Plymouth Grove, Plymouth Grove. (c) Aidan O'Rourke.
The Plymouth Grove is a contender for Manchester's most magnificent pub building, even though it is rotting away, less than a mile south-east of the city centre, in close proximity to the hospitals and universities. Built in 1873-74, it is a monument to Victorian splendour, it once sat on the corner of Shakespeare Street, now the less-romantic Leigh Street.
The Plymouth Grove has been shut maybe a decade, and despite its Grade II listed status, has been allowed to slowly disintegrate with its internals surely too far gone to ever hope of refurbished. In 2005 there were stories of feverish interest over its £380,000 price tag in the local papers but nothing appears to have come of that.
Once a Boddington's tied house, the Plymouth Grove was a multi-roomed boozer with traditional bench seating and an older clientèle from the nearby estates. This area of Ardwick around Plymouth Grove is still full of superb Victorian architecture that much of Manchester seems to have forgotten about.
The Plymouth Grove's ornate clock tower, columns and carvings look set for the wrecker's ball unless someone rapidly snaps it up to prevent Mother Nature and her pigeons from seeing it off. An outside chance is that a property developer sees an opportunity to convert this magnificent old building into apartments. More like likely is that developers such as Grove Village will buy it to get rid of it then build poor quality student accommodation in its place.
This is now a Chinese Restaurant.
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