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Pub Of The Month - 2024 with Mobyduck
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Detail Pages
The Briton's Protection, Manchester
Castlefield
Manchester
M1 5LE
Pub Type
Punch TavernsReviews (Current Rating Average: 8½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Briton's Protection Hotel
An excellent pub on the CAMRA Inventory list, the main front room is a long and narrow affair with the bar running along the length of the back wall, save the link doors to the rear. Curved/arched bar gantry, elaborate ceiling, leaded windows, tiled flooring and seating opposite the bar on the front wall consisting of benches and stools at small round copper topped tables. Unusually, the bar foot rail is formed of one of the heating pipes. Old B&W photos of the pub in its former Tetley-Walker branded days, a separated area at the end of this room is the old jug and bottle, now forming a mini snug with just one table in there. To the rear of the bar is a tiled corridor with paintings depicting the Peterloo massacre which occurred nearby. This corridor gives access to another two small rear rooms, each with a coal effect gas fire. There are still the old bell pushes on the rail behind the bench seating in here. There are a couple of small serving hatches from the corridor which supplies these areas. There is also an upstairs function room which hosts occasional gigs and can be hired.
There were five beers available from handpump, Stockport Arch 14 Mild, Slightly Foxed-Slightly Foxed, Directors, branded Briton's Protection...Thwaites now not Tetley and Jenning's Cumberland Ale. Food served, traditional baked pies, great stuff. They also offer a range of around 300 whiskies for the connoisseur.
This is a very nice pub indeed with a splendid interior and a perfect double header with the spectacular Peveril of the Peak just along the road.
On 20th November 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about The Briton's Protection Hotel
A good Victorian style pub that his 'interesting' characters in. 5 handpumps dispensed different beers. Be aware of who/what you are talking to sometimes.
On 28th September 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Briton's Protection Hotel
A decent enough looking pub and conveniently located for the Oxford Road station, it’s relatively unassuming exterior belies the treasures that lie within, for this is certainly something of a gem and a “must visit” for any pub aficionado when in the area especially as words cannot really do it justice.
The main bar runs along the front of the pub with the servery being almost as long as the room. The ceiling has a red background with ornate gold paint picking out the patterns in the plasterwork whilst elsewhere the paintwork is predominantly red with some red/brown tiling. A few old black and white photographs of the local area were on the wall. A small snug area was down at the far end, although I did not investigate this. The side and back of the bar is glass and this looks out on to a dog legged corridor that runs to another snug at the rear. This in itself is quite something, with a number of friezes along the top of the walls, and full tiling elsewhere. A couple of small tables were located here for you to enjoy the artwork. The snug at the rear is much cosier with green banquet seating, green carpet and a real fire blazing away.
Beers on tap were Cumberland, Unicorn, Merlin’s Gold, Bass and their own Briton’s Protection. Ciders were Strongbow and Thatcher’s Gold which was a bit of a result. In addition to this, there were dozens of whiskey bottled lined up on shelves at the back of the bar. All in all, well worth seeking out.
On 6th March 2015
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1951 recommendations about 1864 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Peter Rydings left this review about The Briton's Protection Hotel
Called in on the 23rd of jan had a good pint of Robinson's Unicorn good few in felt welcome will call again
On 2nd February 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 948 recommendations about 917 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Briton's Protection Hotel
If you like a proper traditional pub, this is defo worth a visit. We arrived 12 opening time on Saturday and were made very welcome from the landlady and staff. No music playing here, so you can have a good old chat.You can read from the previous reviews describing the fab interior, so I don't have to go there. There are coat hooks along the bar which I always like. They also offer 300 types of whiskeys. The pub is spotlessly clean even the brass pipes in the toilets are polished. The beers are well kept and each is as good as the other. The only problem with the pub is it is very hard to leave. I went for the Coach House Brewery Squires Gold, Rossendale Brewery Halo, Robinsons Unicorn and the Britons Protection Ale brewed by Tetley. Will defo return.
On 22nd April 2012
- rating: 10
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Briton's Protection Hotel
Just down the road from The Peveril of the Peak is The Britons Protection, another Manchester pub that should be on the agenda for those who appreciate unspoilt traditional historic pubs that hark back to an earlier age.
Outside, a rather faded pub sign tells us that it was a former Tetleys house. We also learn that it was established in 1811. The name reflects the fact that the pub was used as a recruiting centre during the Napoleonic Wars.
The main bar at the front ( denoted as Room 1 ) is narrow with the bar counter parallel to the front of the building. There’s an impressive plaster moulded ceiling and an unusual wooden bar gantry which contains three curved arches. At the far end of this bar, through an arch, is a small alcove with just the one table which was apparently the former off sales service area – the former double doors from the street outside are still in situ, but are now unused. The room has fixed padded seating, circular copper topped tables and blue velour covered bar stools. Small postcard style flyers on the bar counter invited me to The Britons Protection 200th Anniversary Party, which took place on 10/11 June 2011.
From the near end of this bar, a splendid tiled corridor leads round to two further rooms directly behind the main bar, the doors of which still retain their original numbers ( rooms 3 and 4 ) – I don’t recall seeing a Room 2 incidentally. These rooms are dimly lit by gas lamps and traditionally furnished with fixed seating, old fireplaces and bell pushes. Service to both these rooms is from serving hatches in the corridor at the back of the main bar, through sturdy looking leaded glass drop down screens. The tiled corridor has some fine painted murals of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, one of which shows the skirmish in full cry with the pub in the background.
The pub is listed in CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.
Rather unusually at the end of the back corridor, the toilets are accessed via double swing doors which always remind me of a saloon in a John Wayne cowboy film. There’s a shady garden at the back which is reasonably large for a City Centre pub.
2 separate banks of pumps in the front bar were offering 5 beers – Robinsons Enigma, Jennings Cumberland, Moorhouses Premier, Rossendale Pennine Ale and Britons Protection Ale, which I noted from the pump clip as being brewed by Tetley Northampton.
The pub offers a large range of whiskies and is popular with local office staff for its good value ( by London standards ) business lunches.
This is another pub well worth seeking out – if you’re staying in Jury’s, it’s next door. Visiting the Britons Protection and the nearby Peveril of the Peak gives you a very impressive difficult to beat double header
On 3rd April 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Briton's Protection Hotel
A fine and famous old pub in the shadow of the Gmex centre, as described by others the interior is a wonderful mix of woods and tiles with a ceiling in decorative plasterwork. The bar counter top is arched perhaps in a reflection of the Gmex roof or providing inspiration for the tramway viaduct opposite the pub. The narrow main bar runs almost the width of the building at the front and there are two more rooms at the back reached by a side corridor. These rooms are served by hatches in the drinking corridor running behind the servery. Not very busy mid afternoon on a Friday, just a couple of older regulars, a middle aged couple, and a small group of middle class, middle aged suits but out of uniform. Five pumps in two groups with a mix of better known names Jennings, Tetley, Robinsons plus a Moorhouses and a wheat beer from Hornbeam. The quality of the beer and service were pretty good, and as Roger says a big range of whiskys, they have an silver award from Whisky Bars of the World displayed on the bar counter.
On 10th September 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3276 recommendations about 2982 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Briton's Protection Hotel
Top notch multi roomed proper pub well described by the previous reviewers below. Some very nice tiling, woodwork, moulded ceiling and welcoming fireplaces in the labyrinth of rooms, and it's deservedly one of the five inner city Manchester pubs listed in CAMRA's national inventory of heritage pubs.
The front bar room has an interesting carved ceiling but as the pub wasn’t that busy, we managed to get a seat in one of the smaller back rooms accessed by the splendidly tiled corridor with the depiction of the Peterloo Massacre, as mentioned by Rob below.
The five handpumps were on the go and the Jennings Cumberland was an excellent pint. Would have like to have combined this with a visit to the Peveril of the Peak up the road (another on the CAMRA national inventory), but the Peveril does not open till the evening on weekends.
On 12th February 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2128 recommendations about 2003 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Briton's Protection Hotel
Doesn't look much from the street, being surrounded by traffic lights and large billboards, and having some rather functional neon signage on the facade. However, the interior offers a well-preseved layout comprising the main bar, a tiled corridor and two comfortable back rooms (with service via an old-fashioned hatch). There is also a little patio beer garden out back too. The beer range isn't large, with just five handpumps, but several interesting guests (e.g. Coach House Gunpowder Mild at £3.00) in addition to the regular ales. Well known for its collection of whiskies. Overall, with its good atmosphere and efficient service, it remains the finest of things - a proper pub.
On 4th July 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Briton's Protection Hotel
Impressive pub with a fine exterior and an even better interior. 3 small rooms two with "real" fires (OK they're gas really but still look good) plus a drinking corridor with pictures of the infamous Peterloo massacre on the walls. Sells Robinsons Unicorn & Jennings Cumberland with a guest ale or two often from Coach House. Beer is pretty well kept with the occasional blip. Can get very busy, it doesn't take many people to get this place full. Sells the excellent Grunt, Gobble, Zoom, Coo Pie (Wild Boar, Turkey, Hare & Pigeon). A quirky place, try it you'll probably like it. I do.
On 13th March 2010
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]