Mr Thomas's Chop House

Pub Heritage Group have recently carried out a regrading of Real Heritage Pubs - click here for full details

Greater Manchester - Manchester

Three star - A pub interior of exceptional national historic importance

Listed Status: II

52 Cross Street
Manchester
M2 7AR

Tel: (0161) 832 2245

Email: toms@vicchopco.com

Website http://tomschophouse.com

Real Ale: Yes

Lunchtime Meals: Yes

Evening Meals: Yes

Nearby Station: Manchester Victoria

Station Distance: 750m

Public Transport: Near Railway Station (Manchester Victoria) and Bus Stop

Bus: Yes

View on: Whatpub

This is a fancy Jacobean confection dating from 1901. The front part was originally a shop and offices designed by architects Mills & Murgatroyd and the rear part, facing St Ann’s Square was by Woodhouse & Willoughby and of the same date. The interior comprises four spaces, one behind the other, demarcated by light green ceramic arches. A similarly coloured dado runs along much of the walling and the third compartment from the front also has plain cream tiling, reaching up to the ceiling. The small area at the back has an outstanding ceramic fireplace. Black and white tiled flooring runs throughout the pub. The main changes have been to the bar furniture, which is mostly modern: a photograph in the historic picture gallery in the gents’ shows how the servery was formerly located in the third compartment from the front. Over half of this fine interior operates as a good-quality restaurant. The painter L.S. Lowry was a regular here in its less up-market days. The pub was known as Mr Thomas's Chop House after Thomas Stubbs, who founded it is in 1867, but was renamed in 2019 in honour of after his wife who took over running the business in 1875 when he became to ill to work.
A tall, narrow building dated 1901 in the gable. It's a typical example of exuberant end-of-the-nineteenth-century architecture - in this case in an ornate Jacobean style. The front part has red brick and terracotta while the rear is all faced in buff terracotta. Over half of this magnificent tiled interior is operated as a high class restaurant www.tomschophouse.com. The interior consists of four spaces, one behind the other, the middle two defined by a wide, green-tiled arch. These two areas are characterised by an impressive display of tilework, with a green dado running round the walls and cream tiling above extending to ceiling. A black and white tiled flooring runs throughout the whole of the pub. The two restaurant areas each have 2 arches in right-hand wall. All arches lined with green tiling and one houses a large wine rack.

In the front section is a modern bar counter and back-fitting but there is some good linen-fold panelling. Through a doorway is another modern counter and there is a small modern counter in the restaurant section. In the rear small area, also defined by a green-tiled arch, is an excellent ceramic fireplace. There is an outside seating area at the rear of the building - table service operates lunchtimes in the outside seating area (and possibly at other times).
Full Description