A restaurant in Oxford is to undergo a £1 million refurbishment.
The Grade II listed Gees Restaurant & Bar on Banbury Road, which is part of The Oxford Collection, will temporarily close for eight weeks from February 21 until mid-May for a full make over.
It will be combined with the property next door which has been remodelled over the last six months, to create ‘Gees Gallery & Secret Garden’, two brand-new, all-day destinations for guests to enjoy.
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Jeremy Mogford, founder of Gees Restaurant & Bar said: “We are investing well over one million pounds in creating a very special and unique destination within Oxford. We are bringing Gees cooking facilities into the 21st century with the latest equipment, along with much improved working conditions for our chefs.
“I would also like to say that we are making a huge, post covid declaration of faith in the wonderful potential of our city.”
The restaurant, which opened in 1985, started life as a greengrocer and florist in 1897, serving market garden vegetables and flowers that the Gee family grew on land over the road
The 30-year old kitchen and site is now going to be remodelled into a modern space for guests.
Gees will more than double in capacity with the addition of ‘Gees Gallery’, an adjacent private dining space for up to 50 guests, and ‘Secret Garden’; a heated private terrace for up to 60 diners.
Upon reopening, Gees Restaurant, Bar, Gallery & Secret Garden will accommodate over 220 guests in total across all its dining spaces.
The building housing ‘Gees Gallery’ will provide a multifunctional space, operating as an art gallery/shop and function room for parties, meetings, conferences and screening.
People will be able to meet, eat, admire and buy art on display.
‘Gees Secret Garden’, occupies a never-before-seen space at the rear of the glasshouse, which has been transformed into a secluded courtyard terrace, landscaped with York stone, topiary, a water feature, and pleached hornbeam trees, to be used as an incidental exhibition space for sculpture, outside dining and meeting friends.
The kitchen rebuild means Gees Restaurant & Bar will be closed between February 21 and mid-May.
The design of the new premises will be influenced by the existing Gees interior and will include old York stone flooring both inside and outside.
Special lighting throughout will highlight the paintings and photographs being offered for sale, and ensure a ‘warm, intimate’ atmosphere.
The interior design of Gees Gallery is a simple, airy space allowing the art to be displayed to best effect but also creating a unique venue for all events, including lunches/dinners and meetings.
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