Manchester’s beloved gastropub Sam’s Chop House has confirmed it will be reopening to the public soon, following many long months of closure.
The historic 154-year-old pub is famous for a sculputre of artist L.S. Lowry that sits proudly in its bar and for its corned beef hash – which takes ten days to make and has previously been voted one of Manchester’s top ten dishes.
It’s also known for cooking up other traditional gastropub delights like beef suet pudding, steak, epic roast dinners and battered fish with triple cooked chips.
In a statement posted to its social media channels on Sunday, owner Roger Ward confirmed the pub would be reopening this February – stating this would be “hopefully in less than two weeks. And certainly in time for Valentine’s Day.”
Having closed in order to aid works to Cavendish House, the building in which it is based, the pub will soon fling open its doors to deliver its modern take on British classics to hungry Mancunians once again.
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Speaking on the reopening, its owner confirmed that the pub would continue to work with local suppliers in order to cook with the freshest produce.
He also said that its love of fine wines would continue to be a focus, heralding the return of legendary sommelier George Bergier who, at the tender age of 75, has been “serving Manchester’s top tables and top people for 54 years now.”
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The corned beef is brined for ten days before being put into this famous dish at Sam’s Chop House, due to return to the menu imminently / Image: Sam’s Chop House
Confirming that George would return to host Thursday and Friday’s lunchtime services, Roger added:
“The team will be led by general manager Sam Hernandez and Head Chef Scott Munro supported by some familiar faces. We’ll tell you more about them in the days to come.”
In 2015, the pub had joked as part of an April Fool’s Day prank that it was to permanently close – causing great consternation amongst its loyal band of followers. Little did we know back then that it would happen for real.
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The man, the myth, the legend – George Bergier, the brilliant Chop House sommelier who’s been serving Manchester for over 50 years. / Image: Sam’s Chop House
Fortunately, this time the closure was only temporary – and now it appears that fans won’t have to wait long to sit and enjoy a pint at the bar with Lowry once again.
It’s not the first time that the pub has been reopened by Mr. Ward, who relaunched itin 2001 four years after it was shuttered by its former corporate owners.
Promising to “build back better than we were before”, he said, “our family business will be joining the movement to rebuild Manchester city centre.”
The suet pudding at Sam’s Chop House is another stand-out customer favourite, and for good reason. / Image: Sam’s Chop House
Nodding to the pub’s longstanding history he added, “When Samuel Studd opened his doors for the first time in 1868 there were 13 chop houses in the city.
“More than 150 years later his business has seen two world wars, the Great Depression of the 1930s and two global pandemics.
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“Only two of the original chop houses are still standing. And they are still independent.”
Mr. Ward also used to own the Albert Square Chop House, but this was sold to London pub operator The Metropolitan Pub Company, a Green King pub retailer, last year and has since relaunched as The Fountainhouse.
Feature image – Sam’s Chop House.
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Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
Featured Images — Emma Farrer (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
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All Greater Manchester boroughs to have 24-7 night buses from next month as new services launch
Emily Sergeant
Extra night buses, new routes, and more frequent bus services are being rolled out across the Bee Network at the end of this month.
You may remember that back in March, it was announced that every borough of Greater Manchester was set to get a night bus service in what is hoped to be a ‘boost’ to the night-time economy, and now plans to introduce these from September onwards have been confirmed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), along with a series of other measures.
Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford will all get a 24-hour bus service by next month, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.
It’s expected that once the new services have launched, it will help around 625,400 people working in the night-time economy across Greater Manchester, as well as those out enjoying the region’s nightlife, TfGM has said.
Some of the other changes set to be introduced from next month include a selection of brand-new bus services, and more frequent buses during the day and at the weekends.
All Greater Manchester boroughs will have 24-7 night buses from next month / Credit: TfGM
There will also be better connections overall to key employment and leisure destinations like Manchester Airport, Trafford Centre, MediaCity, Middlebrook Retail Park in Bolton, Kingsway Business Park, and Logistics North.
“The Bee Network belongs to the people of Greater Manchester and it needs to work for every community,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“As we build it, we’re listening and responding to what residents want with the biggest set of improvements we’ve ever made in one go.
🚌 More improvements are on the way across the #BeeNetwork.
36 service changes will benefit around 740,000 people across Greater Manchester, helping more communities access reliable, convenient public transport.
“We’re bringing night buses to every borough, launching new routes and ensuring buses run more often in the mornings, evenings and weekends. In doing so, we’re making it easier than ever for people to get around the city region by bus, but we’re also supporting our businesses, whose staff and customers need a reliable and safe way to reach them.
“Almost three quarters of a million people live within walking distance of a bus route we’re improving over the next few months, and we’ll continue improving connections for even more communities based on the feedback we get.”
Georgina Pellant -
31st January 2022 
