Late last year The Castle Hotel opened up an upstairs drinking area to alleviate the hustle and bustle of its three downstairs rooms. Immediately it seemed like it had always been there, such is the homely vibe of Oldham Street’s favourite pub. But that wasn’t enough: the music hall area was always packed whenever a gig or event was on, and every Friday and Saturday night the bar looks fit to burst at the seams, as the place almost proved to be a victim of its own success. Room, it seems, that has presented itself in the form of Gullivers, the milk dud of Northern Quarter (sweet on the outside, not-so-sweet on the inside). The good folk from The Castle recently took over and have since completely redecorated the pub and made it more than palatable. The area upstairs, once known for its dingy bedsit decor, is now a glorious venue to rival The Castle directly across the road – and has an all-important larger capacity too. Taking advantage of the additional space is storytelling night Tales of Whatever (second Wednesday of the month, starting 13 Nov), as well as Ping Pong Club joining (third Thursday of the month), and moving all the way from London is regular band and club night Mis-Shapes (every last Saturday). A great space now in great hands, Gullivers looks to establish itself as a Northern Quarter favourite, just as its sister pub did just four short years ago.
Upcoming events include:
Thu 3 Oct: Popular presents Whales in Cubicles
Mon 7 Oct: Grey Lantern & Bad Uncle present The Holy Drug Couple
Fri 11 Oct: Creature Comfort
Thu 17 Oct: Ping Pong Club
Sat 19 & Sun 20 Oct: A Carefully Planned Festival
Wed 13 Nov: Tales of Whatever
Tue 26 Nov: DHP presents Amber
Gullivers, 109 Oldham Street, M4 1LW. Tel: 07800 991 204, www.facebook.com
- Words:
- John Stansfield
- Published on:
- Thu 19 Sep 2013
