Something new and very exciting is coming to Ventnor.
The team behind the successful Terrace restaurant in Yarmouth have just completed on the purchase of St Augustine Villa, the iconic 11-bedroomed guest house nestled in the switchback of Shore Hill (Ventnor Cascade).
Simon Perry from News OnTheWight spoke with Tom Fahey, one of the driving forces behind the new venture, to find out more about the plans.
Completed this week
With the ink still drying on the completion of the sale, there was no hanging around for the Terrace team.
On Thursday, fencing was erected around the property which will undergo extensive refurbishment, and engineers and surveyors were on site.
Acorn Interiors, the Island-based contractor selected for the renovation, immediately got their teeth into the eight-month project on Ventnor’s Cascade, due to open April 2022.
A “real landmark” for the town
Tom was very keen to stress that the plans for The Terrace Rooms are to complement the area and not in any way to bring more people or traffic to the town.
He explained this was going to be “much more scaled down operation” than Yarmouth, with the 11-bedroomed Ventnor property being converted to a six-bedroomed boutique hotel offering.
With the investment of the refurbishment, Tom hopes The Terrace Rooms can become a “real landmark” for the town.
What to expect
There’ll be a terrace for guests, a dedicated wine cave and there’ll be a 12-seater restaurant open to the public during the winter, but as Tom explained,
“It’s very low key, it works as a six-bed, but if you start pushing it further then it doesn’t have that sense of quality. This is not going to be a volume business.”
The refurbishment will be “very respectful” to the Victorian history of the property. Acorn Interiors have successfully managed execution of The Terrace in Yarmouth, providing a fresh, modern look sitting sympathetically alongside the historic Castle, so quality is guaranteed.
Supporting year-round employment
Looking towards the planned changes, Tom explained that the current conservatory will be replaced by a retractable glass all-weather pergola – allowing inside-outdoor dining.
Tom added,
“The restaurant will be public, but in very small numbers.
“The whole idea of running the restaurant in the winter is that we’ve got guys working in Yarmouth with not a lot to do in those months, so we’ll bring them down to Ventnor where the draw is the rooms. That allows us to get around the seasonal employment problem that everyone faces on the Isle of Wight.”
Fahey: Such an iconic building
As well as some of the staff from Yarmouth switching to Ventnor in the winter, Tom will be running the operation as the Head Chef.
He’ll be living on the top floor of the property, as Esme and Bob, the previous owners, have done for the last 20 years.
“It’s got so much character and is such an iconic building.
“The key to the project is restoring the property, making it look beautiful and renting out the rooms so it can remain as a guest house.”
Background
The Terrace, Yarmouth was launched in 2020 by Ashley and Tom Fahey, along with their family, the Keens who have a boat-chartering business based in Yarmouth.
Tom has been a restaurant inspector for UK guidebooks since 2008, while Ashley is a trained chef and hotel manager.
Together they act as general managers of The Terrace, Yarmouth and say they are excited to bring the brand’s values of care for staff, guests and community in equal measure to such an iconic Ventnor building.
Find out more
To stay up to date with developments, check out The Terrace, Yarmouth on Instagram and Twitter, where you can also salivate over the fabulous looking dishes being served at the restaurant.
