The stories from Manchester's backstreet boozers, historic alehouses, and Victorian venues

Manchester’s nightlife really has it all — from the mega-clubs, side-street speakeasies, and bustling bars, the city serves residents and visitors alike well for their choice of watering hole.

And that range of choice is nothing new. As anyone familiar with the city centre’s pub can tell you, there are Tudor buildings which have housed some of Manchester’s best boozers, Victorian venues which have entertained audiences for more than a century, and historic alehouses where punters have supped on a warm pint by a fire.

Within those pubs are thousands of stories, which are now being unearthed by Andy Mercer — a tour guide for Invisible Manchester. Andy knows the city well from his younger days, when he would ‘stagger’ through town in the early-mid-90s on one of his infamous rock ‘n’ roll pub tours.

READ MORE:Couple suffer 70 HOURS of TUI flight delays on Greek holiday as two flights cancelled and luggage left in Manchester

Now, Andy, age 55, is turning his passion into a living, having had some dark days in the past. Eight years ago, the Wigan man found himself homeless after splitting up with his ex-wife.

He was not classed as a priority by the council so ‘had to’ find a private rental flat. The only problem was that Andy could not find a guarantor for a property.

That led him to sleep on the streets for two nights, and was only saved from that being a permanent way of life when a friend took him into his garage while Andy sorted himself out.

After three-and-a-half months, and the generosity of a church steward to sign up as a guarantor, Andy found himself a place to call home. From there, he has completely turned his life around.

“I went to the Back on Track centre on Oldham Street, which helps people who want to get