#bandhbar

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They Seem To Like It

With the Northern Line joining the Night Tube brigade, Evening Standard have some advice on how best to take advantage with their pick of late night spots on the black line. 

CLICK HERE for further information and bookings

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Bourne & Hollingsworth Bar is Back!

After a month spent knee deep in bathroom fittings and marble worktops, mismatching fabrics, sourcing tiles and experimenting with different wallpapers, we’ve finally done it. That’s right, Bourne & Hollingsworth Bar has shyly opened its doors for the big reveal, and it aint looking half bad, even if we say so ourselves. 

We’ve been testing it out over the last few days and we really are rather pleased. But don’t take our word for it, come along and see for yourselves. B&H Bar will be open to the public from this Friday 30th September, or if you really can’t wait we’re having a little party there on Wednesday and Thursday, when we’ll be sampling the new cocktail menu and putting the bar staff through their paces. If you fancy coming along, please just drop as a line at info@bandhgroup.com, places are limited and will be assigned on a first-come first-served basis. Cheers!

Bourne & Hollingsworth Bar

28 Rathbone Place, W1T 1JF. 0207 636 8228, info@bandhgroup.com

[bourneandhollingsworth]

A Piece of B&H

WHAT IS IT? Bourne & Hollingsworth Bar 

WHERE IS IT? 28 Rathbone Place, London, W1T 1JF

COUNTRY/TOWN OF ORIGIN? London, UK

MATERIALS? Gaffer tape and staples. Reclaimed wood. Flea-market finds, end of line leather cuttings, bits and bobs and brickabrack. The odd item that fell off the back of a lorry. Hope and imagination.  

HISTORY? Founded by Mark Holdstock in October 2007, Bourne and Hollingsworth was named after the nearby ‘Are you Being Served’ style department store, which formerly stood on Oxford Street. It was his first bar, built on a non-existent budget, using instead resourcefulness, ingenuity, recycled materials and many kind favours. The tiny basement became the backdrop for new and exciting ideas, like the Prohibition Party, live music nights, The Fitzrovia Radio Hour and The Blitz Party. Bourne & Hollingsworth Bar will be closed for refurbishment, reopening with a brand new look and fresh ideas in late September 2016. 

WHAT IS IT USED FOR? Drinking, dancing, socialising, forming friendships, first dates, magical reunions, and general merriment.

[bourneandhollingsworth]

GOODBYE  BOURNE & HOLLINGSWORTH BAR

As Bourne & Hollingsworth Bar readies itself for a new look it is hard to shrug off a slight feeling of homesickness. It was after all, the beginning. From this tiny basement spawned, amongst others, The Prohibition Party, The Blitz Party, an entire events company, another basement bar and, of course, B&H Buildings.  Business aside, it was the place that friendships were formed, a community built, and the backdrop to many unforgettable and hilarious nights.

There is some sort of magic in its simplicity, its modest dimensions and clean lines. Not one square centimetre of space was ever wasted. It seemed to make up the basic formula on which we based all future endeavours. Bourne & Hollingsworth was built on a shoe-string, there was just no money. Indeed, behind the well-known floral wallpaper remained, until very recently, the mirrored walls of the previous Asylum club. Everything was done by hand with the aid of staple guns and gaffer tape, corners were cut and replaced with creative optical illusions. Mark, the owner, spent all his free time combing through markets and second hand shops for tables, chairs and decorative pieces – indeed we dedicated an entire article previously to the history of “the whole world in his hands” tapestry. Marks’ mum and dad spent their weekends at car-boot sales sourcing cheap tea-cups from which to serve our cocktails.

The result was splendid in its haphazard charm. There was simply nothing like it.  It was our hangout, the place a whole gang of people radiated towards. Those first Prohibition Parties were born of a sense of fun, a need for creative outlet and Bourne & Hollingsworth offered the perfect environment. And the philosophy we lived by then is the same that we’ve continued to operate by; namely, to create beautiful, inventive and ever evolving venues and parties that we want to go to. We think that’s the reason those classics, The Blitz Party, The Prohibition Party, The Dark Circus Party, have remained popular and loved long after the vintage trend has fallen by the wayside.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to the humble little basement that was the genesis of B&H Group. And before we stride confidently forward with our beautiful new creation, please indulge us as we take a moment to look back at one of the first Prohibition Parties, featuring the original B&H crew.

Purchase your tickets for The Prohibition Party on Saturday 17th September.

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