Cafe reopens after fire destroyed outbuilding

A cafe in a Grade II listed building which narrowly avoided being completely destroyed by a fire has reopened following a refurbishment.

Firefighters were called to a blaze in an outbuilding next to The Tithe Barn, Cosby, in May but flames were prevented from spreading to the thatched roof of the barn after a three-hour operation.

Despite the barn not being damaged in the fire, business operations at the site had to be halted.

David Marriott, who owns the site and took over the running of the cafe after the fire, said renovation work had been carried out inside the main building where the cafe is based.

Marriott said the outbuilding had not yet been repaired, but added: "We're going to take small steps, get ourselves on the road to recovery and see what we can offer in the future."

The building, which is more than 500 years old, is based next to St Michael's Church and was used as a tithe barn as part of Leicester Abbey, storing a tenth of the farm's produce for the local church.

After the previous tenants who ran the cafe left, Marriott signed a lease to take over the running of the business.

But he said the project was more than just a one-man enterprise.

"There's a whole family involvement, my kids come down here all the time - it's really good," he said.

"There's a lot of support from people in the village, it's got a real sense of community. It's a great place to be."

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