This Ancoats boozer is the only pre-match pub we never tried out and now it's boarded up, seemingly for good, but at least while Pollard Street is closed off due to the tram line being built. It was never the most inviting looking pub on the occasion we walked, bussed or taxied past and it was real ale free. In the past the Bank of England would have been used by workers from the nearby mills, including the attached Ancoats Works, but it seemed to gather little trade from the nearby housing estates.
Bank of England, Pollard Street. (c) L S Wilson at geograph.org.uk.
The Bank of England was one of Ancoats' first beerhouses, licensed from 1830 and ten years later it was fully licensed with attached brewhouse. The brewery did well, in fact it had another tied house, the Kings Arms near Miles Platting station nearby. The brewery was sold off in the 1860s but continued as a separate business for a few years. Mick Burke remembered the Bank of England for its urinal outside the pub on Carruthers Street [1].
Bank of England, Pollard Street, 1930s. (c) Neil Richardson [1].
UPDATE: The Bank of England sounds like it's open after all! Another update as of 2012: it's definitely closed.
Bank of England, Pollard Street. (c) Manchester Pub Surveys [2].
2. The Manchester Pub Guide, Manchester & Salford City Centres,
Manchester Pub Surveys (1975).
You haven't missed much. It was pretty rough and I never recall it having any real ale. Interestingly, when the tram was due to go past there the first time, the locals were worried it might "spoil" the pub!
ReplyDeleteWent passed it today and the side door (Carruthers Street) was propped open by a stool. There was a bloke drinking and someone behind the bar.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely open now. There's a sign up which from memory reads "Open Wednesday - Saturday, 12 - 8pm". Very bizarre opening times indeed, but good to see a pub back from the dead.
ReplyDeleteToday it's being dug up for a Murder investigation.
ReplyDeleteToday, (15th October), the pub is still surrounded by police tape. Today there were two police vans next to it. On the 13th October, we saw a female entering the building dressed on forensic gear. On the 10th, we saw the owner of the building go under the tape and open up the building. The owner did not seem distressed. She seemed uncomfortable. Bemused, yet excited.
ReplyDeleteWe would appreciate any and all further knowledge from the community. Comments on this blog will remain anonymous for your peace of mind,
Please help us solve the mystery of the Bank of England.
In 2016, the force dug up the cellar of the Bank of England pub in Pollard Street, Ancoats, as they launched a murder inquiry. The boozer, now boarded up, was used as a function room for Manchester City fans on matchdays and is on a main pedestrian route to the Etihad Stadium, but nothing was found during the police excavations. The action followed 'credible' information that Martin had been killed during a fight, GMP said at the time.
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ReplyDeleteI believe the council has a blueprint in terms of maximum height level for these buildings which is 8/ storeys does anyone know this,??
ReplyDeleteI'm baffled that none of these old Ancoats pubs have reopened, surely they would do a roaring trade with all the yuppies that now reside in the new flats? They'd probably even be able to charge £6 a pint these days
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