The market, which will  take place every Sunday from 12pm – 4pm, hosts a range of exciting handmade food and craft stalls from talented local artisan businesses.

Organic farm produce, art, home and lifestyle stalls all feature and even dogs get a look in with dog-friendly bar The Lark on site.

Thomas Ferris from Urban Market, organiser of the event in partnership with Lisburn Square, said: “The new artisan weekly market is a welcome addition to Lisburn Square, bringing fantastic NI small businesses to the heart of Lisburn City Centre. The open space of the Square is perfect for such an event.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of supporting small local businesses and we hope this market will encourage and help the public to do so.”

Following its debut on Sunday, when many stallholders sold out despite the weather, as post on the Lisburn Square Facebook page read: “Such a great day yesterday at the first ever Lisburn Square Sunday Artisans A massive thank you to everyone who braved the weather to visit and support NI small businesses

Don’t forget we are back every Sunday in Lisburn Square from 12pm-4pm “

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The Restaurant Group closed the eatery alongside the M1 during the first Covid-19 lockdown, but confirmed in August 2020 that it would not reopen as part of a cull of some 90 group outlets.

MBCC Foods (Ireland), which operates the Costa franchise on the island of Ireland, lodged a planning application for a drive-thru coffee shop just two months later in October 2020, with panning approval granted on February 4.

Industry monitor Construction Information Services Ireland has estimated the value of the project at around £786,000.

The new drive-thru will take the total number number of Costas in Northern Ireland to 22 with new stores having recently opened at Kennedy Centre, Belfast, Lisburn Leisure Plex and Hollywood Exchange.

Costa Coffee, through its franchise partnership with MBCC Foods Ireland Ltd, opened their first store in Northern Ireland in 2004 at Belfast City Airport and the company now employs more than 250 people here.

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What was The Tuesday Bell in Lisburn Square is set to become The Lark, a live music venue and restaurant.

Work has already begun on site and the two-storey transformation, to include a fully heated and covered outdoor area, should create 30 jobs when complete.

Downstairs will host live music and offer an “extensive and creative drinks menu featuring craft beers and cocktails”, while the first floor will become the Group’s second ‘Yardbird’ restaurant – mirroring its Cathedral Quarter sister bar, The Dirty Onion.

The 60-seater “family-friendly” dining venue will specialise in rotisserie chicken, ribs and wings.

Last year Beannchor opened its £4m hotel, Haslem, in the Square, while in 2017 it added a Lisburn branch to its Little Wing Pizzeria empire.

‘Increasing demand’

Beannchor director, Conall Wolsey, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with the development team at Lisburn Square again and bringing our expertise to transform the city’s former Wetherspoon’s pub into a more modern establishment.

“Opening The Lark is a demonstration of the confidence we have in Lisburn and the increasing demand from locals who are searching for premium food, beverage and leisure experiences that match those of Belfast city.

“With this significant refurbishment, we hope the venue will appeal to a wider audience group than its predecessor and further boost the Square’s day and night-time economy.”

The Tuesday Bell closed at Christmas and a Wetherspoon spokesman said: “At present, Wetherspoon is not looking at any other sites in Lisburn, however, we would not rule out returning to open a pub there in the future.”

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Owner, Martin Caldwell, along with wife, Eileen and daughter, Kellie, took the venue on in February 2014. There has been an inn of some description at this site on the Derriaghy Road since around 1660 and prior to the Caldwell’s arrival, there had been a dilapidated old pub there called The Travellers’ Rest.

Martin says he spent around £200,000 on giving the premises “a fresh start”. The bar was renovated and the lounge, which had been shuttered by the previous owner, was opened up and converted into a dining room with space for 66 covers. Another smaller dining area, called ‘The Snug’, was also created with walls covered in old photos and pub memorabilia.

The food offering at The Speckled Hen is described as “traditional pub fare” to which the Caldwells have added their own signature flair. In July last year, they introduced a new ‘pizza pod’ oven to the venue, creating a range of fresh, stone-baked pizzas which are available to eat in or take away.

“Originally, we did try different types of fine dining but early on, we realised that wasn’t really for us,” says Martin. “We’re a traditional pub and people come here for things like a traditional Sunday roast or turkey and ham.

An extensive daily menu is available – the same menu is served in all areas of the Speckled Hen – with the emphasis on fresh ingredients, many of them sourced locally.

Adding to the general quirkiness of the venue, there are ‘beer cabanas’ available – colourful little sheds akin to the wooden changing huts that were once a common sight in seaside resorts. Inside, there are tables and chairs and customers can enjoy a drink or a bite to eat should the weather turn inclement.

“In terms of business at this stage, we are out of loss and into profit,” Martin told LCN. “I think we could still do better but I think it’s like any pub business at the moment, we’re all struggling with certain things. The location we are in dictates the food we do, the prices we charge and the hours that we work. For instance, we don’t open Monday and Tuesday until 3pm because there is no lunchtime trade worth talking about on those days. But we are doing much better now that we used to.”

The diverse offering at The Speckled Hen also includes produce from The Black Mountain Brewery. Located right next to the pub, it produces a range of beer and spirits which are only for sale in The Speckled Hen.

“Our thinking was that in years gone by, this pub would have had its own brewery, so we wanted to bring that tradition back.”

As well as Black Mountain, more than 60 other brands of craft beer are also served in The Speckled Hen.

Martin’s family background is in hospitality. At one time, they owned a group of pubs as well as the Royal Avenue Hotel, across from the original Grand Central in Belfast city centre. However, Martin didn’t immediately follow in the family tradition. Instead, he trained as a solicitor and spent 25 years in practice as a specialist in intellectual property.

His day job changed, however, when his daughter, Kellie, approach him with aspirations of getting involved in the hospitality trade and the pair decided to take on The Speckled Hen together.

“We were delighted when we won the LCN Award,” said Martin. “We did think that we had a chance but we knew there were five or six good venues in for the same award.

“You just can’t buy this type of publicity. The recognition that you get bolsters yourself and your staff and gives everybody a lift because your achievements are being recognised. And more to the point, they do have an impact on the level of business. We definitely saw an impact on the number of people coming in after we won the LCN Award.”

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