Yesterday, the day we thought might never actually materialise, finally arrived - it was hand-over day. A mere 8 (!!) months after we first started talking to the now previous tenant, John Hardie, we finally met the Scottish and Newcastle rep, Lee, and received the keys to the Adam and Eve in Mill Hill. Given how tiresome and frustrating the assignment process became, a day that should have been a celebration was, in the end, simply a relief to all concerned.
Anyway, that's history now. We move on and look to a bright future.
It's probably fair to say that the rather sorry Adam and Eve has suffered in recent years (perhaps decades is more accurate) from a lack of serious investment, and this is obvious to see the minute you walk into the place: pretty much everything is tired and dated with an overwhelming air of a property that has been neglected. Carpets are stained and threadbear, walls and ceilings are dirty with peeling paint and paper, woodwork is flaking and rotting in many places, the bar is defunct, toilets disfunctional, kitchen unusable, garden is overgrown, there is damp in the main bar area that suffers from a distinct lack of light, floor joists are rotten in some areas, the ground floor layout is highly inefficient, the facade is unkempt, and the residential areas upstairs have the feel of a recently evicted squat.
But, there is potential. The hard part is realizing that potential.
Builders have started this morning on the mammoth task of disposing of all the rubbish and ripping out everything that is no longer required (which is practically everything), and the architect will soon have plans for the new layout which will include moving the WCs and the kitchen to the first floor, creating a function room, and further facilities on the first and second floors.
Onwards and upwards...!
