017. Temple, Great Bridgewater Street

Temple, Great Bridgewater Street. (c) Pubs of Manchester.

The Temple is one of the more unusual pubs in town, as it's situated in an old underground Victorian public toilets!  It is situated just off Oxford Street, and as seen above in the distance, is in close proximity to two other decent pubs - the Peveril of the Peak and Rain Bar.  It can get rather cramped in here as there's only room for a dozen or so to sit down, but what it lacks in space it more than makes up for in character.  With a great jukebox, a 'quaint' unisex loo, celebrity regulars and a good selection of continental beers, it's a great little boozer.  

Temple, Great Bridgewater Street. (c) ooze.

We erred on the side of caution with a Guinness during our first visit but second time around bottled Black Sheep was on offer so we plumped for that; not bad but the cask version is superior.  The steps at both ends of the pub double up as extra standing capacity on busy weekend nights.  The Temple was previously known as the Temple of Convenience, a nod to its former usage.  If only some other famous underground toilets in Manchester could be converted into drinking holes...

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Cathedral Steps, Victoria Street. (c) Both R0manian at photobucket.