Have I bitten off more than I can chew?
I’m writing this sitting in my car outside Romney Bay House. It looks in a very sad way, with most of the windows smashed by vandals and the render beginning to break off the walls.
I’ve just shown the banks monitoring surveyor round for the first time. It’s funny the reaction the house has on people – some look at you as if you have completely lost it, a look of undisguised incredulity, and some with a glint in their eye and a broad smile on their face.
Fortunately, the surveyor was one of the latter, he didn’t think I was certifiable and on leaving said he was excited about seeing the transformation we were going to effect. That’s handy!
Feelings of huge optimism
I actually signed an agreement with the then owners to buy the house on the 17th February, 2022. I remember that day well and the enormous sense of optimism I had about the purchase.
We had really only just come out of Covid and it felt that there was a general sense of national positivity and optimism in the country.
Unlike my idea to purchase the first hotel, when my wife said in a matter-of-fact way ‘over my dead body’, she was as enthusiastic as I was.
Having navigated the pandemic reasonably well at Camber I felt the future looked the best it had been for a few years, the timing to buy another site seemed right, and after visiting the house in early February I knew I had to buy it.
Staring into the Abyss
That sense of positivity and optimism collapsed seven days later. Putin had invaded Ukraine. And almost overnight everything changed – the sense of foreboding was palpable.
The news seemed to get worse and worse and as the fighting intensified I decided it would be lunacy to start the refurbishment work, particularly as it entailed borrowing a scary amount of money from the bank.
Over the next couple years things only got worse – everyone’s costs spiralled ever higher, the news from Ukraine was unremittingly awful, a new conflict opened up in the Gulf and customer sentiment seemed inexorably aligned to all the bad (and good) news in the world.
Thank you to all our Gallivant friends
But throughout all the chaos, our customers have been amazing. Despite all the uncertainty the Gallivant, and Harry’s, has continued to thrive. The journey has not been without its challenges, not least all the additional and unexpected costs imposed on us in the last budget (£100k +), but as my father once told me, ‘challenges are like looking at speedbumps in your rear-view mirror, inconsequential.’
Have I bitten off more than I can chew?
As the refurbishment project progresses, I have been so heartened by the outpouring of joy we have received from everyone that has seen the work start.
It was always our intention to record the refurbishment project and the first short went out over the bank holiday weekend on Instagram. The response has been nothing short of incredible with over 57,000 views to date.
Alongside this hundreds have signed up to become a ‘Friend of the the Gallivant Littlestone’, mainly locals, who would you like more news about opening dates and invites to pre-opening events.
Lots of encouraging comments of course but one stood out – ‘sooner you than me, you must be very brave’.
I reflected on this for a short while but the sheer weight of positivity and happy memories attached to the house have made its refurbishment feel more like an obligation and not a option.
And with this comes a great sense of responsibility
It has re-enforced in my mind that the decision to finally go ahead with the refurbishment 6 months ago was the right one. But rather like restoring a historic house or monument, it also brings with it a great sense of responsibility too.
Oddly this responsibility to get it right seems to be shared with every contractor that has helped us to date – there’s been a real sense of pride from everyone we have asked to help and I suspect this will only grow as the house begins to take shape.
Starting to put it all back together
Next week walls start to go up and as we start the process of putting it back together again I never for one moment have any doubts we have made the right decision to charge ahead.
My life has been full of challenges, some of them have felt insurmountable at times, but not one has got the better of me – they are just speedbumps in the rear-view mirror.
Harry
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If you’d like to make contact you can here
harry@maingalli.wonderwebsite.co.uk
To follow the refurbishment journey follow @gallivantlittlestone on Instagram here.
