Historic pub at centre of notorious unsolved murder set to be demolished

A historic pub at the centre of a notorious unsolved murder is set to be demolished.

The Bank of England in Ancoats, which first opened its doors nearly two centuries ago, will be torn down after sections of the building had started to collapse.

Tha Manchester boozer with ties to one of the city's most notorious unsolved missing persons cases is face-to-face with itsdestruction after structural failures raised serious safety concerns.

The venue gained widespread attention in 2016 when Greater Manchester Police excavated its cellar searching for Martin Joyce, a 29-year-old father from Gorton who vanished after being seen at the Pollard Street establishment in September 1999.

Despite a fortnight-long dig prompted by what officers described as credible intelligence, no remains were discovered, and Mr Joyce's fate remains unknown to this day.

GMP had received information about Mr Joyce's possible burial at the pub three years before the excavation took place but failed to act on it, the Manchester Evening News revealed.

Officers carried out extensive inquiries to establish whether Mr Joyce might still be alive, checking records held by health authorities, HMRC, passport control and retail loyalty schemes.

However, none indicated any evidence of his continued existence.

His sister Helen McDonagh recalled visiting him a week before he vanished.

"I gave him a drink in a steel cup and a roll-up cigarette, and he made a comment saying he was better off in Strangeways," she said. "He was fine. He had no intention of disappearing."

The case now sits with GMP's cold case unit, with a £20,000 reward offered since 2018 for information leading to a resolution.

The pub at the junction of Carruthers and Pollard Street began trading in 1830, establishing itself as one of the earliest beer houses in the Ancoats district.

For generations it served local mill workers, and in more recent decades attracted Manchester City supporters making their way to the nearby Etihad Stadium.

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Jimmy Donnelly, a figure associated with Manchester's Quality Street Gang, held the licence when Mr Joyce disappeared. He died last August at the age of 84.

The building has stood vacant since approximately 2012 and has deteriorated significantly in the intervening years.

Today its windows are boarded up, graffiti covers its exterior walls, and vegetation has taken root in the brickwork.

Local councillor Chris Northwood posted footage on Facebook showing the interior structure had begun giving way, questioning whether existing barriers adequately protected pedestrians and motorists.

Manchester council confirmed its building control team responded to reports in May that the former pub posed a threat to public safety due to falling debris.

The site's owner has cordoned off the adjacent footpath to limit risk to those passing by.

A council spokesman said building control officers met with the owners to commission a structural assessment, and a section 78 order was subsequently issued compelling them to demolish what remains of the structure.

Planning permission was sought in 2022 to clear the pub and neighbouring industrial units, replacing them with 193 flats across two blocks of eight and four storeys.

The application remains under consideration.

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