Clancy brothers to convert Shoreditch railway arches into British restaurant

Brothers Danny and Kieran Clancy have unveiled plans to convert three railway arches next to Hoxton station in Shoreditch into a British restaurant and bar next year. 

Work is currently underway to convert the space, which will be known as The Beagle, into a 110-cover restaurant, bar and coffee shop. 

Danny Clancy, who is also a founder and director at the recently-opened Bonnie Gull in Fitzrovia, said the opportunity to take over the space and turn it into an  restaurant was too good to miss. 

"We had been looking for a site for some time, and chanced upon these three beautiful railway arches next to Hoxton Station. We were pretty blown away by the site itself - the arches are in immaculate condition and have some beautiful features. We knew as soon as we saw them that they'd work perfectly for a restaurant," he said. 

British menu

The Beagle, which takes its name from the steam trains that ran on the East London Line between 1911 and 1937, plans to open its doors to the public next March with former Rochelle Canteen head chef James Ferguson heading up the kitchen. 

Ferguson plans to draw up a daily changing evening menu (the restaurant plans to open all day at the weekend) that will use seasonal British produce and will do much of the cooking on a traditional wood grill. 

The restaurant's adjoining bar will serve cocktails alongside British beers and wines available by the carafe or bottle. An outdoor seating area for up to 60-covers will allow both the bar and restaurant to overflow onto the pedestrianised Geffrye Street. 

Clancy said the aim would be to establish the business as 'one of the best known restaurants in East London'. 

"We're really hopeful that with the site & location we have, our head chef and the rest of the team we have in place, we'll be in a great position to do that. We will also have an adjoining cocktail bar, and there will also be a focus on establishing the bar as a destination in itself," he said.