Our story

We fell in love with Churche’s Mansion at first sight. Not only with the character of the building, but with the history and location. Having worked in the food industry for twenty years, we’d always dreamed of opening a specialist fish and seafood restaurant in a quaint market town, where we could raise our three children.

We’re the fifth family to have ownership of Churche’s Mansion in its 440-year history. In 2018, we purchased the building and set to work restoring it to its former glory. The EU Rural Leader Fund contributed a grant for the restoration, as the project would create jobs in the surrounding area. Local tradespeople were instrumental to the restoration and installed the plumbing, heating and kitchen equipment from scratch.

Thanks to significant involvement from English Heritage, the heart, charm and character of the original 16th-century timber-framed mansion has been retained. We’ve restored, rather than replaced, as many of the building’s original features as possible to lovingly capture Cheshire’s cultural heritage. Churche’s Mansion epitomises exquisite taste, creativity and attention to detail and the decor is no exception. Think original Cheshire oak panelling, decorative stained-glass windows, open hearths and plush furnishings in opulent shades of turquoise, copper and gold.

The restoration was completed in June 2021 and has given the historic building a new lease of life, opening its doors to the public once again as a fine fish and seafood restaurant. We want to keep the building alive for generations to come and create a place for people to enjoy great food, great wine and great company.

As an iconic South Cheshire landmark, we understand a lot of people have fond memories associated with Churche’s Mansion. If you have an experience you’d like to share with us, please do! We love hearing how the building has had an impact on people’s lives. It certainly has on ours.

Sophia and Kyriakos Haelis.