Brunning and Price founder says third time lucky as Chester basement bar gets new name and new generation
The founder of Brunning and Price pub company, which owns the Glasfryn in Mold, has handed a Chester basement venue to two 22-year-old employees for a fresh start.
Jerry Brunning, who founded the pub group in February 1981, said Basement 85 at 85 Watergate Street will open on Friday 13 March under the leadership of Ethan Evans and Lillian Gorman.
The Grade II listed space beneath Watergate House has housed several venues in recent years, including Fat Cat, Big Hand and, most recently, The Henry Potts under Brunning’s Pubs Ltd.
Jerry said his earlier operation had been the wrong format for the space.
“It was a bit of a Jerry Brunning country pub but jammed into a city centre basement,” he wrote in a blog post announcing the change.
He closed it, tried to sell, then tried to sub-let. Neither worked out.
Jerry, now 69, said the venue needed “young eyes” rather than another attempt by him to recreate what had worked elsewhere in the group.
Ethan and Lily, who have both just turned 22, have already made several decisions that break from the previous model.
There will be no cask beer. There will be no kitchen brigade or full menu.
Instead, Basement 85 will serve cocktails, craft beers, wines and deli-style sharing plates.
It will open late on Fridays and Saturdays, running until 1am.
Ethan said: “There’s a real energy in Chester again.
“Offices are busy, people are staying in the city after work, and there’s room for somewhere that feels intimate and grown-up without being formal.
“Basement 85 will be about atmosphere – great drinks, sharing plates and a space that naturally brings people together.”
Lily said: “It’s not about recreating what’s been here before.
“It’s about creating something that fits how people socialise today.
“We want it to feel welcoming, relaxed and somewhere you can spend the whole evening – whether that’s after work on a Thursday or meeting friends at the weekend.”
Jerry said he had helped with the physical space but was stepping back from decisions about the format.
“Leaving an old codger like me to establish a pitch for a new pub could be dangerous,” he wrote.
“They’re keen as horseradish.
“We’re still holding hands as we steer our way through things but I can see already that they’ll soon be riding free with no stabilisers.”
Basement 85 opens on Friday 13 March at 12pm.
Opening hours are Wednesday to Thursday, 4pm to 11pm; Friday to Saturday, 12pm to 1am; and Sunday, 12pm to 8pm.
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