Landmark Northern Quarter pub and boutique hotel reopens after major refurbishment

Salford-based brewery and pub retailer Hydes has re-opened its award-winning pub and boutique hotel, The Abel Heywood, based in Manchester’s vibrant Northern Quarter, following a £200k refurbishment.

First opened as a pub by Hydes in 2015, The Abel Heywood closed last month for a full interior refurbishment and refresh. The improvements include the installation of new booth seating, a fresh new update of the existing Victorian-style decor, new external signage, lighting and an appealing full revamp of the bar areas.

The adjoined 15-room boutique hotel which has a consistent occupancy rate of 99%, remained open throughout the renovations and will receive a bespoke makeover during the next 12 months.

Hydes has committed £200k worth of investment to the refurbishment project. The investment is part of a wider multi-million-pound programme planned for other key sites in Hydes’ pub estate including The Boat House at Parkgate on the Wirral, The Nursery Inn at Heaton Norris, Stockport and The Mount Inn at Chester.

The Abel Heywood is the first pub in Hydes estate to benefit this year from the investment fund. Last year, Hydes committed over £4 million worth of investment in its estate and expects to double that figure this year.

General manager Alex Allan, who has run the Abel Heywood for the past 10 years, is excited for the future. 

He commented: “The investment is very welcome and should give the Abel Heywood a renewed lease of life. We’ve come through some very tough trading conditions in the past few years but we’ve remained an important part of the city centre’s social scene, helping to celebrate what Manchester has to offer.

The Abel Heywood is now in a great position to build on the success and reputation it has worked so hard to achieve and maintain since we first acquired it a decade ago. We’re sure the improvements will help cement our status as a firm favourite in the Northern Quarter.”

Adam Mayers, managing director of Hydes commented: “The refurbishment and relaunch of the Abel Heywood is the first in a planned programme of investments in our pubs for this year. It’s a key venue for us in Manchester city centre and is a landmark pub and hotel which has provided a characterful hub for locals and visitors to the city for the past 10 years. 

Whether it’s Hydes’ range of quality ales, traditional, home-cooked food served every day or a contemporary hotel room for the night, the Abel Heywood has something to offer everybody who visits.

He added: “Starting with The Abel Heywood, our ongoing investment programme highlights our commitment to our pub estate, customers and the communities we operate in. Investment in our pubs and our people remains a major focus for Hydes.”

Hydes, with its brewery in Media City, Salford, was formed in 1863 and supplies beers to wholesalers, pub companies and other brewers throughout the UK and a pub retailing estate of nearly 50 pubs across the North West of England and North Wales.