Church building is transformed
Building re-modelled as restaurant by Blair chef
Blairgowrie chef and fishmonger Willie Little is to open his new Little’s restaurant in the former Riverside Methodist Church next month.
Building and refit work on the historic church - which is just a few hundred yards from the current Little’s premises - is due to be completed soon.
And Willie is delighted that the project to re-model the building into a restaurant and bar is nearly finished.
The pink sandstone building, most notable for its impressive commemorative stained glass window dedicated to the role of the Labour Corps in World War 1, was sold by the Methodist Church three years ago.
The new restaurant will retain many original period features, including the window - which is the only one of its type in the British Isles - and the pulpit and font.
Wille said: “I am really pleased that the atmospheric grandeur of the church, with these amazing windows, has been preserved.
“It is really breath-taking and it’s putting them in front of a new congregation to enjoy if you like.
“I think diners will be blown away by this truly inspiring space which deserves to be retained in the community.”
As well as the bar and restaurant there will also be a raised seating area where snacks and light lunches will be served.
And the outside space has been fully landscaped to include a car park.
Willie said: “This will be a fantastic start to the new year for myself and my team.”
He added: “I’d like to thank everyone who has helped make this dream a reality – my team of builders and tradesmen have all worked extremely hard – it has been a labour of love to create a new use for this historic building and I am very excited about showing off the results to Little’s customers old and new.
“I think we have created something Rattray and Blairgowrie can be really proud of.”