The revamp will create a glass walkway from the 19th century boozer to 21st century skyscraper
19:47, 09 Mar 2026Updated 20:13, 09 Mar 2026
Sir Ralph Abercromby pub, Bootle Street, Manchester, one of Manchester’s oldest pubs dating back to 1811(Image: MEN)
Gary Neville has committed to restoring Manchester’s only pub which witnessed the Peterloo massacre — a decade after he tried to demolish it.
The Sir Ralph Abercromby is still in the same spot as the day of the 1819 disaster, when cavalry charged at protesters and killed 18, injuring hundreds. Some of the wounded from St Peter’s Field were treated in the pub, which is commemorated by a mural inside the boozer.
But its storied history looked seriously under threat in 2014, when Gary Neville announced plans to redevelop the site, land next door, and former Bootle Street police station with towers and a public plaza under his £400m ‘St Michael’s’ project. The plan was met with uproar by regulars, heritage groups, and CAMRA which organised a petition against the move that attracted 3,500 signatures.
Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. And don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.
Campaigners even tried to move the Abercromby brick-by-brick in 2016, but the move never came to fruition because United legend Neville abandoned his original ‘flawed’ proposals in 2017.
The redesign kept the pub and created a public square sandwiched between two skyscrapers. The first, No. 1 St Michael’s, opened last summer as a 41-storey office block with restaurants and coffee shops.
Taller No. 2 St Michael’s is currently under construction, with the 43-storey tower set to be home for an ultra-luxury W Hotel and W Residences apartments. Now, Neville’s Relentless Developments has unveiled its plans for the pub next door.
View from above of Gary Neville’s proposed St Michael’s development on Jackson’s Row(Image: Manchester Evening News)
It will undergo ‘a substantial refurbishment’, which will ‘retain and purpose’ its ‘strategic features’ including ‘the retention and refurbishment of window frames, brickwork and external doors where feasible, or replacements in keeping with the original elements’.
Intriguingly, a glass walkway will connect the 19th century pub to 21st century hotel skyscraper, in a move Neville said will ‘enhance’ ‘one of Manchester’s most treasured pubs’.
The United legend announced: “The Sir Ralph Abercromby is one of Manchester’s most treasured pubs and an important part of the city’s social fabric. A big part of our ambition for St Michael’s has been to celebrate Manchester’s heritage and restoring this iconic building is central to that vision.
“Our proposals carefully retain and enhance the features that give the pub its character while sensitively integrating it into the wider St Michael’s scheme. We’re proud the pub has been able to remain open throughout construction and this next phase will secure its future for generations to come – ensuring it continues to serve the community while sitting confidently alongside a truly world-class development.”
Relentless submitted a planning application to Manchester council on Friday afternoon (March 6), which is still yet to be processed, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands. Should it be approved, construction should commence in the coming months ahead of a planned completion in summer 2027.