CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

GREATER MANCHESTER - Brunswick, Mawson Hotel

National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors Part One

78 Francis Street, Manchester, M13 9SQ

(Corner of Kincardine Road)

Tel: 0161 273 2157

Listed Status: Grade II

View this pub on a local map

Red-brick two-storey building standing alone after redevelopment of surrounding terraced housing. It was rebuilt in 1936-7 to designs of Fred Riley of Bramfield & Smith, Manchester for Tetleys Brewery of Leeds. It is a rare survival with a largely intact 1930s interior of three rooms, a drinking lobby and the rare intact counter screens; the off sales is no longer in use. There is a terrazzo tiled floor as you enter. The lobby has an intact dado of inter-war panelling, the bar counter has an original fielded panelled front and rare intact two sectioned shuttered upper section with sliding screens intact, a section of original fixed bench seating opposite the bar and good patterned ceiling picked out in gold on blue. Even the old bell box is still there above the hatch with ‘Smoke Room’. ‘Ladies Room’ and ‘Bar Parlour’ windows. The off sales is situated behind the bar back and although it has been blocked up and no longer in use the area is still there and has more 1930s tiling on the dado. It is not clear how the off sales would have worked and as the bar back sits awkwardly it does appear that it could be a replacement with its two modern ‘Mawson Hotel’ mirrors and modern tiles.

A door with '3' on the frame on right of entrance goes into the small ‘Brass Room (lounge) with original fixed bench seating, 1930s style panelled bar front, good shuttered upper section still with sliding window and carved wood above it and a part glazed baffle by the door (the panel looks like a replacement). On the left near the entrance is a door with 1930s leaded panels and '2' above it leads to another small room called ‘The Library’ which has a baffle as one enters and re-upholstered original fixed bench seating all around with a panel above it and signs of old bell pushes, also a tiled and cast fireplace. The doorway on the rear right with '4' on leads to another small room (Vault / Karaoke Room) – the only room to have lost its door. There is an inter-war panelled dado, original fixed bench seating, a door to the servery with a flap i.e. hatch service and a part glazed baffle by the door – the glazed panel looks original. The fireplace retains its classic 1930s detailing in the wood surround but modern brick interior.

After the lobby opens out for the bar area it returns to a narrow passageway to the rear still with a dado of fielded panelling. In a recess to the left around the ladies' toilets there is a dado of 1930s green tiles. The ladies' toilets have cream 1930s tiles on the walls. The gents' toilets at the end of the passage is also intact with a terrazzo tiled floor, cream-coloured inter-war tiled walls. and 4 big urinals. There is a ‘5’ over the cellar door.