Peveril of the Peak, Manchester

Famous for the tiled exterior and the mostly unspoiled interior a very fine pub just up the road from the equally excellent Briton’s Protection. As likely to be named after the book written by Sir Walter Scott, set in the time of Charles II and unusually for Scott in England, as after the stagecoach which could also be named after the book, both predate the pub by a few years. It’s a small place with a three room layout with details from various periods as redecoration will do. Definitely a must visit pub.

Over 11 years since my last visit here, we decided to pay it a re-visit as we were drinking in the vicinity on New Year's Eve. Pub lovers cannot fail to be impressed by the magnificent tiled interior, but to the non-believer, the pub stands looking a little forlorn and possibly even dilapidated in an area full of modern developments. Inside, there are essentially 3 rooms and a drinking corridor. All have plenty of character. On the beer front, there are normally 4 real ales. Titanic Plum Porter was off. Although Timothy Taylor Landlord, Millstone Tiger Rut & Brightside Mancunian were all on. I opted for the latter two which were in good condition, but not my kind of beers. Long may pubs like this survive in our city centres. It may not stock my favourite beers and certainly doesn't have a real cider. It may also be another 11 years before I visit again, but as pubs themselves go, this is a traditional classic.

The impressive tiling on the exterior of Peveril of the Peak makes it impossible to walk past without popping in for a pint. It looks out of place in amongst the large surrounding buildings and as I approached I thought of the film “Batteries Not Included”. There is a corridor that runs through the pub connecting the left and right entrances. Coming in from the left entrance, the curved bar is accessed through a glass panelled door to the right. To the left is a seating room that was packed with fiddlers and their adoring fans. Further along the corridor is a serving hatch on the right at the rear of the bar and on the left is another room, which was empty with hardly any furniture as it had been moved into the fiddler’s room. The bar area is very cosy, but they’ve still managed to shoehorn in table football. The bar supports four handpumps that were drawing Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, Titanic Plum Porter, Brightside Brewery’s Mancunian Blonde and Milestone Brewery’s Lindum Pale Ale. A standard draught selection is also available. I found the service to be very friendly and the pub is a must visit.

absolutely lovely traditional multi roomed pub, why have I not been here before? very authentic, just a few locals in the bar on a Monday afternoon but plenty of banter going around. Brightside Mancunian and Titanic Plum Porter were the two real ales. the Jukebox was silent and I’m not convinced it is functional, but table football is up and running again in the bar. A museum piece.