Relocation of two of The Old Wellington and Sinclair’s Oyster Bar

“Few regeneration stories are as remarkable as the relocation of two of Manchester’s most historic pubs”

Few regeneration stories are as remarkable as the relocation of two of Manchester’s most historic pubs – The Old Wellington and Sinclair’s Oyster Bar.

After the 1996 bomb, Edaw’s (now AECOM) masterplan called for a new pedestrian route linking Manchester Cathedral with St Ann’s Square. There was just one problem: two listed pubs stood in the way. The Old Wellington (Grade II* and a Scheduled Ancient Monument) and Sinclair’s (Grade II) couldn’t simply be demolished – every element had to be preserved.

Following the granting of the relevant permissions in 1997, contractor Watkin Jones Construction was appointed to manage the dismantling of the pubs at Shambles Square, while Buttress was responsible for the meticulous task of labelling, recording, measuring and photographing every single joint, peg and piece of timber in both pubs (in total over 10,000 items) – a condition of the planning approval. This even included uneven floors, gaps between oak beams and tobacco stains on the ceiling!

The new site, outlined in the Edaw masterplan, had previously been home to a shop and, before that, a school of motoring. Plans for its redevelopment were already in place, with planning permission granted in 1992 for a new four-storey office building (eerily granted on 15 June 1992 – exactly four years before the bomb).

The relocated pubs subsequently opened in their new location in September 1999.

Turning to this week’s Flashback Friday the top photo was taken in October 1998 and shows the pubs being re-assembled (note some of the names: English Partnerships and Manchester Millennium Ltd).

The bottom photo was taken a during the summer of 2025 – and if you look carefully, I think I’ve done quite a good job matching them up!