The Old fire station 1905, a pizzeria in Warminster BA12
The Old Fire Station 1905- a heartWARMing pizzeria for Warminster
We were approached by ex copper Mike Magee early in 2014 who had bought the lease for the Old Fire Station in the Wiltshire town of Warminster, with a view to opening a small cafe pizzeria and with it a change of lifestyle. After converting it from its previous use as a photographic studio, we worked with their builder to get the base made before installing a small Four Grand-Mere 800 chamotte wood-fired oven.
Now called the Old Fire Station 1905, it opened in summer 2016 and has gone from strength to strength with great reviews from a loyal local following. If you’re in the area or if you wish to see their website please do go and check them out here.
“I contacted Amrit in 2014 when I came up with the crazy idea of opening a small pizza restaurant with no experience whatever. I needn’t have worried as Amrit talked me through all the available options and advised me on the perfect sized wood-fired oven for my new venture. He even installed it for me and helped teach me how to use it properly. Overall he was a great help and if anyone has got as far as looking at his website, then look no further as Amrit is super knowledgeable, professional and extremely helpful and I highly recommend him.”
Mike Magee Old Fire Station Cafe Warminster.
An Artisan food business 2018
The cafe changed hands in 2018 and David McGirr is now in charge and has Vegan/Vegetarian wood-fired pizza on offer that should tempt a new crowd as there is hardly anywhere except ASK or Pizza Express that does them locally. As a small business surrounded by national chains, The Old Fire Station Cafe needs support from local people to ensure its future. David runs a great artisan business who really cares about the provenance of his high quality ingredients.
Because of the increase in trade, David may now upgrade the oven he inherited to a larger model thus future-proofing his business. I’ll update the project if he goes ahead with his new plans.
“We are based within the ground floor of The Old Fire Station, just behind the Athenaeum in The Close. We are an independent restaurant and look to offer everything that others cannot! Our main attraction is a fabulous wood fired oven which we use extensively for most dishes, not just pizza! All the food is prepared and cooked from fresh and the coffee is arguably the best in town. Open Wednesday to Saturday 6pm-10pm and also lunchtime Saturday 11-3, fully licensed there is a general warmth and everybody is made to feel welcome. We are also available for private functions and parties.
Our space is welcoming and fresh with the theme of an old fire station. The history is on the walls, as are a few other fire items including helmets, hoses and the latest addition, a set of ladders from a green goddess fire engine! Many of the items are on loan from Warminster Fire Station.
If you haven’t tried us, then come and see what you are missing!”
Update July 4th 2020
As a result of the COVID 19 lockdown, the restaurant closed its doors in March 2020 enabling David to think about the future of the business and make some changes while no-one was in the restaurant. He decided to upgrade the wood-fired oven to one of our 1030SC+ pizza ovens and being 20cm larger all round than the old 800, he has now future-proofed the output enabling him to not only supply his sit down customers faster but also offer a take away service that was impossible beforehand.
As of July, the lockdown has eased but social distancing is still an issue for small cafes and restaurants. In the meantime and until he can safely sit customers down without worry, David will offer a take out service.
Follow David and the team on Facebook here
The Old Fire Station Cafe
The cafe changed hands in 2018 and David McGirr is now in charge and has Vegan/Vegetarian pizzas on offer that should tempt a new crowd as there is hardly anywhere except ASK or Pizza Express that does them locally. As a small business surrounded by national chains, Old Fire Station Cafe needs support from local people to ensure its future. David runs a great artisan business who really cares about the provenance of his high quality ingredients.
Service Type: pizzeria
Price: 10-15
Currency: GBP
The Old Fire Station 1905- a heartWARMing pizzeria for Warminster We were approached by ex copper Mike Magee early in 2014 who had bought the lease for the Old Fire Station in the Wiltshire town of Warminster, with a view to opening a small cafe pizzeria and with it a change of lifestyle. After converting […]