Raise A Glass | The Mancunian
Amidst the bustle of chic cocktail bars, live music venues and outstanding restaurants found along Oldham Street, one of Manchester’s most-trodden thoroughfares, stands one of few micropubs in the city still serving a traditional pub experience.
The Mancunian, situated in between Gullivers and South African eatery Chakalaka, in the Northern Quarter, is a relatively new venture having only recently reopened its doors to beer enthusiasts in the summer of this year. Taking the mantle from the owner of the former premises, landlord Phil Bell of The Ancoats Lad, new tenants Joshua Stones and Perry Morrissey, who is in fact the cousin Morrisey, the frontman of acclaimed Manchester group, The Smiths, are committed to ensuring the ethos and legacy of its predecessor lives on. It’s even said that Morrisey has enjoyed a pint at The Mancunian over the past few months.
Promising to continue to supply its old-school clientele with the same charming authenticity The Ancoats Lad was once renowned for, the new owners have kept the interior largely unchanged, refreshing only a small part of the venue with a handful of new murals paying homage to its place of residence. The numerous pieces of memorabilia that once covered the walls of the late pub remain hung in place with a selection of up-to-date images scattered amongst, highlighting how the city has developed over the years whilst acting as a link between the old world and the new. Imagine walking into a boozer in the 70s and 80s and you’re somewhere close to the look and feel of this appealing drinking spot.
As keen to serve its regulars as it is new customers, The Mancunian has kept its patron's favourite go-to tipples on tap with a selection of new and affordable beverages, supplied by local breweries - Manchester Union included - also available to sample.
Head to the venue on a weekend to enjoy a crisp pint of the good stuff with friends and family and chances are you could also be in for some first-rate entertainment. Providing a platform to the thousands of fantastic musicians which make up the city’s prolific music scene, both Stones and Perry have revitalised the snug venue, turning it into a popular stop-off for musos and adding to the abundance of places to hear live music along the busy street.
Going against the grain of nearly all of the contemporary businesses which surround it, The Mancunian looks determined to preserve and uphold traditional pub values in the city centre, protecting the time-honoured culture for generations to come.
To learn more about The Mancunian and to find out what’s happening at the micropub in the weeks and months to come, head to their Instagram page below…
Instagram: @themanc_unian
Header image credit: What's On Manchester / Facebook.com