# 02
The Yorke Arms
INSIGHT
“Knowing how Lamont would approach this project was key to selecting them as an AV partner. We could absolutely trust them to fit in with our design parameters. The end result is invisible; totally in keeping with our exceptional standards.”
JONATHAN TURNER, CEO BAYFORD GROUP In 2003 Frances Atkins of The Yorke Arms became the first of only a handful of female chefs ever to win a Michelin Star. This is an accolade she holds and covets to this day.
In 2018, The Yorke Arms was acquired by The Bayford Group and was subject to a major refurbishment programme. The main contractors, Rock and Bone were tasked with stripping out the whole building and bringing it up to specification without making any overt changes to the feel of the finished article. Lamont were entrusted with bringing this 11th Century monastic cheesery into the 21st century from a technological viewpoint. The entire brief meant that there was no room for the visible presence of technology.
Invisible Amina speakers have been carefully fitted behind tapestry wallpaper and hand painted plaster finishes in the Dining Rooms. Additional invisible speakers have been carefully veneered and incorporated into the structure of the two wooden bars.
A hidden Crestron control system and licensed playlist ensure that appropriate zoned music is available in all main areas.
All 18 guest rooms are home to televisions and secure WiFi. Careful planning has ensured that there are no blinking lights or aerials visible to guests. Each room boasts an original rotary dial telephone with instant “Hot line” to reception when picked up. Behind the scenes, these old-style handsets are actually connected to a Panasonic IP telephone system, shared with back of house offices and kitchens.
Vintage 1940’s radios, re-engineered with Bluetooth ensure that music is available in all rooms without compromising the authenticity of the individual interior design. Similar units play Winston Churchill speeches in the cloakrooms.
The Yorke Arms is a perfect example of seamlessly blending necessary 21st century technological requirements with the buildings’ principle purpose of providing exceptional food in stylish and spectacular surroundings.
KEY WORKS
Amina invisible speakers
Crestron Control
Vintage telephones
ACOUSTICS MATTER
CASE STUDY #01
A Study of Acoustics
When an area has poor acoustics, lingering reflections of 'unwanted sound' can mask and distort the direct 'wanted sound'.
METICULOUSLY INTEGRATED INTO A GRADE II LISTED BUILDING
CASE STUDY #03
Eaton Square
We were invited to collaborate with Symm Construction on a significant Grade II listed town house in Kensington.