The Winter Lotus Brew House to take over former Burnley pub

The Winter Lotus Brew House will open at the site of the former pub Cross Keys Hotel, on St James Street, today (September 28).

Co-directors, Lucas Winter and Curtis Cantrill, will serve a variety of tea, coffee and bakes. The duo have big plans for the site and intend to open it as a bistro in the future, serving alcohol.

The Winter Lotus Brew House is set to open at the site of former pub Cross Keys Hotel in Burnley (Image: Lucas Winter)

In the future, there are also plans to create an Alice in Wonderland-themed space for events and afternoon teas.

Lucas, who co-owned the now closed Winter Lotus Brew House in Blackburn, said the duo never expected to get a venue like this.

He said: “We weren’t expecting to get a building and were planning on taking a coffee van on the road.

“It’s been a few years since [we closed our Blackburn venue] and we decided it was time to go again.

“We still had the equipment and the drive and passion for it, so we thought 'let’s do it'.”

Lucas said the venue is unrecognisable after being ‘left to go to ruin’.

Lucas said: “We have been given this old pub for a great price, so we can put some effort into getting it back up to scratch. It’s a huge venue that’s classically styled. It’s beautiful inside but it’s been left to go to ruin.

“It looks completely different. We’ve kept the classic style of the building. We have kept the original bar but modified it.

“We’ve turned it into a classy-looking venue. It’s a high-class coffee boutique and tea room.

“A customer walked past and had a look inside. He likened it to The Ivy in Manchester which is one of my favourite venues!

“We are trying to keep it classy and we want to become a hotspot.”

Forty types of coffees from around the world, 30 teas and around 15 varieties of hot chocolates will be available from Saturday – but there are big plans to expand the menu in the future.

Lucas said: “It’s just coffee, tea  and cakes at the moment but in the future we will be adding alcohol to the menu.

“In the future, it is also going to be a bistro with indoor and outdoor dining.

“When the bistro opens next year we will have pizzas and all-you-can-eat pasta. We are going to serve British/Asian fusion with oriental dishes.

“We are going to turn a space into an Alice in Wonderland-themed space for parties and afternoon teas.

“We are trying to extend this into the old beer garden, which is also going to be turned into a dining area.”

Lucas and Curtis are excited to open and can’t wait for customers to see how different the former pub looks.

He said: “We are excited. We aren’t people who like to stagnate, we like to do something with our lives and make something of ourselves.

“We are hardworking, driven and ambitious.

“I know the business is going to succeed and we are going to be ready but I am nervous and trying to sort all the fine details.

“We want people to sit down and have a nice drink or meal. We will be staying open late and providing space for people to stay out a bit later.

“We are excited to bring something different to Burnley.”

The building exterior is known for its historical façade. A historian said a pub or inn had occupied the site of the Cross Keys since the early 1500s, but the present building had been rebuilt in 1906.