Iconic pub in Manchester's Gay Village named CAMRA's Pub of the Year

The Molly House in the Gay Village has been named Manchester CAMRA’s Pub of the Year. It was awarded the accolade in a prize-giving ceremony this week.

Owner Henry Kennedy-Skipton accepted the framed certificate from the city’s branch of the Campaign For Real Ale from the branch chair Cath Potter hosting the small ceremony at the Richmond Street boozer, tucked away behind Canal Street.

The pub posted some snaps from the presentation on Twitter, saying: “Thrilled to be awarded Central Manchester CAMRA Pub of the Year 2023.”

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The pub, a former tailors shop which opened as a bar in 2010, has a superb range of craft beers, ales and IPAs, and supports a host of award-winning local breweries from the world-renowned Cloudwater in Piccadilly to Congleton's Beartown and Macclesfield's Red Willow. Mr Kennedy-Skipton took over the ownership in 2019, with the pub also serving an all-day tapas menu and boasting a hidden outdoor terrace on the first floor.

He said at the time: “This is an iconic venue in a vibrant part of the city. The previous owner did a great job; now the opportunity exists to improve the venue even further, something which excites me greatly. This will benefit our customers and the Village as a whole.”

The pub, part of the fabric of the village, is so named after the slang term for coffee houses, taverns and pubs which would act as meeting houses and welcome gay men in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Molly House joins other pubs in the city being recognised by the Manchester branch of CAMRA this year. The Fierce Bar on Thomas Street is to be named Cider Pub of the Year, and will be presented with the award on May 11.

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