You’ll know by now that we love our pubs in Manchester, and now one of the oldest and most iconic pubs in the city has been put on the market. The Crown & Kettle sits handsomely on the corner of Oldham Road and Great Ancoats Street, separating Ancoats and the Northern Quarter, creating a striking landmark with Gothic-style windows adorning the façade, very much reminiscent of a church – and the holy house is up for sale.
The pub is said to have been built as a court-house associated with the nearby markets, but Historic England says this is probably an urban myth, attempting to explain the architectural style of the building – few pubs were built in the Gothic style, which was reserved largely for religious and educational buildings.
The pub has been through extensive renovations since its decade-long closure and subsequent reopening in 2005, and a fire that damaged much of the original interior during the closure, some of which dated back to 1734.
Before closure it had a spectacular interior with a plaster ceiling with enormous pendants (which once supported lamps) and wooden panelling allegedly recycled from the airship R100, which was broken up after its sister the R101 crashed in France in 1930. The panelling, sadly, did not survive a fire soon after closure, but the ceiling survives, restored in one bar and left ‘as found’ in another.
The Crown & Kettle is currently managed by Alex Daw, who is behind several Northern arts venues, and is up for sale with offers exceeding £1.4 million. The potential sale of the pub is said not to affect trade, and will hopefully remain as one of the jewels in the crown of Manchester’s oldest pubs – and part of the wonderful Manchester Historic Pub Walk, created by Historic England.
The pub was also recently named in The National Pub & Bar Awards shortlist, ensuring a pretty secure future with amazing pub grub and selection of drinks.
The 4,351 sq ft property is being marketed by Edwards & Co Surveyors, and more information can be found here.