Landmark Bold Street building transformed into new restaurant

A new Italian restaurant specialising in tangy sourdough pizza has been revealed on Bold Street. Franco Manca has taken up residence in the old Rennies Art Gallery building - a former Liverpool institution which closed in 2022.

The former art gallery has been boarded up for weeks as renovations were carried out, transforming the interior into a modern pizzeria. The plywood was taken down this morning (Monday), revealing a freshly-painted exterior which retains the building's old-fashioned charm.

Franco Manca has yet to announce a definite opening date for the restaurant - which was expected to open to the public in September - but a page on the company's website has promised 1,000 lucky customers free pizzas to celebrate when its opening date arrives.

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The restaurant chain was founded on Market Row in Brixton Market in 2008 by Giuseppe Mascoli and Bridget Hugo. Since then, company opened more than 50 stores nationwide, offering an "authentic and honest Neapolitan experience" to customers.

Its menu offers a range of sourdough pizzas, from traditional mozzarella and basil and cured ham and mushroom, to truffle pesto-based pizzas with smoked burrata and mushrooms, or spiced chicken with a roasted courgette base.

The establishment of the restaurant will bring additional life to the already bustling Bold Street, as the former Rennies building has stood unused for two years since its closure in August 2022.

The gallery was founded by Ronald and Jean Rennie in 1965 and in its time had several locations across Liverpool, St Helens and Wirral. With their son Duncan, they settled on Bold Street in 1991, where they remained until the day of closure.

Duncan previously told the ECHO the family had considered moving as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, but things had not worked out as planned.

He said: “There was a possibility of us moving over the road where we’d get rear access and condensing down to a smaller shop. When that fell through, it was a case of cutting our losses and closing up. It was a mixed bag, the government support wasn’t bad, the flexible furlough meant we could keep staff on despite being seasonal.

“The big downside was the move to online shopping, it moved exponentially. Lots of people then got used to buying online and weren’t coming back again, or when they did try, they couldn’t get back up the street."

He added: “It’s a real double-edged thing. I was ages coming to a decision. Once I’d made my mind up it was fine, it was just the practicalities and living with it. It’s a wrench, it really is, to close up.

“For me personally, it’s balanced with the prospect of retirement, which I’m ready for. I lost my wife a few years back and I’ve probably not been on it as much as I could have which is maybe a contributory factor as well.”