It was recently announced that beloved Manchester pub the Crown & Kettle in Ancoats is up for sale for a whopping £1.4m, but now it seems one of the oldest pubs in Manchester might soon be taking bookings for overnight stays as a hotel – not just lock-ins!
Bosses at the Crown & Kettle hope to create six or seven hotel rooms on the first floor of the grade II-listed Manchester building, which dates back to 1734. The award-winning pub is also putting the finishing touches on plans extend into the next door building on Oldham Road. It will give the historic boozer room for about 40-60 more customers and enable the loos to be moved downstairs.
It’s hoped a planning application will be submitted in the next four weeks. The expansion comes as the building which houses the pub has been put up for sale.
The listing for the Crown & Kettle on Rightmove states: “The first floor has the benefit of separate access off Great Ancoats Street and currently provides vacant accommodation that is intended to be converted into 3/4 individual hotel rooms. There is also access to the loft space above.”
The Crown & Kettle features on the Historic Pub Walk map of Manchester, by Historic England, and is said to have been built as a court-house associated with the nearby markets. 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.
Any potential sale won’t affect the running of the pub, with a long-term lease already in place, and the weekly events are likely to continue – good news for regulars!