Bar group extends presence in Birmingham with third venue

Bar chain Boston Tea Party has opened a new café in Birmingham in a move that has created 25 jobs.

The new café at Edgbaston Village is the third to open in Birmingham following those in the city centre and Harborne, while it is the 20th in the chain as a whole.

The latest venue is situated in a refurbished Victorian property in Harborne Road, in what is part of the Calthorpe Estate. The property, which was formerly a NatWest Bank, seats 190 people – 120 indoors and 70 outside.

It is the latest bar to open in the area, which is fast being recognised for its dining and drinking facilities.

Birmingham architects, St Paul’s Associates, designed the bar so the late-Victorian architecture of the main building and coach house contrasted with contemporary features, such as a new glass frontage and a double ceiling height atrium.

Works have included replacing the mock coach house gates using glazed folding doors to let in light, while the internal fit-out and décor is intended to complement the building’s history. Many original features have been retained, while a glazed orangery extension has been added to the rear of the property where the NatWest Bank remains open for business. Landscaping has also been reconfigured to provide a terraced seating area to the front of the property and access to the rear pay and display car park.

Sam Roberts, managing director and owner of the Boston Tea Party, said: “Opening our twentieth café, the third in Birmingham, is a milestone for our business.

“With hundreds of thriving businesses located in and around Edgbaston Village we are looking forward to serving the community.”

To help establish the new café, several members of staff – including the managers from the branch in Harborne, Dale Allison and Shaney Ayre – have moved over to the new location. The business is also recruiting for additional part-time and full-time kitchen staff.

Ralph Minott, Director of Development at Calthorpe Estates said: “Since our vision to develop the area first began in 2011, Edgbaston Village has grown into a flourishing leisure and lifestyle destination following the opening of a number of exciting restaurants and bars over the past three years.

“Boston Tea Party’s newest café perfectly complements other businesses nearby, including luxury retail outlets OKA and Neptune, offering visitors a great combination of retail therapy and destinations to dine.”

Sitting above the Boston Tea Party café, work has just completed on a further 2,481 sq ft of contemporary, Grade A office space.