'Exactly what the area needs' - craft beer pub coming to Chester Railway Station
The team behind 'Spitting Feathers', are set to open their newest location in Chester train station this Easter.
Having brewed in Waverton for 20 years, they opened their first pub in the city back in 2008, The Brewery Tap, on Lower Bridge Street, before later unveiling The West Kirby Tap.
In a new ambitious project, the brewery have announced plans to take over an unused section of Chester Railway Station, to create a pub with 20 keg lines and eight cask lines.
The move will revamp the historic grade II listed building, creating 20 jobs in the area.
Chester Nub News spoke to Matthew Walley, director of Spitting Feathers, to learn more about the venture and what people can expect.
Citing a warm and inviting space for locals and travellers, he said: "We really think we'll improve the station and people's experience of catching the train.
"When it comes to people who are travelling by train, we're going to have really luxurious, comfortable fitted booths.
"There's nowhere at the station, presently, where you can wait under cover in the warmth.
"The booths are going to be warm and comfy. We're also going to have power sockets underneath all the booths.
"You can sit there, either working on your laptop or just charging your phone, working on your tablet."
There will be departure board in the pub, just above the entrance door, where guests can wait for their train in the warmth, whilst keeping an eye on updates.
Given the scale of the project, the director maintained the beer offering will set it apart.
He said: "It's a great opportunity and it's going to make a cracking boozer.
"It'll have everything that you could want at a train station.
"There are a couple of options nearby, but nothing that we think is really as good as Chester and Chester Station deserves.
"The beer offering is going to be what sets us apart.
"It's going to be the best range of beers in Chester, with a focus, of course, on local beers wherever we can.
"We'll source our beers, as we already do, at The Brewery Tap, but we don't have the number of taps there that we're going to have in the new project.
"We're going to have a really, really wide range.
"With the 20 pumps, we're going to be able to offer something for everybody: a really wide, comprehensive range of top quality beers, again, focusing on local stuff."
The pub will also provide fresh coffee each morning, despite competition from the nearby Costa.
The owner said: "In the mornings, we're going to have the best, fresh coffee at sensible prices, without the wait.
"Some people end up catching the train without getting the coffee because it takes too long.
"So we're going to have fresh, bean to cup, absolutely top quality but sensible prices and without the wait."
It will also offer freshly-made food for customers to take on the go.
Remaining cautiously optimistic, the team have set their sights on an Easter opening.
Matthew added: "There's a lot of work to do: the place has been badly neglected for years.
"There's a lot of work to do and some of that is outside of our control and we could get put back."
As a result, a fundraiser has been set up to transform the location into 'the best beer bar in Chester', with a set goal of £50,000.
Explaining the effort, Matthew said: "Put simply, it's just a way of paying in advance, to help smooth our cash flow.
"People can see from the photos we've taken how much work the place needs.
"It's a big spend and it isn't easy for hospitality businesses to borrow these days.
"Like many, if not all, hospitality businesses, our accounts show a loss for the years during and after COVID.
"We thought people may want to support us in bringing this beautiful building back into use and give the station and Chester's residents and visitors the kind of hospitality venue the station deserves.
"You can buy beers or pre-buy beers for less than £4 a pint.
"When the place opens in April, when the new budget measures come in, it's going to be difficult to find beer for less than a fiver: so it really is ace value."
Any vouchers bought during this time don't expire, so you can redeem them at any point going forward.
Emphasizing the sheer scale of the project, he added: "If we don't hit our target, everyone gets their money back and we receive nothing. There's nothing to lose.
"The funding that we're hoping the community will help us with represents less than half of the total spend
"Every penny will go into this pub project. It's going to be absolutely ace boozer.
"It seems like it's exactly what the area needs."
You can follow their journey on Facebook or support the fundraising efforts here.
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