The Old Wellington Inn is a half-timbered

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

Manchester city centre Manchester City Centre is the central business district of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England situated within the confines of Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way which collectively form an inner ring road. ...

, England. It is part of Shambles Square, which was created in 1999, and is near Manchester Cathedral. It is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

The oldest building of its kind in Manchester, the Old Wellington Inn was built in 1552 next to the market square which led off what is now

Market Street Market Street may refer to: *Market Street, Cambridge, England *Market Street, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia * Market Street, George Town, Penang, Malaysia *Market Street, Manchester, England *Market Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia ...

, in what was known as the Shambles. In 1554 part of it became a draper's shop, owned by the Byrom family, and the writer

John Byrom John Byrom or John Byrom of Kersal or John Byrom of Manchester FRS (29 February 1692 – 26 September 1763) was an English poet, the inventor of a revolutionary system of shorthand and later a significant landowner. He is most remembered as t ...

was born there in 1692. The building had a third storey added to it in the 17th century. In 1830 the building became a licensed public house, known as the Vintners Arms, and later the Kenyon Vaults. By 1865, the ground floor of the building was known as the Wellington Inn, while the upper floors were used by makers of mathematical and optical instruments. Later, in 1897, the upper floors were used as a fishing tackle shop, known as "Ye Olde Fyshing Tackle Shoppe". In the 1970s the Old Shambles was underpinned with a concrete raft and raised by designed by draughtsman Fred Kennedy, to fit in with the development of 'The Market Place Centre.' This completely separate development was designed to provide a single level walk, from the

Arndale Centre Arndale Centres were the first "American style" malls to be built in the United Kingdom. In total, twenty three Arndales have been built in the United Kingdom, and three in Australia. The first opened in Jarrow, County Durham, in 1961, as a ...

; to which it was connected by a glass bridge over Corporation Street, and then on to Deansgate. The Inn was reopened in 1981. But what was not appreciated by most was the extent to which the building had been changed. Prior to the jacking operation, the entire internal structure of the whole block was removed and replaced by an internal, steel bracing framework. Only the curtain walling remained of the original Tudor building. Moreover, when rebuilt it was necessary to do so to all the latest building regulations. Originally, due to centuries of settlement, there was not a straight line in the place. The floors, ceilings and windows were all awry, and there were several low beams in the bar area which had to be ducked under by all but the shortest clientele. The main one bore the legend 'Duck or Grouse.' In its new position, built onto the rear of the Marks & Spencer's store, at first-floor level, it was all but a new building. All the eccentric charm had gone. It was damaged in the

1996 Manchester bombing The 1996 Manchester bombing was an attack carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) on Saturday, 15 June 1996. The IRA detonated a lorry bomb on Corporation Street in the centre of Manchester, England. It was the biggest ...

, and was reopened in February 1997, with costs of £500,000 paid to repair the damage. However, in preparation for the city's development in the bomb's aftermath, it was decided that the building, alongside its neighbour ''Sinclair's Oyster Bar'', should be dismantled and rebuilt towards the cathedral to form Shambles Square.Williams, p.219 The move was completed by November 1999, when the pub reopened.

References

;Notes ;Sources * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Old Wellington Inn Grade II listed buildings in Manchester Pubs in Manchester Buildings and structures completed in 1552 Relocated buildings and structures in the United Kingdom Grade II listed pubs in Greater Manchester 1552 establishments in England

History

See also

References