Yahoo News It’s a much-loved corner of Manchester... in 90 days it could be unrecognisable
On the corner of Albion Street and Great Bridgewater Street sits a legendary boozer. One of the city’s oldest pubs, Britons Protection is a long-running thread in Manchester’s historical tapestry.
It is one of three surviving city centre buildings to have stood near the site of the Peterloo Massacre and is said to have served as a refuge for the injured. The sign above the door, and a number of murals found inside the Tardis-like pub, depict scenes from the event.
It was also used as an army recruitment centre during the Napoleonic Wars, and a number of well-known individuals have passed over its threshold over the years - from political theorist Friedrich Engels, to Factory Records co-founder Anthony Wilson, and members of New Order.
And then of course, there’s the regulars. Their names may not be as familiar, but they are an integral part of the Grade II-listed building’s story. For some it has served as the backdrop for major life events, while for others it’s a corner of Manchester untouched by the sprawling changes taking place just beyond the front door.
Much of its interiors have remained the same over the last 100 years, from its serving hatch and moulded ceiling, to its terrazzo floors and the tiles lining its maze-like passages. Its charm is undeniable.
How the fate of a pub over 200 years old could be decided in less than 90 days
But bosses at Britons fear that its future is in jeopardy. In a few months' time - June 17 - there's set to be a Manchester County Court hearing that could determine if they can still run the pub - and could also determine what drinks it will stock.
The pub's landlord is Star Pubs - a subsidiary of Heineken. Since 2018, Britons has been run as an 'Market Rent Only' pub, which means it isn't tied to Heineken products, but must buy a certain amount of keg beer from the brewing company.
But, in 2022, as the current lease was coming to an end, Star Pubs did not renew Allan's lease. The licensee and his regulars feared that the lease not being renewed would give Star Pubs the opportunity to change the pub beyond recognition.
They feared it would lose its focus on local ales - and the huge, carefully-curated collection of whiskies from around the world, built up under previous leases - and become more of a 'generic' Heineken-supplied pub.
So, in spite of his lease not being renewed, Allan simply carried on paying the rent to Star Pubs and stayed put. But, in order to secure his status long-term - and what he sees as the right future for the Britons - he's facing Star Pubs in court in a battle for the right to remain as licensee. In three months time he will know if he's succeeded - or if the pub faces a different future.
In a petition lodged two years ago, and signed by more than 16,000 people, the Britons team said if they lost control, the pub would “fall into the abyss of generic gastro pub”, stripped of its character, selling an “unrecognisable” portfolio of drinks that would “no longer be able to support the local breweries or offer such a vast selection of whisky”.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News back in June 2022, Allan explained: “The BP is known for having 360 whiskies, it’s one of our biggest draws and what people come to the BP for. If I have to buy all my whisky through Heineken, there are about 15 on their books.
“I can’t see Heineken opening accounts and working with all these people for the sake of one unit. So the whisky USP will disappear. With cask beer, Heineken doesn't work with local breweries, because they’re a massive chain.”
At the time, Allan and the team appealed to regulars to join their campaign to hang on to the Britons. It wasn't the only battle the pub was facing at the time.
In 2021, a property developer put in a bid to build a 26-storey tower block right next door. Arrowsmith Investments said the proposals would ‘enhance and preserve the 200-year-old pub, but campaigners hit out at the proposals, calling it ‘a tower too far’ that would ‘ruin’ the pub’s beer garden and historical legacy. A decision has still not been made on those plans.
Meanwhile, the pub is being advertised to new potential leaseholders by Star Pubs. A post on the Star Pubs website describes Britons Protection as a "traditional Manchester Ale House that dates back to 1806", adding that the pub is available via their Just Add Talent Agreement, promising 'minimal start-up costs'.
It goes on to explain that the pub offer is "centrally driven" by Star Pubs but "locally executed by you", adding: "We bring the drinks range and offers; you execute a superb retail offer and manage your staff."
Further to this, in a PDF brochure about its Just Add Talent Agreement scheme, and within the Q&A section about the terms, the company responds to a question over whether the licensee can change the drinks on offer with the answer: "No - the drinks to be on offer are set and will be detailed by us as part of the recruitment process."
Star Pubs told the M.E.N they 'plan to build on the current offer' at the pub while continuing to support its 'historic status' and keep its focus on 'an interesting range of real ale and ciders'.
But with the chain's policies referring to a 'centrally driven' policy, they fear any new licensee will face tighter control about how the pub is run under Star Pub's 'managed operator' model.
'We're fighting to keep this pub a traditional British pub'
“We still pay the rent but we started the legal battle because we want to stay here running it, you can’t push us out,” says Lucy Purnell, a supervisor at the Britons, who steps out from behind the bar as it fills with punters grabbing a post-work pint on a Wednesday evening.
“The reason we’re fighting is to keep this pub a traditional British pub. They are trying to retake control of the lease to run the pub themselves and turn it into something more bistro style which would completely change the atmosphere here and it would become so generic.
“Our regulars who have drunk here for decades proudly say that this place never changes and is a hub for the community - all of that would change.”
One of those regulars, Eric Sinnot, lives less than 100 metres away and comes in for a pint three or four times a week. He used to live in Blackpool and moved over to Manchester during the pandemic. He finds the community aspect hugely important - but he also likes the no-nonsense nature of the place and fears if Star have great control it will 'destroy' it.
“It’s an old school boozer,” says Eric bluntly. “There’s no music, no televisions, no worrying about food, and people can just come in for a conversation.
"I don’t come to the pub for food, I come here to have a drink and a chat. If it becomes a food-based offering, you won’t get as many people coming in.
“We also know about the planning proposal next door, so if the pub doesn’t do well, they could potentially even close it, and then what happens to the building?
“When you look at the number of people who live by themselves or don’t have family locally, it’s important to have places like this. My mother lives in Hungary, my sister lives in Wales, so I have no immediate family here, so the fact that I can come out, have a drink, meet up with the lads, or speak to the bar staff is incredible, I love it.”
'It’s a place where you can come in and enjoy the atmosphere, without the disruption of loud music and massive TV screens'
A couple of stools across sits John, another regular who lives in Salford and enjoys traditional pubs like Britons and The Peveril of the Peak, just down the road. “I just prefer the old fashioned style pubs,” he says taking a quick swig from his pint.
“The staff are brilliant here too, and while you get regulars from around Manchester, there’s also the people who come here from abroad because of the whiskies.
“We need to keep these traditional places going, because otherwise you’re just going to have wine bars, and while they have their place in Manchester, so do pubs like this.
Speaking of the planning application that looms, alongside the lease dispute, John adds: "I don’t disagree with regeneration because places like Manchester and Salford need it, but there’s other land to build on and it would take away from these places and ruin the character of the city."
Like Eric, John recognises the role places like Britons play in people’s everyday routines. "You do get a lot of people who live alone and they might not be drinkers but they’ll maybe come out on a Wednesday afternoon, have a lemonade or orange juice and sit and talk, because it’s company.
“We need to keep these types of pubs so people have these places to meet. Loneliness is a killer really, so as long as people can get out and meet people, that helps. These sorts of establishments play a big part in that.
“A lot of these breweries are just interested in making money, so I worry that it would just run the pub down. If they were to lose the court case and get taken over I don’t think I would come back in here, it will just lose all the character, and I don’t think I’ll be the only one.”
Brian and his friends Michael, Keith and John have been meeting for a pint at Britons for over 40 years, having first met playing squash, “before their knees gave out”.
Brian’s knowledge of the pub’s history raises a few smiles from his friends as they debate over the changes taking place in Manchester. “You can see just from the outside that it harks back to Peterloo, one of the places where people in 1819 escaped to,” he says.
“It’s a place where you can come in and enjoy the atmosphere, without the disruption of loud music and massive TV screens, in a way you would have done 50 years ago or 100 years ago - there aren’t many places like this anymore," he adds.
“In the 60s we got rid of a lot of our heritage in terms of buildings, so it would be a pity to let places like this go. Just look at how many breweries they’re supporting behind the bar."
On the plans for the plot next door which are still lodged with Manchester City Council and wider regeneration, Brian adds: “As a development site it’s worth millions of pounds, as a pub, it’s worth a good living. If you just allow developers to do what they want, there will be no heritage left.
“What would come after would be like a hundred other places in Manchester, so we have to do anything we can to save it from that future really. If you come from continental Europe to see Britain, you don’t want to go into a bar you would have at home, this is a proper pub.”
Allan Hudd is busy checking out his latest purchase behind the bar, another whisky to add to the 300-strong collection. As we talk he’s interrupted several times by pub-goers who want to shake his hand, tell him about their day, or regale him with the story of their 18-hour journey back from their holiday in Spain - you can tell he enjoys every interaction.
“It’s all about the community aspect of this pub,” he says earnestly. “The fact it’s been here over 200 years, it’s a keystone - everybody knows about Britons Protection.
He’s also very proud of what he and the team have achieved over the last decade. “When we took it on it did about 120-140 whiskies, we now do almost 300, and it only had three cask ales. It took me ten years of constantly working with CAMRA to get back in the Good Beer Guide."
'It feels like a David and Goliath battle'
Before legislation came into force in 2016, around 12,000 pub tenants in England and Wales were ‘tied’ to their landlords. This meant that tenants were formerly required to buy the majority of the beer they served from a particular pub company or brewery - but then the Market Rent (MRO) option came into effect and the government said they no longer had to be tied and had the ability to move to a ‘free-of-tie tenancy.
In practice, the new code meant tenants had the right to opt for an MRO, ending the ties with the brewery and removing the obligation for all products to be bought directly from the landlord pub company or agreed supplier. Allan says when this option came up in 2018, he saw it as an opportunity to change up the cask ale side.
“We paid a lot of money to do the MRO. We knew it was smart to tap into the local breweries, we just didn’t feel Heineken had the scope for that,” he reflects. “Technically with the lease we had with Star, it should be a case that we have a renewable lease every five years, so if we’re up to date on repairs and so on then we should get a new lease unless they want to take it back under a section in the agreement.
“They want to take it back and run it themselves, through their Just Add Talent portfolio, so another lease, but our argument is that if all you want to do is lease it out, then why not just lease it to us, but they won’t. We’ve been leasing it for ten plus years with no issue, up until two years ago we were buying our beer from Heineken under a separate trade deal.
“When the lease expired a couple of years ago we just kept paying rent and it took us into a shorthold agreement. And when that lease ended, because we didn’t agree with the terms, we said ‘we’ll see you in court’.
“It feels like a David and Goliath battle. They hope we will think it will cost us too much and we’ll give up. We just worry it would run down into something that wouldn’t work and would be closed, or worse.”
For Allan, this isn’t just a job. “’We’ve got a very loyal customer base from around here but also people from further afield coming to visit. We had a group of 19-year-olds as a stag coming in recently and pulling out a pub crawl list that their great grandads did years ago.
“Another woman lived in the pub during WW2. Then there’s the people who come and tell us they went to college here in the 60s and used to come in - you just don’t get that in other places. In my opinion, if they take it back, it will take the soul away from this pub. I’d hate to see it.
“People will go elsewhere if these whiskies and real ales disappear because I don’t think it will survive unless it’s left to people like myself and business partners who know what it’s like to run a pub like this - it’s not a one model fits all scenario - this pub is an entity in itself.”
A spokesperson for Star Pubs & Bars said: "Britons Protection is a beautiful, historic Manchester pub that appeals to both locals who love real ale and visitors looking to experience a traditional Mancunian Great British pub. We believe in its future and, now that the lease is coming to an end, we feel this is the ideal opportunity to review how the pub will be operated going forward to ensure its long-term sustainability.
“Britons Protection is the perfect fit for our managed operator model, and we plan to build on the current offer whilst continuing to support the pub’s historic status and maintaining its focus on serving an interesting range of real ale and ciders.”
"We are going through a legal process with the licensee and due to this are not able to comment further."
