Thousands of guests were welcomed through the gates of Sheepfolds Stables in Sunderland during the venue’s opening week.
The food, drink, events and entertainment destination welcomed crowds including families and children to the redeveloped 140-year-old former stables buildings. At its peak, the queue tailed back to the Stadium of Light.
Once inside, people of all ages enjoyed a range of live music, and food and drink from a mix of independent operators.
Si King of The Hairy Bikers – who is due to hold pop-up events at Sheepfolds Stables in the future – officially opened the venue alongside Rick Marsden, managing director of Building Design Northern Ltd (BDN), which has developed the Grade II-listed site.
Nigel Wood, Sheepfolds’ general manager of operations, said: “The turnout on our opening night, the launch weekend and the week to follow has been absolutely phenomenal and we would like to thank all those who have come down and showed their support. There has been a lot of hard work and effort behind the scenes to create a venue of this high calibre and quality, and to see it all come to fruition with the most amazing atmosphere and high turn-out of people has been exceptional.
“We have a jam-packed schedule of live music, sports, pop-up shops and events going forward, and we’ll soon be welcoming many supporters through our doors before and after SAFC’s home matches and to watch on the big screen. We’re open seven days a week and while anyone can pop in for food, drinks or just to have look at the site, we highly recommend making reservations with our individual restaurant operators given their popularity.”
Sheepfolds Stables is a new £4million social and leisure development in former stables buildings dating back to 1884. Operators include Ember – serving rich flavours of Asia in small plates, fusion cuisine and a la carte dishes; Vito’s Osteria – offering an Italian experience combining Mediterranean flavours with a lively family dinner atmosphere; The Calabash Tree – a must for street food lovers mixing authentic Caribbean tastes and traditional spices; I Scream for Pizza – adding a twist to traditional pizza making with surprising topping combinations and locally-sourced ingredients; Spey Snug – offering award-winning single malts, juniper gins, premium cigars and artisan products from Speyside Distillers; Mother Mercy – the go-to place for imaginative cocktails; and Deep North’s fresh doughnuts and imaginative fillings.
Two main bar areas – The Taproom and Back of the Pit – both serve the specially crafted Pit Pony helles lager, which is exclusive to Sheepfolds Stables and has been created in collaboration with VAUX Brewery. The outdoor entertainment space in the heart of the 20,000sqft development overlooking the River Wear next to the Stadium of Light – with a stage, outdoor screen and seating areas – is paved using approximately 30,000 original cobbles.
