Burnt Faith, the British Isle’s first dedicated brandy house has opened in Walthamstow following the comprehensive refurbishment of a 250 sq m industrial unit which stands on the site of a former Pentecostal church. Work on the building’s transformation was carried out by BRAC Contracts and follows a series of work they carried out on the nearby Lockwood Way industrial estate.
Simon Wright, founder of Burnt Faith, is a serial entrepreneur in the drinks space and known for breathing fresh life into staid categories. Walthamstow proved to be the perfect home for the new urban distillery given its vibrancy and creativity, as Simon comments:
“This three-year journey was inspired by a trip to Cognac which triggered the seed of the idea for Burnt Faith. I left inspired, not by what Cognac brands are but more by what they could never be. With a vision to push the boundaries of what brandy could be, we were keen to establish Burnt Faith in an area that is buzzing with creativity. Walthamstow is already home to several breweries and a winery, so it felt like the perfect fit.
“The BRAC team had worked on several of the breweries nearby so seeing the quality of those buildings and their creative aesthetic, made them the perfect choice for our project.”
The £150k scheme of work on Burnt Faith’s two-storey distillery included full re-wiring and plumbing, lighting throughout, new bathroom facilities, a comprehensive re-paint both inside and out, and most notably the cutting of a 3x8m hole in the ceiling to accommodate the pot still which was imported from France.
Commenting on the work carried out by BRAC, Simon continues:
“There was a strong vision for the aesthetic of Burnt Faith painted onto a relatively blank canvas. It’s been a journey creatively and the BRAC team was very responsive to the adaptations we’ve made as we’ve gone along – the quality of their work is absolutely clear in the finish we’ve achieved here.”
Concluding, Adam Clark, MD at BRAC Contracts, comments:
“Having worked on the nearby Lockwood Way industrial estate where there are so many entrepreneurial drinks businesses, it was an honour to be approached by Simon and the team at Burnt Faith to bring their vision to life. Dealing with the nuances of accommodating a pot still isn’t a challenge we face every day at BRAC, but it’s one that the team dealt with admirably and the distillery is now a truly beautiful and contemporary space.
“Walthamstow is enjoying a huge amount of investment and we’d be delighted to work on further projects in the area.”
If you have a project you would like to discuss, please contact us on 01268 573 933 or click here.
“We had a tight programme for a technically challenging project and BRAC Contracts managed the project from start to finish meeting our deadlines and delivering an excellent end result. It was an enjoyable experience working with such professionals”.
Paul Holliday – Queensmead School
SPACE have contracted BRAC on a number of occasions, they are a pleasure to work with , highly professional, they care about the detail and offer a value for money service. The BRAC team have a positive, can-do attitude and find solutions to any challenge. We recommend them highly.
Anna Harding – Chief Executive SPACE
The quality of the works undertaken by BRAC for the new Woolwich Ferry Operations office has been most impressive, as has been the efforts by all the construction team to ensure an on schedule and on budget completion.
Mark Willbourn – Briggs Marine Contractors Ltd