RELATIVES of a famous composer descended on Hereford for the opening of a new wine bar named in his honour in 1984.
Business partners David Hornsby and Robert Brimfield had been given the go-ahead for Novellos, a £70,000 wine bar and restaurant in central Hereford, earlier that year.
Novellos, Hereford: David Hornsby, Mrs Butt, and Rob Brimfield at the opening in December 1984
The Commercial Street venture, themed around the life and times of composer Ivor Novello, whose 87-year-old second cousin Hannah Butt attended the opening, had been nearly two years in the making, with the pair scouring the country for memorabilia including theatre programmes and posters to create a 1920s ambience.
Novellos would be "ideally situated" in St Peter's Close, just off the main thoroughfare, to cater for businessmen and shoppers' lunches, as well as providing a full a la carte menu in the evening in addition to the bistro menu in its 40-seater restaurant.
Novellos, Hereford: David Hornsby behind the bar
It would swiftly become a hit with locals, stocking more than 70 wines, and 35 lagers from all over the world, many of which were not available elsewhere in the UK, according to Mr Hornsby.
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The bar also promised similar waitress treatment to customers should they choose a 65p jacket potato or a £5 four-course dinner.
Novellos, Hereford: Rob Brimfield and David Hornsby
It would even feature in its own Channel 4 programme in 1984, after a film crew visited to make a documentary about the wine bar's decor and its collection of Novello memorabilia.
Disaster would strike in 1989, when the premature popping of corks alerted staff to a fire hat ripped through the top flood of the wine bar, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.
The bottles, which had been reserved for Mr Hornsby's birthday, had been triggered open by the intense heat as the flames tore through his flat above the restaurant.
Novellos, Hereford: David Hornsby and Alan Riley in the aftermath of the fire in September 1989
Staff and customers abandoned the premises, while firefighters turned out in force to battle the most severe fire Hereford's high town had seen in several years.
The fire was believed to have been caused by an electrical fault.
But the bar's owners said they would be up and running again within the week.
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