Manchester PUB Sign Review Mother Macs
by A landlady so loved that they later named the pub after her.
MANCHESTER PUB SIGN REVIEW – MOTHER MACS
Mother Mac’s – Back Piccadilly, Manchester. M1 1HP
A lovely, lively pub with a rich history and a deeply traditional feel.
The pub used to be called The Wellington Inn, and the name change may have been due to confusion with the nearby and much older Old Wellington Inn, near he Cathedral. The pub is sometimes referred to as Back Piccadilly after its location, but that was never an official name.
The new name is a tribute to the bar’s highly respected landlady, Norah McClellan, known to many as Mother Mac. She ran the pub for forty years until her death in 1968. Over a hundred cars followed the hearse for her funeral procession, showing the enormous respect she generated.
A lifelong teetotaller, rose in the Temperance movement, McClellan had no problems about serving alcohol, and family connections made her an ardent supporter of the Manchester Grenadier Guards. Today the pub continues strong support for the armed forces, campaigning heavily for the Help For Heroes charity. My first visit was by sheer chance, on a Remembrance Sunday, when the pub was filled with war veterans relaxing after the ceremonies at the war memorial in nearby St. Peter’s Square. It was very moving to be among survivors from World War Two and the Gulf Wars. My civilian status did not leave me feeling unwelcome.
Her successor as landlord and proprietor was to gain less respect, committing murders in the pub and setting fire to it to cover his tracks. He is believed to have also perished in the fire.
The pub is a strong supporter of regional arts, having catered for staff from the nearby BBC, and the film studios that preceded them. Memorabilia and artefacts from the pub’s history are dotted around the walls of the bar that also has live music and televised football.
Mother Macs is not an easy pub to find for the uninitiated, being in a back alley behind the main Piccadilly shopping area. The alley may deter some potential drinkers from going for fear of being stalked or mugged, etc, but the pub has survived incredibly well.
The sign is perhaps its one disappointment, being merely the name of the bar, when a portrait of the Great Mother Mac itself would serve best. Nevertheless, the bar is one of the city’s greatest secrets and a must visit for anyone passing through.
Arthur Chappell
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