Mill End is a unique group getaway in the Forest of Dean, born from the creative vision of Liz Lewitt and her partner Zoff. Liz, a fashion, interior designer and theatrical costumer, and Zoff, a skilled builder, have combined their talents to create a space that blends urban flair with rural charm. Their shared passion for hospitality and entertainment led to the creation of Bordello Banquets, the in-house catering and events company that offers bespoke experiences to elevate your stay at Mill End.

The Journey of Liz & Zoff: From Fashion to Feasting

Liz Lewitt, a force of nature with a passion for creativity, has always made things happen. Her partner, Zoff ,turns her visions into reality. Together, they have created a quirky and enchanting house, rich with the warmth of ancient wood, and infused with the spirit of their combined talents.

Liz's Fashionable Beginnings

After completing a fashion degree in Bristol in the early 80s, Liz established a successful fashion label and retail shop, immersing herself in the city's vibrant arts and music scene. Alongside Zoff, she transformed a former car showroom into a fashion studio, retail outlet, and costume hire agency, earning recognition as one of Bristol's "Movers and Shakers." They also promoted one of Bristol’s longest running club nights, SPANK!

Liz's work extended beyond fashion, encompassing design lecturing, styling, casting, writing fashion articles and even co-hosting a live TV show. Her lingerie designs were featured in Agent Provocateur and she graced the pages of renowned magazines like The Face and i-D.

Il Bordello: A Floating Haven for Creativity

In a daring move, Liz and Zoff purchased a derelict Dutch barge from Bristol’s Hells Angels and transformed it into Il Bordello, a members-only arts bar that became a hub for Bristol's creative community. Frequented by artists, musicians, media figures & Hells Angels, the barge hosted everything from burlesque supper clubs to product launches, from art shows to live music & poetry nights - always with a focus on creative cuisine and innovative cocktails. Il Bordello was the first bar outside London to sell vapourised alcohol, gaining press as far afield as Japan and Australia.

Mill End: A Fusion of Urban & Rural

Today, Liz and Zoff have brought their unique blend of creativity and hospitality to the Forest of Dean. Mill End, their latest project, is a testament to their passion for bringing people together in a truly special setting.

The house seamlessly blends rustic charm with urban flair, featuring stunning graffiti art by Jody and FLX 'Children of the Can.' Bordello Banquets, their in-house catering and entertainment company, brings the vibrant spirit of Il Bordello to Mill End, making your stay extra special.

Your Mill End Experience Awaits

Whether you're planning a family reunion, a corporate retreat, a hen do, or a relaxing getaway, Mill End has something for everyone.

Book your stay to experience the magic of the Forest of Dean and create lasting memories.

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The Full Story

Liz Lewitt has always made things happen, with vision, creativity, enthusiasm & flair. Her partner Zoff turns this vision into reality.

Between them they have created a quirky house, rich with the resonance of ancient wood and offer catering, hospitality and entertainment via Bordello Banquets.

After completing a fashion degree in Bristol in the early 80’s, Liz worked briefly for Women’s Aid and a Bristol hostel for homeless girls, then set up a fashion label and opened her first retail shop just off Park Street. It was the halcyon days of The Bristol Dug Out, The Moon Club, The Western Star Domino Club, Bristol’s own Wild Bunch locally, Hip Hop and Acid House nationally, and a heady mix of post punk and reggae.

With her partner in crime Zoff, the inimitable duo turned the ex car show room & furniture studio of legendary, but now retired, cabinet maker Herbie into a fashion studio, retail outlet and costume hire agency.

From this base Liz was regularly listed in the Top 20 of Venue Magazine’s annual Top 100 and was one of 8 people featured in HTV and Bristol Evening Post’s ‘Movers and Shakers’ TV series and newspaper feature and was the sole subject of an HTV piece called ‘Forbidden Fashion’.

She co-presented a live TV magazine news and fashion programme for Wire TV with UK/Ibiza DJ Tristan B and sold her own lingerie collections annually to Agent Provocateur, the up-market lingerie store run by Vivienne Westwood’s son, Joe Corre.

During this time Liz did freelance lecturing in colleges around the South West and London, teaching fashion design, business studies and contextual studies, and co-headed a fashion course in Plymouth where she also did a Master’s Degree in Fashion, the objectification of women and the power play women employ with their bodies through dress, body modification and behaviour.

Liz also worked freelance doing styling, casting and props for television graphics companies and advertising, working for HTV, BBC, BDH, Hollywood Lovers, Mark Lamaar’s Planet Showbiz, MTV, Green Light Entertainment, The Antique’s Show, The Talent Programme, Soul Night, Melody FM, cinema release film ‘Preaching to the Perverted’ and a BBC2 series on colour presented by Patrick Mower.

1980's and 1990's Fashion Work

Liz was responsible for Bristol’s longest running independent club night Spank, featuring themed film projections and fashion shows, and featured nationally on Jean Paul Gaultier’s Eurotrash and Janet Street Porter’s Youth TV show and in The Face and iD magazines. Back in Bristol she spoke for transgender rights at The Watershed and held fashions shows in The Arnolfini. Her fashion work is in the archives of both Bath Costume Museum and the V&A in London.

Moving on Liz and Zoff then turned their attentions to a derelict 100ft Dutch barge which they purchased from the Bristol Hell’s Angels. After a year of complete renovation and fit out the boat became Il Bordello Media members only Arts Bar. Interior art work and marketing materials were provided by Jake Davis, the founder of Upfest , Europe’s largest street graffiti art festival, and various up and coming graffiti artists. The 500 strong VIP guest list for the Massive Attack gig in Queen Square was hosted over a long weekend on the boat and in a line of Bedouin tents on the quayside. Banksy, Nick Walker, Portishead, Roni Size and Reprazent, Nick Warren and Jody Wirstinoff of Way Out West fame frequented the bar, as did BBC and HTV directors, producers and actors, Aardman and Bolex Brothers animators and up and coming musicians, poets,performers, photographers and artists.

The bar hosted burlesque supper clubs, PR events, product launches, creative cooking and cocktail soirees, private parties for Bristol’s better known faces giving them a bit of privacy in this hidden gem and was the first bar in the UK to sell vapourised alcohol. Oh and the odd spoken word night was hosted by Annie McGann where Hell’s Angels were persuaded to recite poetry and drink Prosecco out of very fragile champagne flutes!

And now the most recent incarnation brings together the pair's skills from these various projects: Liz and Zoff have transformed a 600 year old disused village shop, pub and attached derelict barn and turned it into a fantastic holiday house with seating and sleeping capacity for up to 40, infused with the resonance of wood and seeped in their combined creativity, drawing on local lore and artisan forest food and drink.

When you stay at Mill End and have hospitality provided by sister company Bordello Banquets, you get all of this experience and creativity and so much more. They have brought a bit of inner city Bristol urban buzz and graffiti art (Jody and FLX ‘Children of the Can’) to the beautiful Forest of Dean.

Book the house – what-ever your planned weekend or memory making event – and Just Add People.