Edinburgh’s Signature Group is spending £500,000 refurbishing its Cold Town House rooftop bar in time to reopen for the Easter weekend beginning Friday 3rd April.
Since opening in 2019, Cold Town House in the city’s Grassmarket has capitalised on its prime corner position in the tourist hotspot, with the photogenic southern face of Edinburgh Castle towering behind it.
Cold Town’s rooftop bar in particular benefits from those epic surroundings, and Signature’s new investment in the venue aims to maximise the potential of that space.
The two-month construction project now underway will install a ‘state-of-the-art’ retractable roof, a new bar and terrace layout, and a ‘showstopping design glow up’.
The specially engineered retractable transparent roof will allow up to 100 guests to enjoy that castle view in all weathers, providing natural daylight, while being UV-protected, and sheltered from wind and rain.
During the warmer spring and summer months, the new Cold Town House rooftop bar and terrace lay out aims to be ‘the ultimate alfresco destination’ in the Grassmarket, where other operators have recently invested to upgrade their offer in time for peak season.
Signature Group director Nic Wood said: “Cold Town House has already made its name as one of the capital’s most popular rooftop bar experiences, but we’re now taking the guest experience to new heights with our exciting new makeover this Easter.
“We’re so lucky to offer our guests the ultimate city-centre location with amazing views of Edinburgh Castle.
“With our new retractable roof in place, we will now be able to guarantee a fabulous time to get together with friends and family whatever the weather, come rain or shine.”
Wood added: “We’re now the only venue in the whole of Edinburgh to offer a rooftop bar experience quite like this, so we’re really excited to be unveiling our new look to new visitors and our regular local customers from Friday 3rd April.”
Supporting the local construction industry, the work at Cold Town House is being done by a number of local firms, including AJ Build and Management, CBrown Electrical Services, Outside Space Solutions and the Severino group.
The architects are iKAD Architects Ltd and the engineers are Kiloh Associate Ltd. The interior design project is being managed by Tibbats Interior Design.
Signature Group has over 20 bars, restaurants and hotels, including Edinburgh’s McLarens on the Corner, Copper Blossom, The Rutland, The Huxley, Kyloe and Badger & Co.
The group has promised continues investment in its portfolio of venues and is planning to launch new bars in Edinburgh and Glasgow in 2026.
