Renowned Manchester music promoters to restore and reopen The Old Abbey Taphouse

Hulme’s beloved Old Abbey Taphouse is set to be restored and reopen under a team of the city’s most experienced independent operators.

Following its closure in early 2025, the venue will reopen later this summer as The Abbey, with a restoration project set to breathe new life into the institution, while also protecting the building’s heritage.

The new operating team, Ruth Hemmingfield, Wesley Jones, Jonathan Wickstead and Gareth Butterworth, bring with them decades of experience in hospitality and live music.

Ruth, Jon and Wesley are co-owners of the hugely successful city centre bar and venue YES. Ruth Hemmingfield previously launched and programmed landmark Manchester venues, including The Deaf Institute, Gorilla and Albert Hall, while Wesley Jones and Jonathan Wickstead, through Now Wave, promote hundreds of independent gigs and live events each year, championing the best new artists and bands. Gareth Butterworth is the founder of multi-venue festival Manchester Psych Fest.

Focused on bringing the pub back to life under the ethos of ‘Old Pub, New Music’, the team says they want to honour everything that made the venue special, while creating a new home for grassroots live music.

The Abbey also promises affordable, hearty pub grub and a broad range of beers, with a dedicated kitchen serving Pieminister pies alongside pours from local breweries and beyond. The rear of the site is being extended to create a new dedicated live music and events venue, while outside, the beer garden will return with new decking and its own bar, and a second beer garden has also been added.

Located on Guildhall Road in Manchester Science Park, The Abbey has stood in Hulme since the 1890s. The pub played an important role in the heritage of Hulme, being the site where activist Len Johnson took his fight against racism and managed to overturn the shameful  ‘colour bar’ policies in the 1940s.

The Abbey is the first of several initiatives intended to enhance the Manchester Science Park neighbourhood in the coming months.

Matthew Pazos, Senior Retail Commercial Manager at Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Ruth, Wesley and Jonathan are the perfect custodians to breathe new life into The Abbey. Their reputation for running independent spaces in Manchester, alongside their live music expertise, will ensure this much-valued pub once again becomes a beating heart for Hulme and the wider neighbourhood.

The reopening of The Abbey will create an inclusive new hub that welcomes everyone — from the Hulme locals who have looked after the pub over the years, to the Manchester Science Park community, university students, and the many residents and workers across the Oxford Road Corridor.

We are delighted that such a culturally significant and important pub is set to open its doors once again.”

Ruth Hemmingfield from The Abbey commented: “We love a good pub. With The Abbey, we’re excited about bringing a brilliant old pub back to life, protecting what people loved about it, and creating something special: a great local, alongside a vital grassroots music venue for the area. Honouring the pub’s history while building its future.”

Featured image: Piran Aston