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Oldest pub landlady celebrates 50 years behind the bar
Nancy Swanick, licensee of the Peveril of the Peak in Manchester – and Stonegate Group’s oldest serving publican – is celebrating an extraordinary half a century of running the pub.
These days, publicans need to be made of exceptionally steely stuff, especially given the scale and nature of the challenges the industry has faced during the last year. However, at 91 years old, Nancy Swanick has seen it all. Having spent more than half her life running ‘The Pev’, as it is known in the area, she has watched on as indie giants Oasis used the building as a backdrop for a photo shoot, welcomed Manchester United greats like Eric Cantona into her pub, and raised her three children, amongst a whole host of other milestones and moments. And she has no plans to retire yet.
Thought to be Stonegate Group’s oldest serving publican, Nancy now runs The Pev with the help of her son Maurice, who has heaped praise on her warm hospitality and indomitable work ethic:
“Mam (Nancy)is not only the longest-serving, but also the best landlady in the country. She has always run a firm but fair ship, and the number of familiar faces we see on a repeat basis is testament to the atmosphere she’s created,” he said.
Simon Longbottom, CEO of Stonegate Group, the largest pub company in the UK, has written to Nancy thanking her for her service and congratulating her on such a landmark anniversary.
Nick Light, Managing Director of Stonegate Group’s Leased and Tenanted Business, said: “What a fantastic achievement to have operated the same pub for five decades. Both Nancy and The Peveril of the Peak are well known in Manchester and rightly so.
“Everyone at Stonegate wishes her every success in her future years as a landlady and beyond. It’s also wonderful to see Nancy’s son, Maurice, taking such a pivotal role in the business. At Stonegate, we think of ourselves as a family and so seeing family-run businesses such as this flourish within the company is thoroughly in keeping with our values.”
The Stonegate Group portfolio is comprised of 1,270 sites within the managed division and 3,200 leased and tenanted businesses.