Marble Arch Inn

On approaching this famous real ale pub and brewery take a moment to observe its impressively stacked roof. Then enjoy the grandeur of the eponymous front entrance although marble that gives the pub its name is in fact Shap granite. It was built in 1888 on the site of a previous 1829 pub as a show house pub for McKenna's Brewery and was electric lit from the start. The fine barrel vaulted ceiling and decorative frieze - covered up during alteration in 1954 - were revealed again in the early 1980's. Drinking the frieze is a formidable challenge. The mosaic sloping floor leading you inexorably to the bar and the glazed tile walls add to the splendour of the pub. The back room, which acts as a restaurant, is a lot plainer. There is also a pleasant beer yard at the rear. The pub was voted 'City Life' best pub in Manchester for 2018. Marble beers are no longer brewed on site, they were brewed close to the brewery for many years but in Spring 2019 they relocated to a larger site in Salford.