A Building Dating Back To The 14th Century
Our designer boutique, Gigi Bottega, is located within a 14th Century building which is famously known in Nottingham as the Flying Horse Walk. As it is such a historical old building there is a lot of maintenance which goes into it. During the summer of 2017 we noticed a damp patch behind the till. To check everything was okay with the building we went into the basement of the shop which are cellars. (The Flying Horse Walk used to be a pub before it was converted into a shopping centre and they stored barrels of beer and cases of wine in the cellars.)
The beauty of the cellars and their natural brick work immediately caught our attention and naturally curiosity kicked in. After discovering a hatch at the end of the cellars we soon noticed that there was a hidden gem underneath. Full to the top with rubble we started digging and discovered a magnificent set of caves.
Thousands of bags of rubble later, 600 tonnes and three full years of digging, it is now home to ‘Cantine Dell’Angelo’ also known as Angel Cellars.
With the perfect temperature to store wine it lends itself perfectly to a unique wine experience.
As with the boutique we travelled all of Italy to discover and handpick wines which are high quality, independent and all family owned. All of the wines will be natural, biological wines each with their own speciality.
During the discovery of the cellars, we noticed that there were some sections where the stone structure was different. We hired a historical researcher to find out more about the history of the building and this is what they discovered.
“The present building dates from the Elizabethan times and was erected upon the foundations of a massive stone structure of a much older house. This is a contributing factor as to why the floor levels change throughout the building.
Nobody knew of this stone structure below the building. Old writings and previous tenants spoke of cellars, the old Inn Keepers of past generations used the cellars to store barrels of ale and bottles of wine along with other amenities. Still however no mention of any cave structures.
The caves existed before the first records of any building where the Flying Horse walk is now. Predating the existing structure over 500 years. The caves date back to the medieval times, complete with grand stone stairs leading to the caves.
With the boutique, bar, cellars and caves all combined underneath the beautiful roof of the Flying Horse Walk, we have created an exciting concept which brings a rare and exclusive new way to experience the pleasures of life.