Medieval caves to be converted into wine bar

Planning and listed building consent has been granted for a new wine-tasting venue in newly discovered caves in Nottingham city centre.

The new venue will be built underneath the Grade II listed Flying Horse Arcade in an 80-metre man-made cave network dating back to medieval times.

The discovery was made by the director of fashion boutique Gigi Bottega, Angelo Trivigno, who single-handedly removed more than 400 tonnes of building debris to reveal the underground gem.

The venue will offer customers the chance to sample Italy’s finest vintage wines. It is due to open in late 2019 along with the newly fitted out Bar Gigi situated on the mezzanine area of the Gigi Bottega boutique.

In keeping with the history of the original Flying Horse Inn, the cellars will also be used for wine storage as they offer the perfect environment to keep fine wines at a constant temperature.

Representatives from the City Council said: “Using the caves for wine storage is entirely compatible with their character and history, given that the Flying Horse Inn would once have made use of them in exactly this way.”

Trivigno added: “The years of hard work to uncover this amazing cave system has been more then worth it. I’m so excited to have made this historic find.

“I’m leaving behind something that was destroyed and I’ve brought back to life nearly a thousand years of history and it’s going to be here for many, many generations.”

DL Design Studio is assisting Trivigno with the design and formalities of the project.