Rykaart's Restaurant at Longridge Wine Estate

The Brickhouse Run occupies two buildings, 407 and 409 Cockade Alley, erected in 1815-1816 as dependencies for the Nathaniel Friend estate. These brick structures, once a kitchen and a warehouse, now house a bar and grill that deliberately evokes the spirit of an English public house. The establishment is divided into two rooms, a concept familiar from 18th-century British coaching inns. The Public Bar, floored with flagstones and featuring exposed wooden beams, presents a more robust, communal feel, much like the spaces where locals once gathered. In contrast, the Lounge Bar, carpeted and offering a gentler ambiance, provides a setting for dining away from the main hubbub. This separation encourages distinct experiences within the same historic walls. The bar itself, crafted from mahogany and designed with a low overhang and brass footrail, prompts patrons to face one another, fostering conversation over the clatter of glasses. There are deliberately few bar stools, reflecting a tradition where standing and talking were paramount. The menu offers straightforward pub fare, designed to be enjoyed in an environment free from modern electronic distractions. The building's own history, having served as a lumberhouse, bakehouse, tin shop, restaurant, and barber shop over nearly two centuries, adds a palpable layer to the experience. Here, the past is not merely preserved; it is actively inhabited, providing a setting where simple pleasures of food, drink, and company endure.