From http://www.kentonline.co.uk 7 July 2014, by Lowri Stafford.

Westgate Towers and former City Gaol Cafe at One Pound Lane in Canterbury to be transformed into restaurant, bar, business hub and museum.

One of Canterbury's oldest and most prominent landmarks will be transformed into a restaurant and bar as part of ambitious plans to bring it back into use.

The city council voted to award to lease of the Westgate Towers and the former City Gaol Cafe next door to the company, One Pound Lane Ltd.

The firm plans to build a British restaurant, "atmospheric" bar and office space for local companies, creating 30 jobs for the area.

The existing Westgate Towers museum will also be re-opened as part of the project's aim to celebrate the history of the site - parts of which date back to the 14th century.

Plans include restoring the former police station cells - never before open to the public - and turning them into private dining rooms as part of the new restaurant and bar.

Original details including Victorian glazed bricks and original cell doors with locks and inspection hatches will be kept.

The former Victorian police station cell could be turned into a private dining room.

Behind the plans are new tenants Stephen Allen and James Caldon, who both live in the city.

They want to create "a vibrant, higher-end experience to fill the current gap in Canterbury's offering, fusing contemporary British design with spectacular original features", which they hope to launch in the early autumn.

They continue: "All areas of the building will be brought to life to maximise its potential, creating a vibrant daytime, visitor and evening destination for the city."

What was once a prisoner day room will be a restaurant.

The pair were awarded the lease over Cafe Mauresque owner Xavier German, who put in a bid to bring a restaurant, hotel, art gallery and ballet school into the historic landmarks.

He worked with the previous owner Charles Lambie, who had spent up to £1million to try and renovate the site, but died in 2012.

Mr Allen and Mr Caldon pledged to continue Mr Lambie's legacy, adding: "We have a huge respect for the work of the late Mr Charles Lambie and will continue the same level of detail and quality throughout our project, for the next chapter in the rich history of this treasured Canterbury building."

The duo say they see their project as "an essential component" in revitalising St Dunstan's, which they say is benefiting from the new £1m Westgate Parks project nearby, the proposed Business Improvement District scheme, and pedestrian improvements planned by KCC.

They continue: "We see the St Dunstan's area as the city's food and entertainment destination.

"Higher-end restaurants, bars and visitor attractions are an essential element of a successful and prosperous city, attracting desirable visitors and residents to the area on a national and international level.

"Our project will bring a new vibrancy to this important area for the city and help link the riverside area, Westgate Parks and the high street with St Dunstan's.

"It is a project which will not only benefit the local area, but also enhance the cultural and entertainment offering and attractiveness of the city to visitors and residents."

The pair also hope to apply for planning permission to build a new river bridge and riverside terrace next to the towers.

They were awarded the lease at a meeting of the city council's ruling executive committee at the Guildhall on Thursday.

Council spokesman Rob Davies said: "Executive members considered a detailed report and comprehensive evaluation setting out two high quality bids.

"It set out the key components of both projects, the level of planned investment, planning and licensing issues, financial information and the respective timetables.

"Councillors decided to grant the lease to a company called One Pound Lane Ltd for a scheme that includes a restaurant, bar, opening of the existing museum space and business hub, along with other longer term proposals."

The confidential council report into the winning bid stated that they believed it was "professionally put together and researched, with high quality proposals that fit with both the property and Canterbury's local and visitor economies".

Mr Davies added: "Naturally we are very pleased to have secured an exciting scheme. We believe it will enhance the city's culture and business offer and bring this historic and high profile building back into use for residents and visitors to enjoy."

From http://www.kentonline.co.uk 7 December, 2014, by Chris Pragnel.

Westgate Towers and city gaol in Canterbury could become wedding venue as part of One Pound Lane redevelopment.

Canterbury's Westgate Towers could eventually be used as a unique wedding venue.

The historic city centre site is undergoing an ambitious £500,000 transformation – with the adjacent former gaol building opening as a bar and café today.

As our exclusive pictures show, The Pound makes use of spaces that have never been open to the public before – including three former cells and the old guard's quarters.

Business partners Stephen Allen and James Caldon are in the process of a phased redevelopment of the entire riverside site – parts of which date back to the 14th century.

But we can now reveal that the entrepreneurs have exciting plans for the towers themselves.

Mr Allen and Mr Caldon, who won a bidding process to take over the site from the city council, had always planned to revamp the towers museum.

One of the private dining rooms with a wine cellar.

The entrepreneurs are now considering opening the main chamber in the towers, which is above the arch, as an events space.
Mr Allen said: “It's early days and it would depend on licensing, but the room is wonderful space. It could be ideal for private functions, perhaps weddings.”

Tomorrow sees the first phase of the partners' scheme completed.

One of the private dining rooms in an old cell with the original door
The bar and café, with its main entrance on Pound Lane, will cater for about 220 people on the ground floor of the former gaol and music school building.

Early next year Mr Allen and Mr Caldon intend to open the kitchen too, creating a restaurant specialising in contemporary British food.

Mr Allen said: “What will set this apart is the atmosphere and the building – it's been a lot of work but we're delighted with the result.”

The bar at One Pound Lane.

The Pound will be licensed to stay open until 3.30am on Fridays and Saturdays, serving a broad range of drinks including specialist ales, gins and vodkas.

The partners have said their new venture will “fuse contemporary British design with spectacular original features”.

First glimpses suggest original features such as cell doors and iron grilles have been retained.

Victorian tiling in the vaulted cells has been kept but coloured in a modern copper tint, while each cell boasts bespoke British-made light fittings.

Business owners Steve Allen and James Caldon.

Mr Allen, who was the creative force behind the successful Chapel Down Winery in Tenterden, said: “All areas of the building will be brought to life to maximise its potential, creating a vibrant daytime, visitor and evening destination for the city.”

The partners had hoped to open the towers museum at the same time, but repairs to the external parts of the medieval structure, carried out by the city council, have taken longer than expected.

Linked to the former gaol building by a glass-covered walkway, the tower museum has a number of exhibits, including suits of armour, which could be displayed in the rooms within the roundels.

Mr Allen now says the large chamber above the arch, which features windows looking out on the road below, could be used as an events space within the museum.

The final phase of the development will see business units aimed at local start-ups opened in the upper floors of the former gaol and music school building.

It is not known when the museum and office spaces will be open, but Mr Allen said he hoped this would happen in the first half of next year.