Boutique’s VINTAGE experience
CAVES UNDER FASHION STORE WILL BE AVAILABLE AS PRIVATE WINE CELLARS AND FOR ‘EXCLUSIVE’ FOOD AND DRINK EVENTS
HISTORIC city centre caves and cellars will open later this year where people can experience the “ultimate wine tasting and food”.
Directors of Gigi Bottega, a high-end fashion boutique at the Flying Horse Walk shopping arcade, have spent several years working to clear and restore an underground network below.
The space was used as an air raid shelter during the Second World War. Staff have removed 400 tonnes of rubble between the cellars and caves, which had been blocked.
With planning permission in place, a number of private cellars will be available for people to rent and store wines at the optimum temperature.
Director Angelo Trivigno, 58, said: “We have seven private cellars that will be released on hire.
“You can have your own wines, and you’ve got your own key for your gate. They all have gates and private cameras.
“If you’re a big wine collector, and you’d like to keep your wines in a secure end proper environmental place, we will hire those out.”
The caves and additional cellars beneath the shop will also be open for private bookings and events.
Mr Trivigno, of Mapperley, said: “For example, we’re going to do wine tasting events.
“But these are all pre-bookings so you can’t just walk into the cellars.
“If you want an intimate, private lunch or meal we’ll have evenings where you will be able to experience sitting in the cellars or the caves for the ultimate wine-tasting and food. “It’s going to be very exclusive.” Work has been ongoing to ensure the underground passage is safe for the public.
“We’ve had to look at the safety aspect, fire escapes and so on. It’s been a full-on project,” said Mr Trivigno.
Archaeologists have said there were originally two caves under the shopping arcade which were connected between the 19th and 20th centuries.
One section of the network is believed to date back to the 15th century and another to the 18th century.
The space was once used by the old Flying Horse Inn for the storage of beer.
However, the vast building was renovated in the 1980s, creating the shopping centre of today.
The cave network stretches around 80 metres in length.
Staff have also been working hard to transform the floor above the boutique shop into a cocktail bar.
Bar Gigi, and the underground facilities, will open to the public in late September.
Speaking about the new bar, Mr Trivigno said: “That’s going to be open every day as a normal place where you can come for a coffee or you can come at lunch time.
“We’ll be serving wines as much as cocktails, with a lot of Italian food.”
Daniel Lacey, director at DL Design Studio, a firm specialising in architectural and interior design, said: “This has been a fascinating project to be involved in.
“Throughout it we have advised and supported Angelo on the design and delivery, assisting with achieving his ambitions.”