The Witchery Restaurant

Client: The Witchery, Edinburgh
Completion date: June 2024
HF divisions involved: Fire & Security

Project Description:  The Witchery by the Castle is a renowned restaurant and hotel situated in a historic building at the top of Castlehill, Edinburgh. Famous for its luxurious ambiance and proximity to Edinburgh Castle, the restaurant and hotel recently expanded by opening a new gift shop. This new addition required an extension of the sites existing fire alarm system and the installation of a new monitoring alarm. so the famous brand turned to HF and our Fire & Security team due to our experience of working on fire and security alarm systems in historic venues such as theirs.

The project required the integrating the new gift shop into the current fire safety network, ensuring comprehensive coverage across the entire property. To achieve this, our Edinburgh Fire & Security team installed a new state-of-the-art monitoring system to provide real-time alerts and enhance the overall security framework for the venue while ensuring that all installations meet the latest fire safety regulations and standards.

Because The Witchery is housed in a historic building, the installation required careful planning and execution to avoid any damage to the structure and preserve its aesthetic integrity. All while seamlessly integrating the new systems with the existing fire alarm network without causing disruptions to the ongoing operations of the venue.

After conducting a detailed survey of the existing fire alarm system and the new gift shop area to understand the layout and specific requirements, we installed compatible fire alarm components that could be seamlessly integrated with the existing system. This included optimally located smoke detectors, manual call points and alarm sounders in the new gift shop area.

The new monitoring alarm system is state of the art, capable of providing real-time alerts and notifications to the management team. All while being integrated with the existing security infrastructure, allowing centralised control and monitoring.

Once the new fire & security system had been installed, we conducted extensive testing of the extended system and the new monitoring alarm to ensure proper functionality while providing comprehensive training to the staff on the operation and maintenance of the new systems, including emergency procedures and response protocols.

Project Challenges: There were two main challenges working on this project.  Firstly, we were always conscious that we were working in a significantly historic building in the heart of Edinburgh.  Our fire & security engineers had to be careful to avoid any damage to the structure and preserve its aesthetic integrity.

Secondly, we had the challenge of integrating the existing fire alarm system with the new system being installed in the gift shop.  We have become something of a specialist in this department and through our experience of working on other fire alarm integration projects, we were able to successfully complete the installation and integration of the new system and thoroughly test it to ensure that it was working as required.

The project was completed without disrupting the daily operations of the restaurant, hotel, or gift shop and the new shop is now fully integrated into the Witchery’s fire alarm system, providing robust fire safety coverage. The state-of-the-art monitoring alarm system ensures real-time alerts and enhances the overall security of the premises and all installations meet the required fire safety standards, ensuring compliance with local regulations.

The successful extension of this new fire alarm system and installation of a new monitoring alarm at Restaurant and Hotels new gift shop is a testament to our Fire & Security teams expertise in handling complex projects within historic buildings. Their meticulous planning, experience and dedication to customer satisfaction ensured the safety and security of this iconic establishment and the successful completion of yet another fire & security system for a business in the hospitality and tourism sector.

If you would like to know more about our fire & security services, please contact us today.  With branches across the UK, we provide Manned 24 Hour Call-out Services nationwide.