Before chain bars and polished rooftops, there was Tommy Ducks.
A legendary boozer nestled in a row of ramshackle 18th-century cottages in the city centre. Inside, the walls were steeped in whiskey fumes, tall tales, and the unmistakable sight of bras and knickers pinned proudly to the ceiling. How do we think that would run today?
It was said to stock over 100 whiskies and bizarrely, a vegan menu. Maybe it was somewhat forward-thinking.
Tommy Ducks wasn’t your quiet couple of swifts and a game of darts joint.
It was a riot, a refuge, a shrine to mischief. And like so many of Manchester’s most beloved institutions, and iconic buildings it was bulldozed, overnight, quite literally: to make way for “progress.”
Some still call it a demolition too far.
It’s been gone for more than 30 years, but people still talk about it with the kind of nostalgic fire usually reserved for first loves and Cup finals. You couldn’t run a place like it now, topless barmaids, coffin tables, feminist raids, but that’s what made it unforgettable.
Manchester’s still got its fair share of cracking old pubs, but there’ll never be another Tommy Ducks.
It was pure Manc.
The history of the Tommy Ducks pub
Tommy Ducks clung on into the 1990s, holding its own as the city transformed around it. But sitting on prime development land in the very heart of Manchester, its days were always numbered.
Despite a spirited campaign to save it, the pub vanished almost overnight, demolished the very moment its preservation order expired, without so much as a goodbye.
One day it was there, pulling pints beneath a ceiling of suspended underwear. The next, it was rubble.
And for what? A Premier Inn. Gutted.
Couldn’t they have done what Salford did with Lark Hill Place? Build around it, preserve it, celebrate it? Irish pubs are recreated in airports and hotels across the world, but this real-deal Manc institution was flattened with barely a second thought.
Architects today might wince at the idea of sealing off a pub like Tommy Ducks inside a modern hotel, a museum piece of mischief and beer. But you can’t help thinking it would’ve been a hit. A time capsule of pure Manchester charm, saved in amber.
When did Tommy Ducks open?
Pinning down exactly when Tommy Ducks first opened is no easy task.
Some reckon it dates back to the mid-19th century, maybe even earlier, though hard evidence is thin on the ground. An 1819 map shows a pub in the area, but whether it was the Tommy Ducks remains anyone’s guess. Like so much about the place, its beginnings are more myth than record.
And what’s with the name?
Legend has it the pub’s name was a happy accident. The story goes that the landlord, a man called Thomas Duckworth, wanted to rebrand the pub in his own name.
He hired a sign painter, who somehow bungled the job and left behind “Tommy Ducks” instead. Whether that tale’s true or not is almost beside the point: it’s exactly the kind of folklore the pub seemed to attract.
Tommy Ducks never did things by the book. Inside, you’d find tables made from glass-topped coffins, underwear fluttering overhead, and a bar full of regulars who wouldn’t dream of drinking anywhere else.
It was weird, it was wonderful, and it wore its oddness with pride. The pub didn’t cater to the masses, it catered to those who liked their pint with a side of surreal.
A legacy of controversy at Tommy Ducks
The pub’s unconventional practices were not without controversy.
The knickers hanging from the ceiling became a point of contention, prompting an attempted “raid” by local feminists.
The episode further fuelled the legends surrounding Tommy Ducks, cementing its status as a pub like no other.
The 1970s brought both transformation and legendary status to Tommy Ducks.
As surrounding buildings faced demolition, the pub emerged was a bright spot amidst a dreary landscape.
Rumours of topless barmaids and the use of actual coffins as tables circulated, capturing the imagination and fuelling its popularity.
Your memories of Tommy Ducks
For many Mancunians, Tommy Ducks was a part of their life story. Chris Mott, who studied at Manchester University in the 1970s, remembers it fondly, and personally.
“I got married in 1975 at Manchester’s registry office at 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning,” he shared.
“We arranged to have our reception in Tommy Ducks. With a budget of £50, they put on a great buffet: pies, sausage rolls, that sort of thing.”
But, as anyone who ever stepped through the doors of the legendary boozer will tell you, it was never just about the food or the pints. “By the end of the function, the knickers of both my new wife and those of her bridesmaid were pinned to the ceiling along with the others already there,” he laughed.
“The coffins were there too. It’s a shame it was demolished.”
Chris isn’t the only one who recalls Tommy Ducks as something special. Carl Acer, who worked at the Manchester Film Theatre on Oxford Street in 1971, says the pub was a staple for him and his colleagues.
“We all enjoyed using the pub for Christmas parties and lock-ins,” he wrote. “I still remember the landlord, Ken Rigg. He will always be remembered for being a really good man. He also had a son, Ian, who ran the Concert Inn at the back of Tommy Ducks, on Moseley Street. The staff and regulars were always friendly and welcoming. The atmosphere was great.”
Another regular, Charlie Ornstein, remembers being a daily customer from the moment Ken Rigg took over in the early 1970s. “Ken’s wife Phyllis ran the kitchen. Everything you’ve heard is true: the coffin, the knickers on the ceiling, the topless barmaids. The pub even doubled in size under Ken’s stewardship.”
Charlie notes the close-knit community that revolved around the pub, including Ken’s son Ian, who managed the smaller sister pub next door. “Ian lives in St Annes now and I’m in Cheadle. I’m sure I speak for both of us when I say we’d be happy to fill in all of the details that are fit to print, and many that are not.”
Farewell to an icon
The 1990s marked the beginning of the end for Tommy Ducks. Despite efforts to preserve the pub, fate had a different plan.
Demolished the night its preservation order ran out, Tommy Ducks was gone by the 13th of February, 1993 and in its place now stands a Premier Inn hotel.
The aftermath left a void in the city’s heart, symbolising the delicate balance between progress and heritage.
What is the legacy of Tommy Ducks?
Although Tommy Ducks has vanished physically, its spirit endures in the cherished memories of those who frequented it.
The tales of its quirky past continue to captivate new generations, and the void it left behind serves as a reminder of the transient nature of historical landmarks in an ever-changing world.
As the city evolves and grows, the story of Tommy Ducks serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of preserving and cherishing our heritage, lest we lose the essence of what once made us truly unique.
What are your memories of the Tommy Ducks pub?
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All photos credit Manchester Libraries
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