Owners who bulldozed ahistoric 18th-century northern pub have been fined nearly £70,000and ordered to rebuild it, brick by brick, within a year.
The Punch Bowl Inn on Longridge Road, Hurst Green, was bulldozed by Donelan Trading Ltd in June 2021, despite warnings from Ribble Valley Borough Council that to do so would be considered a criminal offense.
A trial last year at Burnley Magistrates’ Court found that Andrew Donelan, Nicola Donelan and Rebecca Donelan, David Cotterell, and Brian Ingleby unlawfully demolished the pub despite having been warned not to do so in advance by email.
The five people responsible were ordered to pay a total of £69,125 in damages today at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court, and inspectors have confirmed that they will also have to rebuild it in full within the space of 12 months.
The pub is rich in local history and is said to be haunted by the ghost of 1730’s fugitive highwayman Ned King, who reportedly fled Essex with a high price of his head and headed north – eventually arriving at the village of Hurst Green, between Longridge and Clitheroe.
A member of the infamous Essex Gang of robbers – most of whom had already been captured and hung at Tyburn Gallows for horse theft, deer poaching and highway robbery – he is thought to have travelled alongside Dick Turpin before ultimately meeting his demise.
The pub, built in the 1720s, was visited by the fugitive on several occassions, and local legend has it that landlord Jonathan Brisco became friends with Ned and tipped him off to which of the customers staying at the inn would make good marks.
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Following a previous hearing at Burnely Magistrates Court, where a key witness, construction firm boss Gez Pegram, told the jury that there had been ‘no need’ to demolish the pub, District Judge Alex Boyd handed the group a total fine of £22,250, prosecution costs of £44,650 and a £2,225 surcharge.
The planning inspectorate also ordered that the council’s full costs must be repaid by the company.
The decision to demolish the pub was taken by Donelan Trading Ltd and a contractor after they grew tired of waiting for the council. Their defense team also claimed that the site had been targeted by arsonists and was falling into disrepair.
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Whilst criminal proceedings were ongoing, the company was sent an order by local planning inspectors to rebuild the pub they then tried to appeal.
However, their appeal was rejected – leaving them responsible for putting the boozer back together as it once.
The order states that they will need to ensure that the internal and external of the building are in line with the plans attached to the notice. This means going through the rubble with experts and working out what can be salvaged for the rebuild.
Any materials that can’t be salvaged must be bought again and approved before their use to ensure they are as historically accurate as possible.
Representing the council, Mr Killian Garvey said: “Given the defendants have to rebuild the building, we understand they will have financial burdens in that effect.
“That will also reinstate some of the planning harm that has been caused.
“The council would say that a listed building that has been demolished and rebuilt will not have the same character as if it were just left.”
District Judge Alex Boyd said: “This prosecution follows the demolition without authorisation of the Punch Bowl Inn on June 15, 2021.
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“The purpose of these requirements is to protect the building for current and future generations to enjoy.”
Two Greater Manchester restaurants have been named in Time Out’s 15 best restaurants in the UK
Danny Jones
Not one but two restaurants in Greater Manchester have been named on Time Out‘s list of the 15 best restaurants in the UK.
The highly regarded lifestyle magazine is always pumping out these rankings across the board and with decades of pedigree behind them, it goes without saying that people still take their recommendations very seriously – ourselves included.
So, when we saw that a pair of local food spots were named on the most recent round-up, flying the flag for Manchester’s thriving culinary scene, we were obviously buzzing.
But what two places have they picked out?…
Erst – Ancoats
Erst leads the Manchester front on Time Out‘s best restaurants in UK (Credit: The Manc Eats)
In at number three on Time Out‘s list of the best restaurants in Britain was the ever-impressive Erst, which we can confidently vouch for serving up some of the best food in the city centre just off Cutting Room Square for over half a decade now.
It’s one of those places that feels like it should have a Michelin star even if doesn’t have one right now, building a glowing reputation around two core pillars: incredible natural wine and stunning small plates.
Genuinely not that expensive considering the sheer level of quality on show, the magazine writers Leonie Cooper and Lucas Oakeley spotlight offerings such as the Cantabrian anchovies that are “excellently sourced and devilishly salty” as well as “inventive plates” like the mussels in escabeche with Marinda tomatoes, lardo and sourdough. Hard agree.
Second up for Greater Manchester is going to annoy all those ‘it’s always been Cheshire’ die-hards but we’ll absolutely be claiming this one; it’s Where The Light Gets In tucked away on Rostron Brow, right near Stockport‘s historic market square.
Boasting a green star from Michelin and an incredible wine-pairing selection to compliment every course, this vegetable-driven dining experience is one of the very best we here The Manc Eats have ever enjoyed.
The menu changes every time you visit and the entire place feels like something special and bespoke. Time Out describes it as serving up “plates of food have nothing to hide and showcase the best ingredients from the farmers and fishermen that chef/owner Sam Buckley has spent years building an intimate relationship with”, summing it by adding, “Sustainability has never tasted so good”.
We’re obviously biased but there are definitely a few more places around Greater Manchester that we’d throw in that for Time Out‘s list but, who knows, maybe they’ll make it on there next year?
Either way, we’re just happy to celebrate two absolutely top-tier eateries in two very distinct parts of the region – it’s not all just city centre spots and it never will be.
Are there any amazing Manc restaurants that you think should have made the list?
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Where The Light Gets In
Eats
The quirkiest pubs in Manchester, from wonky buildings to 7am pints to BYO chippy teas
Daisy Jackson
Pubs are an integral part of British culture, and nowhere does them better than Manchester – in our humble opinion.
We’ve got tiny ones, giant ones, shiny ones and ancient ones.
There are some that serve seriously fancy gastropub food and others that serve a whole menu of crisps – and one that just encourages you to bring a chippy tea in with you.
There are real ale pubs, craft beer pubs, taprooms, and pubs that also do pretty good cocktails.
Whatever your brief is for the perfect boozer, Manchester will have somewhere that fits the bill.
We’ve rounded up some of Manchester’s quirkiest pubs that offer something a little… unexpected.
It is always, always that trip to the toilets that makes you realise you’ve tipped over into inebriated – staring at yourself in the mirrors above the sinks thinking ‘Oh, yup, too many pints’.
Here in Manchester, it can also be a trip to the toilet that gets you sozzled in the first place.
The Temple – or Temple of Convenience to give it its full name – is a tiny subterranean drinking den that in the Victorian era, was actually a public toilet.
It’s so narrow you can almost reach wall-to-wall if you stand with your arms outstretched.
But down here you’ll also find a great selection of bottled beers, a jukebox, and bags of charm.
100 Great Bridgewater Street, M1 5JW
The Victoria Tap, Manchester Victoria
Victoria Tap is open in Manchester nowInside Victoria Tap in Manchester
What makes The Victoria Tap such a little gem? For one, it’s taken what was a literal bin store and turned it into a genuinely beautiful drinking den.
For two, as it’s inside the train station, it’s got a departures board – the twist being that it tells you how many pints you can drink before your train leaves.
And to be honest, we’d quite like to use pints as a unit for measuring time forever more.
The new craft beer bar has also built a small beer garden on its far side, where trams slide past within inches of the boundary wall.
Victoria train station, M3 1WY
The Marble Arch, Rochdale Road
Come, venture slightly beyond your comfort zone of the city centre and Ancoats – for just beyond you’ll find one of Manchester’s very best pubs.
The Marble Arch building has been here since 1888, and to this day is one of the most impressive historic pubs in the UK.
Its tiled walls, ornate ceilings and mosaic floors, not to mention its roaring fire and its beautiful wooden bar, are just part of the charm.
One of the strangest experiences when visiting The Marble Arch is the way the bar seems to draw you in to it.
It’s all thanks to its gently sloping floor – some say it’s this way to make rolling barrels easier, others say it’s for cleaning, but out favourite theory is that it’s to encourage inebriated customers to totter back to the bar for another round.
By day, The Seven Oaks is a fairly normal pub – a lot of beer, a lot of sports, a lot of regulars.
But by night, it becomes the stuff of hospitality legend.
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This is the pub for people who work in pubs, a place where the hospitality staff normally pouring drinks for everyone else can come and have their own after work – even if they happen to finish work at 4am.
Built for the people who work ‘the wrong 9-to-5’, if you’ve got proof of working in the hospitality industry, this Chinatown pub is the place to come for late night, or early morning, pints.
In stark contrast to the Peveril of the Peak, The Circus Tavern is very much a pub you can miss.
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This tiny blink-and-you’ll-miss-it drinking den is home to the smallest bar in Europe.
Don’t expect a massive selection of beers here – there simply isn’t room.
It’s the weeniest pub in Manchester and also one of its oldest, dating back to 1840 (though the building was here even earlier).
Back in the day, it used to be a regular haunt of circus performers (hence the name), and Manchester United players, including George Best.
86 Portland Street, M1 4GX
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The Old Wellington Inn, Exchange Square
The Old Wellington pub in Manchester is one of the city’s quirkiest. Credit: The Manc GroupThe Old Wellington pub in Manchester is one of the city’s quirkiest. Credit: The Manc Group
When you’re nursing your drink in the Old Wellington, you’re surrounded by masses of history.
The city centre pub is the oldest building of its kind in Manchester, dating all the way back to 1552.
Back in those days, the walls, floors and ceilings were all wonky, and the ceiling beams were so low that punters had to duck when they were walking around.
The pub might be ancient, but strangely, it hasn’t always been here on Exchange Square.
The medieval building actually used to be about 70 metres down the road, and had to be moved bit by bit and piece by piece after the IRA bomb in 1996.
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Over the course of two years, both the Old Wellington and Sinclair’s Oyster bar were completely rebuilt in their new home here, where they still stand as two of Manchester’s most amazing pubs – and pull some of the city’s cheapest pints.
4 Cathedral Gates, M3 1SW
Mother Mac’s, Back Piccadilly
Mother Mac’s, a historic pub in Manchester, has closed down
Back Piccadilly in the city centre isn’t exactly a wholesome location as things stand – there’s a lot of graffiti, rows of bins, the occasional rat, and (if you’re really unlucky) human faeces.
But if you travel back in time to 1976, things get significantly more bleak. We’re talking mass murder bleak.
A previous landlord of the Mother Mac’s pub turned and killed his wife, then his three children, then the pub’s cleaner, before setting the building ablaze and killing himself.
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Mother Mac’s has now actually closed, with plans to turn it into a new pub called the Rat & Pigeon – which is fitting, given that’s mostly what will be walking past.
If you’re a fan of a ghost story, this is the pub for you.
The Shakespeare on Fountain Street – directly across the road from Primark – has had plenty of paranormal activity, if we believe the reports of its customers (who, admittedly, are likely to have been worse for wear).
Punters have reported seeing a flaming ghost at the top of the stairs, believed to be the spirit of a young girl who accidentally set herself alight while lighting candles at the inn.
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It’s also said to be haunted by a former chef who hung himself here – you can apparently still see the rope marks on one of the ceiling beams.
Spooky past aside, The Shakespeare is a good-value pub with a menu of typical pub fare.
16 Fountain Street, M2 2AA
Briton’s Protection, Great Bridgewater Street
The Britons Protection. Credit: The Manc GroupThe Britons Protection. Credit: The Manc Group
Every year the owners travel to Tennessee to make bespoke casks – and they’ve even created a Jack Daniel’s-themed room in a snug behind the bar.
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Home to some exceedingly rare bottles, including one with an unaired Sinatra concert recording hidden in a tie clip, collectors pay thousands for bottles from the Manchester casks.
That’s not all, though. The pub’s history dates back to the Peterloo massacre, attested to by a mural in its hallway.
Not entirely historically accurate, look closely and you’ll spot some of the rebels bear a striking resemblance to famous Manchester footballers.
Apparently, the previous owner was a bit of a fan.
This beautiful teal-fronted pub on Liverpool Road makes this list for a few reasons – the main one being that you can bring your chippy tea in with you.
Cask has become a firm favourite with Manchester beer-lovers in the two decades since it opened, boasting perhaps the most comprehensive selections in the city.
There are imports from across Europe, America and even further afield, plus a cracking selection of board games and a brilliant jukebox.
And yes, our favourite bit is nipping next door to The Fish Hut and bringing a chippy tea back to your table – you just have to agree to tidy up after yourself.
Georgina Pellant -
9th March 2023 
