - since then we've decided to have a lighter colour on the walls. After that: builders have coffee, y'know. And then, Steve Conway, project manager extrordinaire, and Warren, who needs no introduction (because he's so good). Steve is showing off a newly finished tile. Warren, on the other hand, is checking out his phone for ladies' numbers...

There's still so much to do, and the countdown is truly starting to hurt. We're now part way through putting the place back together. We've started painting the main room. However, the. kitchen is slowing us down, as we're still to build the stud wall. We're getting the kit together slowly but surely. The plasters & decorators are telling me not to put wallpaper directly on to new plaster (and where do i put it then??); the original upholstery choice for the booth seating isn't going to be in til september, meaning we've got to choose another one; and as for the outside sign...apparently, the design we've chosen makes every sign maker west of the moon suck their teeth. Teeth sucking is a sound i'm getting used to...

In the meantime, Silas has grown several inches, and can now roll over both ways and seems to move himself about a metre one way or the other every time my back's turned. I'm also slightly peturbed by the language he's learning from the builders. He could come out with anything...I better go and read him something less 'colourful' now...

Some before pics…the main room

2008-06-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

Before the work...you can see lots of orange on the walls. there won't be any of that when it's finished!

The place was being used as a training venue for police dogs. As much as I like man's best pal, I am glad the smell of dog has been replaced by paint. The architect, John Rowe, who did the outline drawings of the place as was, came down here to measure up. When he next rang, he said something along the lines of 'did you know the police were using the place as a training facility?' in a very surprised, why-didn't-you-tell-me kinda way. I can only imagine them trying to measure the place up while the training was going on.

Also - spot the little Silas - that must be about 2 if not more months ago now...tiny! but he still is...

yes, and all that bench seating has gone, too

back soon!

New Continental: a bit of press

2008-06-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

As some of you may have seen, we got a bit of press on Friday in the LEP. We appeared under the headline ‘barrel of laughs’, which has become ‘Pub’s playground turned into comedy club’ on the internet.

Hmm. This has caused much amusement to Jeremy (aka ‘Mr Continental’) and…well practically everyone we know, judging by the amount of texts and ‘ooh I saw you in the Post on Friday’ comments whenever we leave the house. As I am a shy girl (!), never to be seen on stage, and also often rather grumpy due to the refurb, the headline seems a slight misjudgement.

All I can say is no matter how lovely the photographer seems, don’t pose with a microphone while the builders are making jokes so you look like you’re laughing. I guess all stories need a handle and ‘black box studio space’ just ain’t as catchy.

Now as much as we are pleased about the press, and don’t wish to appear disgruntled in any way, the events space is going to be less of a comedy club – in fact not one at all – more an events space, with facilities for all manner of things, including studio theatre and music... Darn it (I say mildly), there may even be some open mic comedy in there, if someone wants to promote it. Just don’t get me to do it as I am rubbish at telling jokes.

So where are we at with the work?

It’s all coming on fairly smoothly, give or take the occasional hiccoughs. The building has been completely stripped back to the bones, except the bar. The snug’s berni-inn circa 1982 interior tiled roof has bitten the dust (anyone remember it? I’ll add some before and after pics soon), and the orange walls are no more. We’ve put a big arch between the conservatory and the main bar. The electrics are going in, plastering has started, wallpaper and paint are chosen, and we’re just about to order the furniture. So watch this space! We’ll post more soon.

Captain Coconut’s - becoming the performance / events space

2008-06-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

Apart from sounding, as my good friend Jane put it, like a venue for ‘adult fun’, Captain Coconut’s is a very run down children’s soft play area. It’s seen many good times, in fact I would say it echoes with the ghostly sounds and childish screams of Saturday afternoons past.

This was the hook that really got us interested. It’s about the size of a small village hall, on the ground floor, with a separate entrance. Initially, we thought we’d re-work it as a more rootsy children’s space. Then we hit on the idea of making it into a multi-purpose events space with facilities for performance, children’s events, and anything else that might be looking for a venue. We’ll be programming series of events, and have had loads of positive feedback from people like CETH at UCLAN, arts organisations, creative industries folk, artists, theatre groups, and the like. Let us know what you’d like to see there.

I’ve sent out a message to local filmmakers. We’re opening the doors to see if people want to use it for some spooky, run-down play area filming. We’d love a short experimental film to be set there – perfect! I wonder what we’ll get back? If you’re interested, then get in touch!

We’ll be using the scaffolding to set up the lighting rig for the space. I think we’ll be giving the rest of the equipment to a good cause, if anyone has any ideas then let us know.

We'll also be changing the name!

The Old Continental

2008-05-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

The Continental used to be popular, a food & family traditional Preston community pub. And it had a fabulous beer garden, just right for summer. It's down by Miller and Avenham parks, by the river, and only about five minutes wander from the train station. A skimming stone's throw from Lower Penwortham and just round the corner from the docks. So when we saw it looking like this, run down and broken, we knew something had to be done.