Work is taking place to create the brand new Catherine’s Wine Bar in Southport.
The stylish venue is being created next to Connolly’s Irish pub on King Street, inside the former Coronation pub site.
It is a busy time in Southport Market Quarter, with Sefton Council leading millions of pounds of public realm work, being carried out by Balfour Beatty.
The work will see part of Market Street pedestrianised; pavements widened on King Street which will become one-way; and improvements to Eastbank Street.
Connolly’s opened on 11th May last year, and has continued to develop with a popular live music scene, darts teams, and great food through The Bagel Bar and Full Chef.
Julie Goodwin and her team transformed the landmark building, which had been empty since the start of the Covid pandemic, having previously reopened the historic Cheshire Lines Inn further along the street.
Workers are currently busy converting the ground floor unit adjacent to the pub to become a new Catherine’s Wine Bar, which is on track to open this April.
After that is complete they will begin phase three, which will see the creation of new Catherine’s luxury hotel and spa rooms on the first and second floors of the building.
Julie said: “Work on Catherine’s wine bar next door has begun. The builders have been busy, making the space bigger.
“That should be ready by the end of April, in time for our first birthday celebrations at Connolly’s in May.
“Something like this couldn’t have happened without my partner Ellis Nolan from Nolan Property Solutions who’s been working very hard on this project. I really appreciate all his hard work.
“We will be releasing more details about Catherine’s soon on our social media channels.
“The Coronation had happy memories for so many people in Southport – myself included.
“We wondered whether to keep the old name or to start with a new name, for new generations to enjoy.
“I love the name Catherine which is my Mum’s name, which is why we have gone for that one for phase 2 and 3, while Connolly’s is a family surname.
“Catherine’s will be food-led. We will be serving Sunday roast dinners in there; steak nights; dinner and entertainment.
“It will be a brilliant space for events and functions.
“After that is open, we will start work on phase three; the luxury hotel rooms upstairs.
“The aim is for those rooms to be open by the start of 2026.
“By that time, the public realm work in Southport Market Quarter should be complete. This will be a lovely area for people to come and enjoy, with wider pavements, more space to sit and dine outdoors, more trees, and a more pleasant environment, nice and clean, modern, and a superb place to stay over.
“It will also be the year when the Open Golf Championship is played at Royal Birkdale in Southport.
“Our hotel will definitely be ready for then. We can’t wait.”
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