The birthplace of vegetarianism, the home of the Smiths, and the motherland of the Suffragette movement… Manchester is a hub of cultural and political crusades.
The city celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8th, aptly renaming itself as Womanchester and turning itself purple, in tribute to the remarkable females who moulded this Northern powerhouse.
From Marie Stopes and Enriqueta Rylands to Caroline Aherne and Suranne Jones, these strong women helped put Manchester on the map.
The Women Who Shaped Manchester exhibition and the recent unveiling of the highly anticipated Emmeline Pankhurst statue prompted the owner of Mr Tom’s Chop House, Roger Ward, to dig deeper into his company’s heritage.
The pub has been rebranded as ‘Mrs Sarah’s Chop House’ to celebrate the females who spearheaded its success.
“What better time to unpack this story than near International Women’s Day!” he told MM.
The landmark boozer, on Cross Street, was opened in 1867 by a young London-born chef, Thomas Studd, in the heart of the Cottonopolis.
By 1875, he had become too ill to work, before passing away in 1880.
Sifting through ancestry websites and archives of the Victorian Manchester Guardian uncovered the secret legacy of Mr Tom’s Chop House – it was run by a mother and daughter duo for 25 years.
This information inspired Roger to remarkably rename the historical watering hole as ‘Mrs Sarah’s Chop House’ in honour of the women who ran it over 100 years ago.
He explained, “That was where we began to discover the truth about Sarah.
“The Studd Family ran The Chop House for 33 years, but it transpires that Thomas only worked there for 7.
“She ran 2 Chop Houses, brought up 8 children, and nursed her husband to a horrible death.
“We also discovered from licence applications that Thomas’ Chop House was doing 300-400 covers a day, so she was an incredibly busy woman.”
Despite the strict male-only entrance policies in such establishments throughout the first half of the 20th century, Sarah successfully managed the pub and its adjacent dining room on King Street.
Sarah was eventually succeeded by her daughter, also named Sarah, who ran Mr Tom’s Chop House until 1900.
Their names are engraved on a wooden honours board featuring all of the licensees since 1867 inside.
Today, women remain at the heart of the Chop House’s success.
Roger explained: “The general manager, Selina Lee has been here for 14 years, and our restaurant manager Sharon Clarke for 21 years.
“Both have them have worked here longer than Thomas himself, and I quite like that.
“It’s a nice little twist that kind of completes the circle for me.”
Long-serving Sharon told how she feels a personal connection to the lady of the Chop House.
“Sarah was married on the same day that I was, but obviously not the same year!
“She lived in Chorlton-on-Medlock too which is where I am from, so there were little similarities that kept cropping up.
“I was just fascinated by a woman of that era being so good at advertising. Every issue of the Evening News from that time included something about Tom’s Chop House.
“I just thought that was incredible – she was definitely before her time. I’m happy to be attempting to fill her shoes now and carrying on her work.”
The lady’s legacy was long-forgotten behind the prominent ‘Thomas Chop House’ brand, before being rediscovered by Roger.
He told MM: “Our sign sports a white-whiskered old man… yet he died at age 45. It felt right to honour Sarah and rebrand.
“We have no plans to take it down, I’d love this to be a forever thing. We’re using the sign, the pictures, and the posters to try to reach out.
“Sarah had eight children, so there must be loads of relatives out there. We want to find out even more about the story of the Studd’s help put faces to the names.
“This is an opportunity to retell the story of the Chop House and learn a little in the process.”
The change to Mrs Sarah’s Chop House has been welcomed by the public and has sparked calls for more prominent female recognition across the city.
Councillor Sarah Judge spoke of her admiration of the rebranding: “It’s an appropriate way to honour Sarah’s success and a welcome injection of innovation on top of International Women’s Day.
“It’s so important to recognise the achievements of our strong females, past and present. Before the Emmeline Pankhurst statue, we only had one female statue in Manchester of Queen Victoria.
“Being a city where 50% of our population and 50% of our councillors are female, that just wasn’t on.
“Recognition like this inspires other women to realise their abilities. The Erinma Bell sculpture is a fantastic piece of art, that helps make these women visible.
“It’s about making women think, I am not going to take no for an answer, and that I can do something, particularly if that is affected based upon my gender.”
These commemorations serve as a chance to reflect on the amazing achievements of women in Manchester, immortalising their stories and giving them the recognition they deserve.
It’s the likes of Sarah that inspire us to continue to make Manchester an even better place to be a woman.
I think Womanchester has quite the ring to it!
