Square Albert, Albert Square. (c) beerintheevening.
Situated proudly on the corner of Albert Square, overlooking the Square itself and Manchester Town Hall, this once proud pub has now shut down. At one time, when this end of town was much more popular, the Square Albert was a thriving pub and even had its own nightclub below (Consorts). Eventually though, as more and more people headed towards the Deansgate and Printworks end of town, it became too much and shut down approximately six years ago. Entering upwards via the stairs from the front (no disabled access), the pub opened out into a huge room, not dissimilar from the interior of The Bank pub these days. Usually a good array of beers and a slightly older crowd made the Square Albert a decent pub to go to. Also situated near the night spots of Devilles and Cellar Vie, many frequented here before moving on to other venues.
Consorts, its sister pub/club could be accessed internally via the back stairways to the toilets or by separate door outside. In effect, this was one of the fore runners of the late night bar rather than a nightclub though. The last of these three 1981 photos shows the side entrance to Consorts. At the time of writing, planning permission has been granted for a new Italian restaurant, called 'Bla Bla', to open in the building. Update: as of 2012, the Albert Square Chop House has opened in this fine building.
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