How The Salutation became a cornerstone of Manchester’s story

Tucked away amid the modern sprawl of Manchester Metropolitan University, the Royal Northern College of Music, and the sleek SODA Digital School of Arts, The Salutation stands as a defiant relic of Manchester’s storied history.

With roots (reportedly) dating back to 1820, this independent pub has poured pints for poets, students, revolutionaries, musicians, and everyday Mancunians for over two centuries. From meetings that shaped history to legendary performances, The Sal has been both witness and stage Manchester’s ongoing development into something new.

Step inside, and you’ll find more than just a well-poured pint: you’ll uncover the echoes of Charlotte Brontë’s inspiration, the rebellious energy of Mark E. Smith, and the eccentric charm of Frank Sidebottom. But what is it that makes The Salutation the icon it is? Let’s explore the rich history of one of Manchester’s most beloved and enduring drinking institutions.

The Salutation

The Salutation, previously known as the Salutation Tavern, has a contested founding date, but it is believed to be in the early nineteenth century.

Some suggest it may have opened as early as 1828. The pub appears on an 1844 Ordnance Survey map of Hulme, generally classifying it as an 1840s establishment. However, whether the original building or business traces further back remains speculative.

The striking front facade of The Salutation, while charming, is not original. Added in 1904, the exterior once bore the lettering “Hardy’s Crown Ales,” visible in photographs from 1960. During its time as a Tetley’s pub, the lettering was removed or concealed, as seen in images from 1972 and 1988.

Richard Davis’ 1988 photograph of The Salutation, captured from the vantage point of Cavendish Halls of Residence, freezes a moment in time: a snapshot of a pub and a city on the cusp of change. Over the past thirty-five years, the scene has transformed beyond recognition.

Once, The Salutation stood with open greens stretching out at its front and rear, a quiet patio to its left, and Higher Chatham Street running alongside it. Today, the landscape is unrecognisable. The pub now faces the towering Cambridge Halls, The Royal Northern College of Music, with the sleek, modern SODA building rising to its right and rear, while the student union flanks its left.

The contrast between past and present is striking: a reminder of Manchester’s ever-evolving skyline. Yet, through all the change, The Salutation remains, a steadfast piece of the city’s history standing proudly amid the new.

A place for meetings

Like many traditional pubs, The Salutation has long been a gathering place for the local community, a hub where important decisions were made and history quietly unfolded. This was particularly true in the 19th century when it served as a meeting spot for influential groups.

It is said that a building society was once established within its walls by workers employed by one of the area’s most powerful industrialists, Hugh Hornby Birley. Birley, the merchant behind Cambridge Street Cotton Mill (also known as Cambridge New Mills), remains a controversial figure due to his role in the infamous Peterloo Massacre. For context, Hugh Hornby Birley was a leading Manchester millowner and Tory who is reputed to have led the fatal charge of the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry at the Peterloo Massacre on 16th August 1819.

The Chorlton Poor Law Guardians

The pub also provided a meeting space for ‘The Chorlton Poor Law Guardians,’ a group operating under the larger ‘Chorlton Poor Law Union’ in South Manchester during the mid-1800s. Formed in 1837 following the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, this union forced parishes to take on the responsibility of supporting the impoverished, leading to the construction of workhouses across England and Wales.

You can find out more about the Chorlton Poor Law Guardians here

One of the most well-known figures associated with the Poor Law Guardians was the fearless suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, who sat on the Board of Guardians. Today, the very building where they once convened, The Ormond Building on Cavendish Street, stands as part of Manchester Metropolitan University’s estate, a lasting reminder of the city’s social history

Charlotte Brontë and Jayne Eyre

In 1846, author Charlotte Brontë traveled to Manchester with her father, Patrick Brontë, for his cataract surgery. They lodged at The Salutation, where Charlotte began writing her celebrated novel, Jane Eyre.

Published under the pseudonym Currer Bell in 1847, the novel initially received mixed reviews, though it ultimately gained nearly universal acclaim. A blue plaque on the pub’s facade commemorates Brontë’s time at The Salutation.

The story of The Salutation’s patrons

The pub features a collection of images adorning its walls that showcase the history of the surrounding area, along with prominent figures connected to it. Among them is a display of academic records from renowned painter L.S. Lowry’s time at Manchester School of Art. Another frame holds a portrait of Len Johnson, a talented middleweight boxer from Clayton, who was denied championship titles due to the British boxing colour bar in the early 20th century.

Johnson competed at Hulme Town Hall at least once and concluded his professional boxing career in 1933 at the age of 30, securing 96 victories out of 135 matches. Following his retirement, he served with the Civil Defence Rescue squad during World War II before dedicating himself to humanitarian and political causes. In 1945, he took part in the Pan-African Congress held in Manchester.

Frank Sidebottom at the Salutation

On 11th June 11, 2010, The Salutation played host to a moment in Manchester’s cultural history: the final public performance of the legendary Chris Sievey, better known as his surreal, larger-than-life alter ego, Frank Sidebottom.

With his signature papier-mâché head and boundless energy, Frank took to the stage to launch his World Cup-themed single, Three Shirts on My Line, a wonderfully offbeat twist on the beloved 1996 anthem Three Lions. True to Frank’s playful spirit, the song paid homage to his love of football, Subbuteo, and the quirks of Timperley Big Shorts F.C.

That day, The Salutation became the backdrop for a bittersweet farewell. Sievey performed an intimate set for the press in the afternoon before putting on a final show for the public that evening. The footage, now living on YouTube, captures the magic of the moment: a glimpse into the joyful absurdity that defined Frank Sidebottom.

Frank was no stranger to The Salutation, having performed there many times over the years. Today, an unofficial blue plaque inside the pub serves as a quiet tribute to Sievey’s final bow, a reminder of the whimsical genius who left an unforgettable mark on Manchester’s creative landscape.

Mark E. Smith at the Salutation

Chris Sievey wasn’t the only musical icon to leave his imprint on The Salutation. The pub also found itself entwined with the legacy of Mark E. Smith and his ever-evolving post-punk outfit, The Fall.

In 2007, Smith and his band selected The Salutation as the setting for their Reformation music video, a raw and restless track from their album Reformation Post TLC. The video captures the pub’s unpolished charm, featuring exterior shots of its timeworn façade and glimpses of the first-floor interior before it was reimagined as a function space.

More than just a backdrop, The Salutation became a part of The Fall’s world: fitting, given Smith’s love of gritty, uncompromising spaces that echoed the energy of his music. Though the upstairs has since been transformed, those captured frames in Reformation preserve a moment in time, a snapshot of the pub’s past forever intertwined with Manchester’s musical history.

What does CAMRA have to say about the Salutation?

Here’s what the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) had to say about The Salutation on their website: “The Salutation is a gem of a pub hidden away from the busy Oxford Road. Its tucked away inside the expanded Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), next to their Students Union and just behind the Royal Northern College of Music.

“The pub is frequented by students and staff of both institutions as well as local residents. In 2011, MMU purchased the pub from Punch Taverns and in June 2013 the Student Union took control of running the pub.

“In 2019 they entered into an agreement with Bollington Brewery and consequently four handpumps of the six handpumps usually carry their beers, with one for cider. There is also a good selection of keg including two from Bollington, Derbyshire brewed Moravka lager and offerings from Shindigger. Food is available every day from a short menu (burgers, fish and chips plus small, tapas like plates) with vegetarian and vegan options.

“The layout of the pub is basically rectangular with a central bar area and beer garden at the rear. A sympathetic refurbishment of the interior took place in summer of 2014 which saw a lot of the original features & retained keeping the character and ambience of the pub intact while converting the former letting rooms upstairs to meeting & function rooms. In 2019 there was a further refresh and “spruce up” and which give the interior a “fresher feel” without destroying the atmosphere of the pub.

“A blue plaque on the outside of the pub commemorates that it was built on the site of lodgings used by The Reverend Patrick Bronte and his daughter and where that daughter Charlotte Bronte began to write Jayne Eyre.

“In a slightly less significant claim to fame, the pub was also the location of the last ever show by comedian the late Chris Sievey – famed as his alter ego Frank Sidebottom – on 11th June 2010 commemorated by a plaque inside.”

The Salutation today

Memories of The Salutation Pub

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You can find the Sal here: The Salutation 12 Higher Chatham St, Manchester, M15 6ED