Stars have launched an 11th-hour bid to secure the future of a watering hole which ‘has been a beloved cornerstone of the Manchester community for nearly 200 years’
15:34, 06 Sep 2025Updated 16:10, 06 Sep 2025
The Apsley Cottage, a Georgian building, which closed as a pub on Monday. (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Outside an historic pub last week a skip was piled high with bar-room clutter. The worst fears for those fighting to save the Apsley Cottage in Manchester were confirmed when it shut for good on Monday.
As reported in the Manchester Evening News the Georgian pub sits next to the Apollo Theatre and has been a popular refuge for a post-show drink by stars performing at the venue. It was also well used by concert goers. Montages of photographs of bands who had visited the pub cover its walls.
They include Abba, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, members of Queen, Happy Mondays, New Order, Stone Roses, and Oasis. The Pogues and their entourage recently got through a barrel of Guinness at the pub in 40 minutes.
But owners Admiral Taverns have decided to dispose of the building. There are fears it will bought for demolition.
However, rock stars and of two of the country’s heritage heavyweights are mounting an 11th hour bid to save it. SAVE Britain’s Heritage and the Georgian Group are giving their clout to an application to get the building listed.
The Apsley Cottage pub in Ardwick (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Steve Speakman, chairman of the Manchester Civic Society, who has already applied to the City Council for the pub to be listed as an asset of community value, said: “If we get this status it is basically a six-month delaying tactic which would give breathing space for a bid to get it fully listed.
“I have submitted the application and Manchester town hall has sent a reponse saying they are considering it. Before the pub closed I went with Dr Margaret Collier, who sits on Manchester’s Conservation Panel and is on our committee, for a drink there.
“At the pub I listend to the history of it, the tales of it, how it had been a soldier’s pub, a community pub, and a great service to the Apollo. Personally I believe it must be preserved in some manner for its history, for its architecture, and for the audience and players at the Apollo. It has a potential future as a pub – but first the building must be saved.
One of several montages of photographs of stars who visited the Apsley Cottage pub on its walls. (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
“Whilst I was in the pub someone came in and was wanting to make an offer on the place and looking round it. There is a garage nearby and you could see that being vulnerable too to someone wanting to clear and develop the whole site, that is the danger.”
A group of people with connections to Ardwick and the Apsley Cottage pub, supported by heritage organisations, have submitted a listed building application to save the building. Internationally renowned in rock music, the pub is also an attractive relic of Georgian Ardwick, then one of the most wealthy and prominent suburbs of the world’s first industrial city. The Apsley Cottage’s proximity to the Manchester Apollo stage door led to a host of famous musicians visiting over the decades.
A skip piled high with materials from inside the Apsley Cottage pub.
Lydia Franklin, Conservation Officer, SAVE Britain’s Heritage said: “Apsley Cottage is a cultural and historic landmark for Manchester. A thriving pub right up until its recent closure, it has hosted some of music’s biggest stars from Johnny Cash and Rod Stewart to Black Sabbath and Abba.
“In its 200-year history, this remarkable building is both a surviving link to Ardwick’s development in the 18th and 19th centuries and an important part of the UK’s modern pop and rock scene. We are supporting a bid to list this building in celebration of the truly unique story it has to tell which could continue to captivate generations to come.”
The Apsley Cottage in Ardwick – a bolthole for rock stars and a communuty pub. (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Dr. Thomas Whitfield, Senior Conservation Adviser, Georgian Group said: “The Georgian Group is pleased to support the application to list Apsley Cottage as a heritage asset of national significance.
“Architecturally, it is an important example of late-Georgian gentrification, its handsome stuccoed façade with pediment and pilasters the last surviving trace of Ardwick’s affluent past. But its cultural legacy is just as compelling; beneath the Georgian architecture lies a rich history tied to the global music scene, an extraordinary layering of heritage that few buildings can claim.
“We strongly believe Apsley Cottage deserves recognition and protection for its unique architectural, historical, and cultural significance.”
John Clarke, Chair, Stockport & South Manchester CAMRA, said: “This iconic pub is a rare survivor in a part of Manchester where almost all other pubs have closed down. As one of the last reminders of what was once a thriving pub scene in Ardwick, it would be tragic to lose it and we fully support the listing application and all other efforts to save the Apsley Cottage.”
Crumpsall-born Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, bassist with the The Stone Roses and Primal Scream, said: “The Apsley Cottage is the most important rock and roll pub in Britain.”
A favourite with bands – inside the Apsley Cottage pub.(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Mancunian poet Mike Garry, whose collections include “God Is A Manc”, said: “The disappearance of the Apsley Cottage is a loss to Manchester history, music, culture, and art. Spaces like this do not exist anymore.
“They are washed away by the fashion of city living. Imagine the after-party of every performer at the Apollo since 1938 all convening in The Apsley at once. A place for the community where old boys would count out copper coins for half a Guinness and make it last an hour.”
Drummer and vocalist with Doves, Andy Williams, said: “The Apsley cottage has stood as a beloved cornerstone of the Manchester community for nearly 200 years, holding profound significance for local residents, musicians, Apollo concert goers and all who cherish its rich history.”
The Apsley Cottage – a Georgian gem. (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Journalist and musician John Robb said: “As iconic as all the music legends that came out of Manchester, the Apsley Cottage is the pub by the Apollo where generations of gig goers met, bands were formed, and dreams were realised. Every music fan in Manchester treasures the pub and its role in the city’s legendary music scene.”
Photographer Simon Buckley said: “The Apsley Cottage is a building firmly anchored in Manchester’s evolution from Industrial city surrounded still by fields, to where we are today. And beyond its long heritage, anchored in this history, this building represents how a city adapts, how buildings built in one era remain relevant to the present day.
“It’s a building that is alight with stories, not least because of its unique location just behind the legendary Apollo theatre. It is a building deeply attached to the history of this city.”
Mani of the Stone Roses who believes the Apsley Cottage is “the greatest rock n roll pub in Britain”(Image: Mirrorpix)
Georgian Group research shows that the Apsley Cottage was originally two cottages, and a third building, maybe a small stable or agricultural outbuilding, all built circa 1824-1832; unified between 1832 and c 1836 and likely refaced around this time to form a single residence within the attractive and affluent Georgian suburb of Ardwick.
These dates accord with the Government’s ‘principles of Age and Rarity selection for listed buildings’, that “from 1700 to 1850, most buildings that retain a significant proportion of their original fabric are likely to be regarded of special interest.”
Manchester Land Tax Valuation books show it licensed as a pub from 1863 to the present day. The Apsley Cottage was likely named in conjunction with the adjacent Apsley House mansion that once occupied the Manchester Apollo site, perhaps celebrating Wellington’s 1815 victory at Waterloo.
The Apsley Cottage lies only metres outside the council’s Ardwick Green Neighbourhood Development Framework that states: “Ardwick Green has huge potential and a notable character rooted in its history. As identified in the Area Analysis, Ardwick Green contains historic buildings of note and interest, including several listed, high-quality Georgian properties surrounding the park.
“The extent of local pride in the breadth of Ardwick’s heritage is understood by the design team and its protection and enhancement has been embraced as a key to the success of the redevelopment of the area”
A spokesperson for Admiral Taverns said: “We are strong believers in the importance of community pubs and our focus is always on helping our licensees run sustainable pub businesses.
“After careful consideration however, we felt in this instance that the Apsley Cottage did not have a long-term sustainable future and therefore we have taken the decision to sell the pub.”
Almost 2000 people have signed a petition to save the pub.