Here is just a little info to let you get to know us better...
Here is a little potted history of our pub and the local area... if you have a spare minute or two and maybe a cup of tea (or is that a G&T), we think it's well worth a read.
Thelwall is unquestionably a village of great antiquity, and was first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the early 890s. Most reliable sources claim the name is derived from the Old English 'Thelwael', meaning 'deep pool with a plank' or 'pool with a plank bridge'. Records show that in AD 923 Edward the Elder, son of King Alfred, visited the place and for some time made it his residence with soldiers garrisoned there.
He ordered a burh (a barrier made from wooden stakes) to be built as a defence against the Danes and the Northumbrians, as the site was an important crossing point of the Mersey. It was a mistranslation of this word burh, which means military fort, which might have led to Thelwall erroneously being described as a "city": an inscription on the gable end of the Pickering Arms in the village reads, "In the year AD 923 Edward the Elder founded a city and called it Thelwall".
The story that Thelwall is the smallest city in the UK persists however, though no charter has ever been recorded.
The village passes from the records and is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1066, so it may have been abandoned once the need for the garrison had passed.
The village of Thelwall in a map
by John Speed, 1610
There is a story that the house that subsequently became the Little Manor was built for a general in Oliver Cromwell's New Model army in 1642, but the dates do not add up - in 1642 Cromwell was still an MP and governor of Ely, and wasn't promoted to colonel until 1643 in the new Eastern Association army raised by the Earl of Manchester. He was promoted to Lieutenant-General and second in command of the army in 1644.
The story has it that this general lived at Thelwall Cottage for many happy years, and was romantically involved with his housemaid. One day however he tried to disentangle himself from the relationship, and she murdered him in a fit of rage. Overcome by remorse, she then hanged herself from a tall fir tree in the driveway. Such is the legend, anyway, though closer investigation casts doubt on the veracity of the tale.
For the following account, we are indebted to local historian Michael Taylor, who has given invaluable help in explaining the history of the building. The following information is taken from his book 'No Mean City - A Local History of Thelwall in Cheshire', which can be purchased from the post office in the village.
No Mean City - A local history
of Thelwall in Cheshire, by Mike Taylor
The property which became the Little Manor was originally built for the Percival family, who, it is believed, moved to Thelwall around 1660 from Latchford. They were farmers, and became freeholders, and it is reported by a previous resident that there is a date stone in the property for 1660, although we have not located it to date. The pub sign is taken from the coat of arms of the Percival family, which was embedded into an upstairs wall. The property was itself called 'Percivals' at that time, presumably until it changed hands some 100 years later.
The coat of arms of the Percival family,
on a panel embedded in an upstairs wall
The panel enriched to show more detail
By the 1700's, the Percival family had come up in the world, and one branch of the Percivals moved to Warrington. Both sides of the family had sons called Thomas Percival, both of whom led successful and fruitful lives.
The Warrington Thomas Percival became a doctor and wrote a book on medical ethics, which subsequently became the basis for the Code of Ethics of the American Medical Association, drawn up in 1849.
Thomas Percivals 'Code of Ethics'
His cousin, the Thomas Percival who remained in Thelwall, held several public offices including Coroner of the Honour and Fee of Halton, and Surveyor of the Highways. He was the equivalent of a modern Quantity Surveyor, and acted as agent to two generations of Pickerings, the Lords of the Manor of Thelwall who lived in Thelwall Hall. In this role he was responsible for much of the expenditure of the family, which he meticulously recorded in a series of pocket books, three of which survive to this day. The Percivals lived in their house happily for over 100 years, until the 1770's when they sold the property.
Around this time, the Stanton family enter the picture. John Stanton was a successful trader from Liverpool, exporting and importing to and from the West Indies and Africa. One of the most successful products he traded was gunpowder, so in 1750s or thereabouts he established a powder mill in Thelwall to manufacture gunpowder himself. It was a substantial concern, and by 1760 John Stanton was living in a large house in the village, Bank House. In the 1770s the family moved up the property ladder and built a new mansion in the village called Greenfield.
Greenfield became the principle residence of the Stantons for the next 150 years, although soon afterward the built the mansion, they bought another substantial house in Thelwall for use by other family members. That house was Percivals, which became known by the family as the Cottage, and was used as a 'cadet' house - once married, the eldest son moved in there while his father lived across the road at Greenfield. Bank House was also retained, for use by other members of the family.
All this came to an end though in June 1858, when a huge explosion destroyed the powder mill, which was never subsequently re-built.
By 1891, records show that a Harry Holden, mechanical engineer, lived in the Cottage with his three sons.
The Cottage, sometime
between 1900 - 1910
The Cottage, sometime
between 1900 - 1910
He was still in residence in 1923, when he was a JP, and a census of 1939 records him as still living there, aged 77. He was known as 'Pops'.
The Holdnens
Henry Holden lived there up to 1948, when he died, and in 1950 it became a hotel known as the Cottage Restaurant and Guest House, although it wasn't as large as it is today. At that time, the property consisted of a multitude of little rooms, unlike the more open-plan layout of today.
It is not known when one of the several breweries who ran the pub changed the name from The Cottage Restaurant and Guest House to Little Manor, but the change of name came about sometime before 1984. Apparently when the building was subject to some restoration work, a suit of armour was discovered on the site, although that's as much as we know.
We are much indebted to Mr and Mrs Walker for help with this history - they had their reception at the Cottage Restaurant in 1962, and are looking forward to having their Golden Wedding Anniversary here in October, which will be fun.
(Many thanks to local historian Mike Taylor for his extensive research, without which very little would be known about the history of the Little Manor)
If you'd like to put a name to a face, allow us to introduce you to the crew...
Manager
Lloyd is an integral part of the B&P family having worked for the company for 14 years and we are more than happy to have him on board, leading the team. Lloyd's upbeat personality always keeps our spirits high and his attention to detail is second to none. During his time off Lloyd enjoys taking his adorable black lab, Pip, for long walks and his favourite tipple is something fizzy!
Deputy Manager
Anna is an essential part of the Little Manor team; always professional and motivated to do the best. She is animal mad, in particular, the canine variety and has two dogs that keep her busy in her downtime. She loves the finer things in life, and enjoys trying out new fancy bars and restaurants.
Deputy Manager
James or jim as we call him, is a big part of the family here at Little Manor. You'll find him at the pub one way or another... If he is not working, he will be here on the other side of the bar working his way through our amazing selection of rums!
Assistant Manager
Easy-going and adventurous, Connor is a local that's worked in the hospitality industry for 10 years, He's done a bit of everything, including kitchens, F.O.H and delivery driving. Despite his experience in varying roles, working behind the Little Manor bar is definitely his favourite place to be. Conor loves chatting to faces both familiar and new, guiding customers through our colourful ale selection and conducting extensive market research on other exciting tipples to bring to our bar! Despite his love for all beverages alike, a cold pint of (perfectly poured) Guinness will always be his favourite. Conor would love to go travelling in the future, specifically to Japan, any music festival abroad and Bavaria.
Assistant Manager
When Kiran joined Little Manor it was only meant to be a summer job while she was studying at the University of Liverpool. 3 years later and she never left! When she's not at the pub (rare) Kiran can be found baking something to share with her friends and family. With evenings off, she's normally out trying new restuarants!
Assistant Manager
Jake is originally from Poland, and has lived in Cyprus and different areas in the UK, but ended up in lovely Warrington. He's settled in well here at the Manor, he's fun-loving and is partial to beer or two! When not at the Manor, he loves the outdoors; Jake's most recent excursion was watching the sunrise on Mam Tor (which he'd highly recommend). He also loves wholesome activities, board games, video games, watching cinema films and series, and being with his friends and family.
Assistant Manager
Laura is the newest member of the management team. Born and raised in Leicester, she moved to Bangor for her undergraduate degree in psychology, then moved to Manchester for her post graduate in Forensic Psychology. Somehow, she's ended up in hospitality and this is her end game! Living life on the edge, Laura is an adrenaline junkie, and she's a big fan of bouldering (rock climbing is too tame). On the opposite side of the scale, she's an avid reader. On her bucket list is skydiving, to take a road trip across Canada, and she'd love to visit the Amazon rainforest.
Supervisor
Jamie's Warrington born and bread and with all his friends and family nearby, he couldn't bear to leave. He enjoys the fast-paced, social aspect of working in hospitality. That, and the fact that he loves being at the pub so much, he may as well get paid to be here! He's an outgoing, very easy to get along with happy chappy, whose proudest moment to date was becoming an Uncle. On his bucket list, Jamie would like to spend at least a month away backpacking, to do some crazy sports experiments, and to be able to say he's visited all the continents. Jamie's tipple of choice is a lager, since it's a versatile and all-year round beverage!
Supervisor
Jade has been part of the Little Manor family since February 2023, right after moving back to the UK from Dubai. She swapped glorious sunshine for Thelwall's finest rain.
She's an integral part of the Little Manor team and can normally be found pulling pints on the bar. When she's not here, she's usually ferrying round her younger sisters, and making sure they're fed and watered. She's a family girl who loves spending time with her parents, siblings and her grandparents. Jade works hard and plays harder and she's partial to a vodka diet Coke (double - obviously) after a busy shift. Jade's long term plans are to be part of the police force, but we aren't ready to let her go just yet!
Supervisor
Our Thelwall's finest Ethan has been with us as Front of House since 2022. He went to the University in Nottingham to study Criminology. Ethan is adventurous and always on the move; he's incredibly active, regularly found power lifting at the gym. He's very fond of hiking and camping, exploring different areas of the UK. He plans to go travelling in 2025, starting in South East Asia, and when he's ready, end up in New Zealand!
Supervisor
Georgia was first with us as FOH, left, came back as as an Assistant Manager, then went travelling, and then came back as a Supervisor - she really can't stay away! Georgia is the social media Queen, and is responsible for our Facebook and Instagram accounts.
While not at the pub, she has a swanky art studio she can be found in, creating beautiful sketches and paintings. She loves spending time with friends, family, and her adorable dog, Scout! Whilst Georgia has already explored Europe and South East Asia, she'd love to go back, and next conquer South America. She's a fantastic cook, loves art, and has seen a lot of the world; she really is a cultured and creative member of the team!
Head Chef
Alex is becoming something of a B&P journeyman, having previously worked at both Pen-Y-Bryn, the Wharf and Little Manor! We're determined to keep him here though for as long as we can as he's a fantastic chef and a great character to have in the kitchen. Being a chef he's right into his food and if he's not in work he's usually eating out doing 'research' for the pub.
Senior Sous Chef
Ollie's our head chef's right hand man. He grew up in Warrington but moved to France at a young age where he studied to be a chef. He's a keen traveller and has been all over the world, but couldn't resist coming back to Warrington to settle down.
Sous Chef
Roy is another chef moved around by his career; born in Liverpool, moved to St. Helens, lived in London for 30 years, now back to St. Helens. He's worked in all sorts of swanky hotels, and posh restaurants including the Waldorf and Bentley's! He's worked in some tough kitchens, so the Little Manor is a breeze for him! Roy's proudest moment is becoming a father in 1991 to his pride and joy, Kayleigh. When not working a busy shift with us, Roy enjoys spending time with Kayleigh, and he's very much into his music and fancy cars, so he's always on the lookout for another.
Sous Chef
Ste's done a bit of moving around; he was born in Northern Ireland, moved to Shropshire, then lived in Adelaide, Australia for 5 years, then swapped the gorgeous Australian beaches for the Manchester ship canal in Warrington! He lives here with his lovely girlfriend, Rachel. Ste's passion for cooking was inspired by his father who was also a chef, and it's something they bond over. When not busy in our kitchen, he's either cooking up a delicious meal for Rachel, catching up with friends/family across the pond, or playing 18 holes of golf! Ste is very adventurous and on his bucket list is; climbing Matchu in Peru, climbing Mount Everest, and permanently moving to Australia!
Chef de Partie
Matt is another Warrington born and bred; he's been with us since 2023, originally as a kitchen porter. He was always interested in cooking and very much enjoyed the food prep side of the role, so that was when he decided he'd like more responsibility as a chef. When not working, he loves catching up with his friends over a beer (or two), he's an avid darts player, and loves a round of golf. Matt really has thrived in his new role, and we can't wait for you to try his food!
Commis Chef
Mel is a witty, funny, and hardworking addition to our wonderful kitchen team. She is a qualified baker and has worked for Sainsbury's for the past 17 years, she wanted to broaden her horizons and decided to join us as a commis Chef in April 2024. When not working in our busy kitchen, she loves gaming, looking after her cats, Jack and Lucky, and baking. Mel is a massive football fan and she supports Liverpool, going to as many games as she can. Mel's goal is to progress in her career as a chef, learning new skills and cooking techniques as she goes.
Cleaner
Sheila's a very kind-hearted, generous, understanding, and fair minded Scouser; who's been with us since 2022. She says she's in no rush to leave as she has a great relationship with all our her colleagues. Sheila loves cleaning with us so much, that on her bucket list is to Spring clean her whole bungalow! She'd love to holiday in France and eventually, retire in North Wales. Sheila's proudest moment is passing her driving test, (first time as well!) When she's not busy with us, she loves to relax with a refreshing cider - Aspalls in particular!
Cleaner
Jean is a mother of 3, and a glam nanna! She's moved around here, there and everywhere! She's originally from Liverpool, but has lived in America for 2 years, France for 5, but has chosen to stay in Warrington for the last 26 years. She's previously worked in retail, and hospitality, but finds that cleaning suits her best. When not cleaning, Jean's very outdoorsy, she loves going out for days out and exploring new places. She loves to catch up with her friends and family over a cappuccino, or a nice meal. Jean always has a project going, usually something DIY in her home. We don't know how she has time for it all!
Gardener/Maintenance Person
Richard is originally from Aberystwyth in Wales, He moved to Warrington in 2018 and worked in nursing until he started at Little Manor in 2021. His passion is motorcycling having raced and re built many over the years. He enjoys gardening and being out in the fresh air.
