Corner House sets the standard with new £100k garden

Corner House sets the standard with new £100k garden

Phase three of Trevor McCann ongoing refurbishment plans at The Corner House near Lurgan have seen the opening of a huge outdoor area packed with family facilities.

Trevor and Roisin McCann have wrought huge changes to The Corner House at Derrymacash, near Lurgan, establishing the iconic old bar right at the heart of the community it serves.

Phase three of that ongoing refurbishment plan was unveiled to the public late in June when local residents were invited to attend a special evening barbecue event which was held in the venue’s expansive new outdoor area.

The result of an investment in excess of £100,000, the new garden area at The Corner House has been designed from the ground up to cater specifically for all those groups that frequent the bar.

There are facilities specifically for cyclists, including dedicated cycle parking and a bespoke map showing cycle and walking routes and local attractions. There’s a doggy area complete with treats and watering facilities and a special kids’ play area has been themed around a John Deere tractor.

Customers are entertained to a special blend of background music and live DJs playing relaxing summer tunes and a full bar service is operated out of a stylish old catering trailer.

Trevor’s attention to detail extends to the installation of a Ninetendo 64 gaming console for the use of his younger clientele. The machine is Trevor’s own from his childhood days.

And stained glass, rescued from the bar during earlier phases of renovation, has been reused in the beer garden, which can accommodate up to 360 customers at a time.

‘This development is something we’ve been thinking a lot about over the last few years,’ says Trevor. ‘It’s a real modern family offering in a big outdoor area. Our strapline is ‘family life in the village’ and our new area has everything that a family needs to enjoy their time outdoors.’

It’s six years since Trevor and Roisin took the iconic Lurgan bar on. Before that, Trevor was best known locally as the proprietor of the town’s long-established Cellar Bar. And when he and Roisin decided to invest in the refurbishment of The Corner House, it signalled a new era for the venue.

The bar had been a popular haunt for revellers from all over the country when The Embankment nightclub opened its doors there in 2001. Prior to the arrival of its new owners 12 years later, however, and as part of the ailing Diamond Group portfolio, the Corner House had seen its trade fall completely away.

All that has since changed, thanks to three rounds of intensive refurbishment at the bar which, last year, was named LCN Community Bar of the Year.

‘I like to feel that we’re able to give back to the community as much as we can,’ says Trevor. ‘What is really lovely here is the atmosphere. Even if you are outside brushing up or whatever, people passing by are beeping horns and asking if you’re OK. It’s a great community spirit and that kind of thing just gives you the confidence to go forward.’

‘As for the future, Trevor is promising further changes: There are plans, there is always development going on and room for improvement but the best thing that you can do is always keep in touch with the customer base and their needs and operate at that level,’ he adds.

‘This was phase three and there is a phase four, but I can’t say too much about that just yet.’