So no doubt you’ve heard about the Sal closing. Another one of Manchester’s iconic boozers, The Salutation, is on the way out…… oh wait – or is it????
So the usual fall out ensued when the closing was announced this week, people got straight on Facebook and made their voices heard where it mattered the least, posting on their walls and awaiting comments from their friends. The band wagon rolled on for a few hours or so, people blamed the pubs management, they blamed Trof the pubs owners and I’m pretty sure someone blamed “Thatchers Britain” at one point, but as usual no-one really knew why the Salutation was closing it’s doors after all these years.
But today in an odd twist MMU have announced on twitter that the Sal will be staying open as a pub?!
“We can confirm that the @SalutationHotel will be staying open as a pub…”
The Sal was saved a couple of years ago when it was bought by Manchester Metropolitan University in 2011 and handed over to be run by Trof. When the Sal was bought a spokesman for MMU said:
“The Salutation Pub is a local landmark which has been a popular haunt of Manchester Met staff and students over many years. Buying a pub is a bit out of the ordinary but represents a strategic acquisition for the university – surrounded by land which we either own or occupy.”
I’ve always loved the Sal, it’s one of those places in Manchester that you just assume will be there so lets hope it is. One of only two in Manchester still with original 1840s decor (all be it tidied up a bit) and also bears a blue plaque marking the site nearby where Charlotte Bronte began to write novel Jane Eyre on a visit to Manchester in 1846, so it’d be a crying shame if the University have made a call after just under 2 years to let the place go.
So, will the University make it a new Student Union? Will someone else take it over, seems odd as I believe Trof were doing a good job of it.
So we were going to launch a SaveTheSal campaign of some description, get some signatures that sort of thing, but in light of today’s twist I guess we will all just see what happens, here at Finest we’re a strong supporter of The Sal and of Trof so lets hope something good comes out of this, comments and thoughts welcome