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Castle
Hotel Manchester |
66
Oldham Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M4 1LE |
Tel:
07969 618357 |
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Bar
opening hours:
Mon-Sat 11am-11pm &
Sun 12pm-8pm |
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Castle
Hotel Manchester |
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Walk
up Oldham Street from Piccadilly on the right hand side of the
road, and you stumble across the Castle Hotel. The brown tiles
frontage should give away the fact that this is NOT one of the
many new and trendy bars that are springing up on an almost daily
basis around the Northern Quarter. |
No,
not this place.
|
This
is something that is very rare in todays modern cities. It's an
OLD pub, very old in fact. Licensed premises since 1776, at one
point it had it's own brewery in what is now a very ramshackle
garage at the back of the pub! No such thing as health and safety
in those days, of course! |
The first thing you will be struck by upon entry is the mosaic
in the doorway, which has been dated as from the 1830's at some
point. Then there is the tiled bar, originally, we believe, a
part of Manchester Town Hall before it was demolished and the
new one was built and completed in 1887. |
This is that rarest of things in modern day cities, a three room
pub that has so far managed to avoid the attention of the planners,
and as a result retains its character and individual style, making
it an oasis in the modern day of chain and 'concept' bars !!! |
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 |
Castle
Hotel Northern Quarter |
The
Castle Hotel is tied to the Robinsons Brewery in Stockport, and
as a result is only allowed to sell beer brewed by them. For most
people, this would mean a very limited range, but not for the
Castle. Selling an incredible NINE real ales, ranging in strength
from the not one, but two Milds, (light and dark) at 3.3%, all
the way up to Old Tom, a winter ale served all year round, at
8.5%, there is something here for every drinkers palate. |
For
those of you who are not into Real Ale, there are three draught
lagers, cider, and Guinness, as well as some carefully selected
bottled beers and a fairly extensive range in spirits. All at
a very reasonable price for a city centre pub |
| Character
is something you will find in abundance in this place. From the
surly, yet extremely dry, landlord, to the customers at the bar
singing Monty Python songs. Taking in everything from young punks
to ancient draughts players, this is a place that appeals to everyone
in some way or other. |
| Throw
in the Czech memorabilia, most notably the two signed Czech Republic
football shirts which were worn by Pavel Nedved and Milan Baros
in World Cup Qualifiers, (and the lethal Czech spirits kept behind
the bar to surprise people with on birthdays), next to pictures
of the Queen when she was still young and people still cared about
the Royal Family, and the eclectic mix is complete |
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Events
at The Castle Hotel Manchester |
 |
Events
occur in the Castle on a regular basis. Usually involving live
music, sometimes for a reason, sometimes just because the surly
landlord feels like a party. Highlight of the year for 2006 was
two very drunken idiots, out to cause trouble and upset people,
being thrown out of the pub by Death and Hagar the Horrible! |
Trouble is one of those things that happens in other places, and
thats just the way everyone at the Castle likes it. Free live
music is something that happens HERE, and again, that's the way
we like it!
|
Free
Open Mic nights every Monday. Anything up to six bands on any
other night of the week, on an ad hoc basis, where a single night
can take in anything and everything from solo acoustic to hardcore,
thrash punk and metal. All really informal, with the bands playing
because they love music, not to try to make a statement. |
| An occasional
covers band may slip through the net, but it's mostly up and coming
bands playing their own songs, and they can, and have, come from
as far afield as Belgium, Holland, Norway, Italy, Czech Republic,
and Australia to play at the Castle! And lets not forget Scotland,
and one band in particular, who go by the name of Travis, and played
at the Castle in 1995! |
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Who
drinks at The Castle Hotel? |
Anyone
who wants to, as long as you are out for a good time! |
On the music front, Mark E Smith from The Fall is a regular visitor,
as are Elbow, I Am Kloot, and Stephen Fretwell whenever they are
in town. Ian Curtis did an interview in the Castle in 1979, and
even John Peel was known to pop in occasionally! |
|
Prince Charles' Press Secretary used to drink in the Castle all
the time, when he was Press Officer at Manchester United, and still
calls in when he is in Manchester, although not with Charlie as
of yet! |
| It's
the kind of place where you quite often stand there asking your
friend who the person at the other end of the bar is, and then realise
afterwards that it really was Johnny Vegas or Mercury Music Prize
Nominated Richard Hawley! |
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|
Castle Hotel Reviews |
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"The
Castle Hotel is one of a sadly dying number of genuine boozers
in Manchester. Like many of the neighbouring bars in the Northern
Quarter, music plays a big part here. From unsigned acts playing
live to the more famous musicians who often prop up the bar, The
Castle is one of the few remaining Manchester music institutions
that has avoided the property developers' wrecking ball. Serving
real Manchester ales in friendly surroundings that have thankfully
avoided fashion trends and unecessary changes, this is a pub well
worth checking out whilst in the Northern Quarter."
- ManchesterBars.com (June 2007) |
click
here to read & submit reviews
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