Marble Arch Inn
The Marble Arch Inn is a Grade II listed historic public house on Rochdale Road in the Ancoats area of Manchester, England. The Campaign for Real Ale considers it to have an interior of "outstanding national historic importance."
| Marble Arch Inn | |
|---|---|
 The pub in 2017 | |
  Location within Greater Manchester | |
| General information | |
| Type | Public house |
| Location | Rochdale Road, Ancoats, Manchester, England |
| Coordinates | 53°29′18″N 2°13′55″W / 53.4883°N 2.2319°W |
| Year built | 1888[1] |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Buff brick, polished pink granite[2] |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Designations | |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Marble Arch Inn |
| Designated | 20 June 1988 |
| Reference no. | 1247604 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
The Marble Arch Inn is a Grade II listed historic public house on Rochdale Road in the Ancoats area of Manchester, England. The Campaign for Real Ale considers it to have an interior of "outstanding national historic importance."[3]
History
[edit]The pub was built in 1888 by the architects Darbyshire & Smith.[3] It stands on the site of an earlier pub that functioned as a show-house for McKenna's Brewery in the mid-19th century.[4]
On 20 June 1988, the Marble Arch Inn was designated a Grade II listed building.[1]
Marble Brewery, originally founded at the back of the building in 1997, now conducts its brewing operations in Salford.[5] The pub remains as the brewery's flagship venue.[4]
Architecture
[edit]The building is constructed of buff brick, with polished pink granite used at street level, and has a hipped slate roof. It stands on a corner and has two floors, with five bays facing Gould Street, an angled corner bay, and two bays along Rochdale Road.[6]
The ground floor sits on a shaped base and has a decorative band and ledge running around the building. The corner entrance is set back within a small three‑sided porch supported by granite columns, with arches of the type often called "Caernarvon" above. There are two more entrances on the Gould Street side, both with round‑arched heads and moulded surrounds. The windows on this level also use the same arch shape; those on Gould Street are paired and divided by small central shafts.[1]
The upper floor repeats the same window shape. The central window on the Gould Street front is sheltered by a small sloping canopy and sits beneath a gable containing a terracotta panel dated 1888, flanked by two tall chimneys with cornices. The corner has three flat‑headed windows. A richly detailed red‑terracotta cornice runs around the eaves.[6]
Interior
[edit]The internal walls are lined with glazed bricks. Above, there is a decorative frieze displaying various alcoholic and cordial beverages.[2] The ceiling is adorned with more glazed bricks forming low jack arches on iron girders, with ceramic brackets at the ends. The floor is covered in mosaic tiles, primarily in cream and blue with floral insets, and slopes noticeably downhill from the Rochdale Road end.[7]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Marble Arch Inn". Historic England. Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Manchester Historic Pub Walk". Historic England. Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Marble Arch, Manchester (Marble Arch Inn)". Campaign for Real Ale. Archived from the original on 10 June 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ a b Maidment, Adam (29 April 2025). "The Grade II-listed city centre pub with a 'hidden' beer garden perfect for the sunshine". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 10 June 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Heward, Emily (12 March 2019). "Manchester's Marble Beers to open new Salford brewery and taproom". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 10 June 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Marble Arch Inn". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- ^ Gregson, Louisa (22 October 2019). "The latest glaze - Manchester's most beautiful tiled spaces". Confidentials Manchester. Archived from the original on 10 June 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
