Following a lengthy spate of closure, traditional Manchester boozer the Ancoats Lad will reopen its doors this weekend to welcome back loyal regulars in style.
With a refreshed look, new owners and a brand new name, the pub will now be known as The Mancunian – but, out of respect for its punters, pretty much everything else will stay as it was.
With a fresh lick of paint, hyper-local drinks offering, and new contributions to the decor from local artists Dave Draws and The Manc Wanderer, it’s the same pub in spirit – but with a slightly fresher feel.
We popped down this week ahead of the new opening for a sneak peek at the site and a chat with the pub’s new co-owner Perry Morrissey, who, just like landlord Phil Bell before him, has a long family history of owning nightlife businesses in the city centre.
Image: The Manc Eats
Those who’ve visited the micropub before will likely know its former landlord kept a lot of memorabilia on the walls (and ceilings) over the years, some of which he has left behind for new owners Perry and Josh.
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These historic pieces, some of which depict life on the streets of Ancoats and the Northern Quarter over 150 years ago, are still on display as part of a new feature wall that blends the old with the new.
Here full-skirted Victorians depicted in black and white sit side-by-side with color images of the city today, taken by The Manc Wanderer (aka Nathan Whittaker) – including one of Manchester favourite Boom Box Barrington.
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Image: The Manc Eats
On the other side, a new mural by artist Dave Draws has been created in the style of a fantasy map that puts current venues alongside those from the past, such as the ‘Scuttler’s Wine Bar’, as a way of celebrating its history and bringing together the old and the new.
The idea behind this, Perry tells us, was to show “how the city’s changed now”. Elsewhere in the pub, the old Ancoats Lad sign remains – now part of the decore, nailed to the wall by the pub’s bathrooms.
As for the drinks offering here, Perry tells us the pair have already spoken with Phil on what they should stock, saying: “[he] let us know which ones was the big sellers, a bit of what the Ancoats lad used to drink.”
Image: The Manc Eats
As well as continuing to stock these all-important regular favourites, they’re also bringing in some new locally-made beers and spirits from the likes of Shindigger, Manchester Union Lager, Salford Rum and Manchester Gin.
The pair also plan to introduce live music at the site, which is nicely sandwiched between pubs/music venues Gullivers and The Castle Hotel, starting with a one-man band that will play every Friday and Saturday from 4-7pm.
They also intend to make The Mancunian a good football pub, with the planned addition of big TV screens to watch the sport on ready for the start of the World Cup this September.
Image: The Manc Eats
As we’ve already mentioned, this is not Perry’s first foray into hospitality – he already has another pub in Bury, called The Treeehouse, and his family has a long history of owning nightclubs in the city centre – including the famous Ampersand and Paparrazi
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As he gears up to open The Mancunian this weekend, he tells us he now has his eyes set on taking over a few more in the city centre with the help of his business partner Josh.
With a great appreciation for the dying breed of traditional boozers, the pair hope to take back some more of Ancoats’ “lost venues” – stealing them away from the trendy cocktail bars that have run amock in this part of town for the past however-many years.
Good luck to them. Manchester has definitely neglected some of its traditional boozers in recent years, which seems silly given how they are so beloved by locals.
The Mancunian’s official reopening date is set for Saturday 16 July.
Feature image.- The Manc Eats
Manchester
Popular Japanese restaurant Sticks’n’Sushi is coming to Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Sticks’n’Sushi is set to open in the North West for the first time, announcing a brand-new restaurant in Manchester.
It’s a Danish brand but a Japanese restaurant, with 16 sites nationwide so far proving its popularity.
Sticks’n’Sushi serves (as if you hadn’t guessed) a menu of sushi dishes as well as grilled meats served on sticks.
They’re set to take over the long-empty Iberica site, right in the heart of Spinningfields, creating 75 new jobs for the city in the process.
The two-storey restaurant space will accommodate 246 guests across a ground floor restaurant and mezzanine level, with a huge L-shaped outdoor terrace.
It’ll be designed by Berlin architects Diener & Diener, who will create a space that blends Japanese architectural influences with Scandinavian aesthetics.
Sticks’n’Sushi is founded by half-Japanese, half-Danish, brothers Jens and Kim Rahbek, and Thor Anderson in Copenhagen.
They have 12 restaurants in and around the Danish capital, as well as three in Berlin, and now Manchester is set to be the 17th UK site for Sticks’n’Sushi.
The menu will feature the brand’s signature sharing dishes of sushi, sashimi, salads and grilled sticks, available à la carte or in generous set menus.
Expect favourites like Ebi Bites (tempura shrimp with miso aioli, lime and chilli) and the Maki Maki selection of four signature rolls.
The sharing side of things includes a premium selection of build-your-own handrolls, maki and sticks, and classic Japanese grills like Shōyu Tebasaki (chicken wings marinated in garlic, ginger, tamari and soy), Gindara No Miso (miso-glazed black cod), and Aka Ebi (shrimp in gochujang and garlic butter).
The drinks menu showcases sake, Japanese teas, cocktails, premium spirits, and beer – including the brand’s own-label yuzu pale ale – alongside a concise wine selection.
Andreas Karlsson, SticksʹnʹSushi Group CEO, said: “Manchester is an important milestone in our UK growth strategy – it’s been on our radar for many years, and we’re delighted to have found the perfect space for us.
“Manchester is a city that celebrates creativity, culture and great food – and that’s exactly the kind of place where SticksʹnʹSushi belongs.
“We’re excited to create new jobs, meet our new neighbours, and introduce our unique blend of Danish design and Japanese dining to the city.”
Sticks’n’sushi is set to open in Spinningfields in Manchester next spring.
Behind the doors of the eclectic £1.75m Victorian villa that’s BACK on the market in a leafy Manchester suburb
Emily Sergeant
Fancy a look inside an eclectic Victorian villa that’s now BACK on the market in a sought-after Manchester suburb?
The only thing is, you’ll need the small matter of £1.75 million before you can call it yours.
Of course, it goes without saying that the vast majority of people reading this article won’t have £1.95 million just sitting in their bank accounts right now, but if like us, you’ve got no shame in admitting you love looking at houses you can’t afford in places you’ll probably never live, then allow us to introduce you to this absolute stunner.
Take a look behind the grand front door of one of the finest properties the Manchester housing market has to offer at the moment.
This eclectic Victorian villa is on the market in a leafy Manchester suburb for £1.95m / Credit: Inigo (via Rightmove)
This stunning detached villa is situated on a prime residential street in Whalley Range, which is one of south Manchester’s affluent suburbs, known and loved for its wide range of amenities, good local schools, public transport links across Greater Manchester, and green spaces such as the popular Alexandra Park.
Built in 1885, the house sits among a number of grand Victorian villas built around Alexandra Park to serve the wealthy merchants and bankers looking to escape the smog of city centre.
Spanning some 3,854 sq ft, the main house has seven bedrooms and ample living space arranged across four floors, all of which estate agents describe as being “impeccably designed”, while at its rear is a recently-renovated annexe, and a landscaped garden with an established kitchen garden.
While still being steeped in history, the house has undergone an extensive restoration programme over the past decade by its current owner.
The property has undergone extensive restorations over the last decade / Credit: Inigo (via Rightmove)
Decorated to the highest of standards across all four floors, the current owner has managed to respect the Victorian sensibilities of the building, while still introducing a rich colour and material palette.
You enter the historic villa through the arched entry of the original porch, with all of the rooms and staircases situated off the grand hallway.
Some of the property’s stand-out features have to be the array of original fireplaces and bay windows, ornate ceilings, and decorative tiled floors, as well as the accommodations themselves, of course, which include a bespoke kitchen-diner, and seven spacious bedrooms, many with en-suite bathrooms and even one with a purpose-built walk-in-wardrobe.
If all of that wasn’t impressive enough as it is, the property also boasts its very-own retro cinema room and treatment space on the lower ground floor too.
Then, through a Victorian garden wall is where you’ll find the coach house, which sits separate from the main house, and has recently been built as a standalone guest space – with a kitchen, shower room, and mezzanine sleeping area above.
The property’s excellence only continues when you step outside into the garden / Credit: Inigo (via Rightmove)
The property’s excellence only continues when you step outside into the garden.
The garden has been landscaped to make the most of its large corner plot, with a decked area that unfolds from the sunroom and leads down to a lawn that’s bordered by clipped privacy hedging.
The star of the show, however, has to be the kitchen garden, which the current owner has implemented in raised beds, partly shaded by established climbing grape vines which you’ll find are full of fruit in the summer.
Like what you see? Well thankfully, the property is now BACK on the market, and for cheaper too.
This property on Alexandra Road South is currently on the market with Tyldsley-based independent estate agents, Jamie Burke – powered by eX – for a Guide Price of a whopping £1.75 million, and if you fancy taking a closer look, then you can contact the property company to arrange a viewing.
Or you could just take the cheaper route instead and have a nosy at the Rightmove link here.
Georgina Pellant -
15th July 2022 
