The St Peter's Tavern is described as a pleasant, quiet bar with a small shop-type frontage, situated between the Free Trade Hall and Deansgate (so probably where Bar 38 is now, in the same old block that housed the Gallery). Great Northern Bitter was served by handpump and the rare sight of Watney's keg mild was also seen supped alongside wine by the bar-propping drinkers. Modern decor plus jukebox, fruit machines and TV table tennis and the fact the St Peter's Tavern was bypassed by the Free Trade Hall and Opera House crowds, meant "this small, friendly, comfortable, warm tavern is hard to fault [1]."
1. The Manchester Pub Guide, Manchester & Salford City Centres (1975).
St.Peter's Tavern was my regular haunt during the 1960's/70's. I worked across the road and we used to call after work most nights and at lunchtime too. Used to drink the Red Barrel and eat Gala Pie. Nice landlord, friendly little pub. Used to get the Granada crowd in sometimes, over from The Grapes. Happy Days!
ReplyDeleteI worked there in 76
DeleteI worked here in 1976, loved all the celebs that came in, one day I turned up for work & the had been shut down, apparently the land lord had done a runner with the takings no idea if this was true, I loved that job
ReplyDeleteMy brother John Burton and his business partner Peter gresty owned this club in the 1970’s
ReplyDeleteI used to go in this bar almost every night in the mid 70’s. The landlord Frank was the nicest man you could meet and we spent many happy hours in there. I wonder if I remember the person who used to work there?
ReplyDeleteI used to work full time there in 1974, the owner was Frank he was a nice bloke but he run the bar down. We used to have lock ins most nights, he would give free drinks galore away. I had an accident while in work and couldn’t work for a number of weeks and Frank finished me up he said he couldn’t afford to pay me it was cheaper to get some part time staff. I then got a tax demand from the inland revenue for unpaid taxes. He told me he had paid my tax direct from my wages, but I never got a wage slip as I trusted him. It turned out he owed a lot f unpaid taxes including mine , the revenue never chased me for it they went after him. It was a shad he was a really nice bloke.
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