NEW OPENING | Roc & Rye, City Centre

SOUND THE NEW BAR KLAXON.

Should planning go through this is going to be a real restoration project

Confidential has just had word that itinerant Manchester bartender, Sean Finnegan – formerly of Red’s, Kosmonaut and Escapade, amongst others – is preparing to launch his first standalone bar in the city centre.

Named Roc & Rye, the new 150-capacity ‘craft coffee and cocktail’ bar will launch (should the council play nice) on the ground floor of 60 Spring Gardens - the Grade II listed former warehouse designed by Manchester Town Hall architect, Alfred Waterhouse, and offloaded earlier this year by Aviva for a cool seven mill.

“I’ve been cherry-picking ideas from the global cocktail scene for some time now,” says Finnegan, “the revolution in bar spirits and the growing appreciation for craft coffee, all with an eye on this opening.

“Rye will clearly be a focus, with a strong whiskey offering, coupled with great coffee, but we’re also going to offer a platform for local bakers and chocolatiers with a strong emphasis on provenance.”

Alfred Waterhouse's 60 Spring Gardens

A joint venture with local entrepreneur Matthew Bonner and his partner, Maritza Haydon (a former marketing manager at the departed Ithaca), Finnegan tells us the prestigious site will undergo a thorough revamp in order to reinstate some of Waterhouse’s original features.

“Should planning go through this is going to be a real restoration project,” explains Finnegan. “This is a beautiful building that’s been empty for far too long.

“The ceilings here are incredible, and Matthew is currently working on reclaiming a huge oak dancefloor from the twenties. It’s going to be something else.”

Roc & Rye’s licence application remains in consultation until 21 September, after which planning shall be submitted.