Peveril of the Peak, Manchester

A lone survivor in an area of heavy modern redevelopment, this excellent traditional pub draws attention to itself as much by the fact that it is so conspicuously out of place in its present surrounding as by the wonderful yellow/green tiling that characterises its exterior. The interior comprises four distinct drinking areas, one of which is a twisting lobby area giving access to the bar and offering some limited seating options and a good deal of standing space. The main bar is on the Chepstow Street side of the building and forms a wedge shape with a curved servery standing out thanks to ample attractive stained glasswork, predominantly in the canopy but also around the serving hatch out to the lobby. The room has long padded benches along the external wall, supplemented by low stools, and at the far end there was a covered football table which might not get to much use as it's a rare 1950's table, of which very few examples remain. Across the lobby is a nice carpeted lounge, with sturdy banquettes, low stools and some strange looking low-backed chairs. The room doubles up as a games room of sorts, with a pool table and dartboard in attendance, plus a juke box which was blasting out some Led Zeppelin tunes during my stay. Walls were decorated with various bits of breweriana, a poster detailing local pubs and one end had a large stained glass screen which partitioned it off from the lobby. A final space, the Smoke Room, can be found at the other end of the lobby. This is another small carpeted room with fixed bench seating, bell pushes, period wallpaper and a rather grand marble and tile fireplace on the end wall. The ale range comprised Copper Dragon Golden Pippen, Taylor Landlord, Moorhouse Black Cat and Seven Brothers Session. I decided to try a pint of the latter, having never encountered this brewery previously, and was glad to find it a solid session ale in excellent condition. The staff seemed like a friendly bunch and the customers were generating a lively early evening atmosphere. This is exactly the sort of pub I love spending time in, so it was typically bad timing on my part that this was the last pub I visited before having to dash for a train back home. I found this a very welcoming and comfortable place to settle down for a pint and would have loved to spend more time exploring the outstanding interior in more detail. A really satisfying pub-going experience and one I hope to repeat sooner rather than later.

I was delighted to get in here as sometimes the hours can be a bit haphazard, this is a real Manchester institution, a stand out building with an amazing tiled exterior in contrast to the surrounding buildings. Inside is superbly preserved too, three rooms of a central zig-zag corridor which also has a drinking ledge. The pub is shaped like an old flat iron with public bar being in the thin end where the handpumps are. This room has limited seating due to its shape with benches and small stools at three tables, there is a vintage bar football table in here. The back room has darts and pool but also some seating and the snug/parlour has a nice old fireplace. Lots of leaded stained glass, lino floors, the TV is a tiny one on a shelf, I doubt it sees much service, this is a convivial place where beer and conversation are the point. A wall in the public bar has photos of celebrity visitors, quite a few of them, this place really is a must do for the pub lover. Even the gents toilets require comment, the tiling is white interspersed with chequerboard inserts which I took to be from the old Wilson's Brewery. Beers on this occasion were Copper Dragon Golden Pippin, Landlord, Moorhouse Black Cat and Seven Bro7hers Watermelon Wheat Beer (swerved that). The pub is reassuringly cash only. There is a bit of outside seating at picnic benches set in an island at the end of the road junction outside, why would you want to sit there though when you can sit inside this marvellous pub and soak up years of traditional pub atmosphere? Just brilliant.