Preston’s fine dining restaurant to add rooms and become Aven Townhouse

Award winning Preston restaurant Aven is entering an exciting new chapter, taking over the entirety of its home at 10 Camden Place and adding four individually designed bedrooms as it evolves into Aven Townhouse.

And as part of the transformation, the team wants the people of Preston to play a part in its next chapter by helping to name the four new bedrooms.

Since opening its doors in September 2023, Aven has established itself as one of Preston’s most ambitious dining destinations, earning three AA Rosettes, recognition in the Michelin Guide and, most recently, a place in SquareMeal’s Top 100 Restaurants in the UK.

Now, just three years after opening, the team is taking its biggest step forward yet.

The restaurant will become Aven Townhouse, bringing the whole of No. 10 Camden Place under the Aven name and introducing four boutique bedrooms above the restaurant.

But for the team behind Aven, the expansion is about much more than simply adding accommodation.

At the heart of the project is the restaurant and creating an even more complete Aven experience.

The four bedrooms are currently undergoing a full renovation, with each being individually designed to feel considered, characterful and distinctly Aven.

Rather than creating conventional hotel rooms, the team wants the bedrooms to feel like a natural continuation of the restaurant downstairs combining the character and heritage of the townhouse with refined contemporary touches, quality furnishings and the attention to detail guests have come to expect from Aven.

Importantly, Aven Restaurant remains fully open throughout the transformation, with the majority of renovation work being carefully scheduled around restaurant opening times to ensure zero disruption to diners.

Bookings for the four bedrooms are due to go live from 8 October 2026.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

As part of the launch, Aven is handing one important decision over to the public.

The team is giving people the chance to help name all four bedrooms.

A competition will run across Aven’s social media channels, inviting people to suggest four names which pay homage to Preston its history, heritage, people, landmarks or stories.

The team will then select the person who has suggested the preferred names that best capture the character of the city and the story they want Aven Townhouse to tell.

It means that when the first guests check in, each bedroom will carry a little piece of Preston with it.

Further details of the competition and how to enter will be announced across Aven’s social channels.

DINNER, BED… AND AVEN’S TAKE ON BREAKFAST

The introduction of the bedrooms will allow guests to turn dinner at Aven into a complete overnight experience.

Guests will be able to enjoy the restaurant, head upstairs at the end of the evening and wake the following morning to Aven’s take on a British continental breakfast, designed to be enjoyed privately in their bedroom.

The breakfast offering will bring the same philosophy found downstairs into the morning quality produce, British flavours and a few distinctly Aven touches with full details to be revealed closer to launch.

Guests can book a room without dining at Aven, while restaurant guests can continue to book a table exactly as they do today without staying overnight.

For those who want the complete experience, however, the four rooms will provide the opportunity to make an evening at Aven into something much more.

Aven is led by Chef Patron Oli Martin and Operations Director Alex Blamire, with Head Chef Sean Wrest and Restaurant Manager Samantha Haigh leading the restaurant’s day-to-day operation.

Alex and Oli said:

“This feels like a really significant moment for Aven.

“When we opened in 2023, our focus was simply on creating the best restaurant we possibly could and trying to give Preston something it could be proud of.

“Over the last three years Aven has developed beyond what we initially imagined, and adding the four bedrooms feels like the natural next step.

“What excites us most isn’t simply becoming a restaurant with rooms. It’s the opportunity to take the experience we’ve created downstairs and carry that through the rest of the building.

“We want somebody to be able to come to Preston, have dinner at Aven, head upstairs to a beautiful bedroom and wake up the following morning to our take on breakfast. It turns dinner into a proper occasion and gives people another reason to spend time in the city.

“At the same time, it’s really important to us that Aven remains the restaurant people already know. You absolutely don’t have to stay with us to eat here, and you don’t have to eat in the restaurant to book one of the bedrooms.

“We’re currently renovating all four rooms and putting a huge amount of thought into the details. We don’t want them to feel like four generic hotel bedrooms above a restaurant. We want each one to have its own identity and feel like it belongs at Aven.

“And that’s why we thought why should we name them ourselves?

“Preston has been incredibly supportive of Aven since the day we opened, so we want people from the city to help us name the rooms. We’re looking for four names that have a genuine connection to Preston and its heritage, and we can’t wait to see what people come up with.

“We’ve achieved a lot in a relatively short period of time, but we still feel like we’re only getting started. Aven Town House gives us the opportunity to keep pushing what we’re doing and hopefully create something really special for Preston.”**

The development will see No. 10 and No. 11 Camden Place once again become separate properties, with Aven occupying the entirety of No. 10.

The transformation represents another investment in Preston city centre and reflects the team’s continued confidence in the city’s developing food and hospitality scene.

The team has also thanked landlord Max Walker Williams for supporting the next stage of Aven’s development and helping make the expansion possible.

While the name above the door will change slightly, the philosophy behind Aven will remain the same: ambitious cooking, Northern hospitality and an experience centred around the guest.

The difference is that soon, guests who don’t want the evening to end won’t have to go very far.

Aven Restaurant will become Aven Town House, with bookings for its four new bedrooms due to go live from 8th October 2026.

The room naming competition will launch across Aven’s social media channels, with further details on the bedrooms, breakfast offering, overnight stays and launch availability to be revealed shortly.