AFTER a fire destroyed his Chippenham restaurant, one businessman has relocated to Trowbridge and will soon unveil the efforts of his hard work by reopening in the premises of the former Crowing Cock café.

John Paine was left devastated after his eatery, The Garden, was completely destroyed by a fire in February and he will soon be opening the new diner in Fore Street this month while his Chippenham restaurant is renovated.

“We only celebrated our first birthday not long before the fire happened and I thought what if the insurance takes a long time because I wouldn’t have any income,” the 33-year-old said.

“It put a bit of pressure on me and I wanted to keep my staff and so I decided to would find somewhere else to open. Before I originally opened in Chippenham, I had looked at this space in Trowbridge so when the fire happened, I was glad to find that it was still available.

“About 10 years ago I wanted to open a restaurant and I have built my career around that idea really.

“The idea for The Garden really was that you can feel whatever the weather but still have good quality barbecue food.

“It is about bringing something different to Trowbridge.”

Mr Paine, who first fell in love with the idea of having his own restaurant while working in the Alps, said while renovating the former café, which was open for 80 years, he is also trying to reopen his restaurant in Chippenham.

“We don’t want to forget about Chippenham because it was our first love and now it is just a case of waiting and working with our insurance company.

“When we reopen, it will be better than it was before because the fire means that we can have a fresh start and we can put things in that we didn’t have before like air conditioning.

“In Trowbridge, I think the restaurant will have a relaxed feel and we want to make people feel they are coming into their own back garden but not have to worry about the food or the service.

“It is all about letting the customer enjoy themselves and the menu has been created for them to do that.”

Boasting a range of classic barbecue favourites, all sourced locally, as well as a whole host of cocktails, The Garden will officially open its doors to the public on June 24.