The Eccles Cross

The Eccles Cross is a pub in Eccles, Greater Manchester, England, operated as part of the J D Wetherspoon chain. It is located at 13 Regent Street, Eccles, Manchester, M30 0BP, and takes its name from the nearby Eccles Cross, a historic monument whose original form was erected by Celtic missionaries in the 5th century and whose later Saxon stump was accidentally demolished by a lorry during World War II. The building itself is a former cinema that has been converted into a pub, a common pattern for Wetherspoon sites, which frequently occupy distinctive or heritage buildings. As a Wetherspoon pub, The Eccles Cross follows the chain's established format: a large, value-focused, food-and-drink-led pub with long opening hours, an extensive menu of beers, ales, spirits, cocktails and pub food, and a strong emphasis on real ale. The pub opens at 8:00am daily, closing at midnight Sunday to Thursday and at 1:00am on Friday and Saturday. Children under 18 are permitted on the premises only between 8:00am and 9:00pm. Facilities include Wi-Fi, TV screens, a licensed outside area and step-free access. Customers can order food and drinks to their table via the Wetherspoon app. The pub participates in Wetherspoon's twice-yearly real-ale festivals, which feature a rotating range of guest ales including beers from international brewers. The chain's autumn beer festival, for example, has featured brewers from China, Denmark, Singapore, Ukraine and the USA, with Singapore and Ukraine participating for the first time. The Eccles Cross also takes part in seasonal promotions such as the Wetherspoon Christmas menu and the chain's spritz cocktail range. Ownership sits with J D Wetherspoon plc, the British pub company founded by Tim Martin, whose first pub opened in 1979 in Muswell Hill, north London, and which was floated on the Stock Exchange in 1992. The Eccles Cross is one of the many individual pubs within that estate, each with its own name and local identity but sharing the parent company's operating model, supply chain and promotional calendar.

The Eccles Cross is a pub in Eccles, in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. Its name derives from the nearby Eccles Cross, a monument of considerable antiquity. According to the pub's official history, the original cross was erected by Celtic missionaries in the 5th century. A later Saxon cross replaced or succeeded it, and its stump stood neglected for many years until it was accidentally demolished by a lorry during World War II. The pub therefore carries a name tied to the early Christian and medieval heritage of Eccles. The building now occupied by the pub is a former cinema, later converted for use as a public house. This reuse of a distinctive building is characteristic of J D Wetherspoon, which has a long history of converting cinemas, banks, post offices and other large or historic structures into pubs. The pub is located at 13 Regent Street, Eccles, Manchester, M30 0BP. As part of the Wetherspoon estate, The Eccles Cross operates within the framework established by J D Wetherspoon plc. That company traces its origins to 1979, when its first pub opened in Colney Hatch Lane, Muswell Hill, north London, on 9 December, initially trading as Martin's Free House before being renamed Wetherspoons in early 1980. The company grew through the 1980s and 1990s, introducing innovations such as its first real-ale festival in 1990, dedicated non-smoking areas from 1991, the CBS (cleanliness, beer, service) standards scheme, and the Wetherspoon News customer magazine. In 1992 the company was floated on the Stock Exchange as J D Wetherspoon plc, with shares issued at £1.60. Individual Wetherspoon pubs such as The Eccles Cross share the parent company's operating model: long daily opening hours, a broad and competitively priced food and drink menu, an emphasis on cask ale and real-ale festivals, and centralised promotions. The pub opens at 8:00am each day, closing at midnight from Sunday to Thursday and at 1:00am on Friday and Saturday. Children under 18 are admitted only between 8:00am and 9:00pm. Facilities include Wi-Fi, TV screens, a licensed outside area and step-free access, and customers can use the Wetherspoon app to order to their table. The pub takes part in the chain's seasonal programmes, including the twice-yearly beer festivals. Wetherspoon's autumn beer festival has featured 30 real ales over 12 days, including five from international brewers from China, Denmark, Singapore, Ukraine and the USA, with Singapore and Ukraine participating for the first time. The Eccles Cross also features the chain's Christmas menu and its spritz cocktail range. The pub's own history page presents it as part of the local heritage of Eccles, illustrated with old photographs of Gilda Brook Road, Liverpool Road, The Crown Theatre and Church Street.

• The original Eccles Cross is erected by Celtic missionaries (5th century), the monument after which the pub is named.

• The later Saxon cross stump is accidentally demolished by a lorry during World War II.

• J D Wetherspoon's first pub opens in Muswell Hill, north London, on 9 December 1979.

• Wetherspoon hosts its first real-ale festival in 1990.

• J D Wetherspoon is floated on the Stock Exchange in 1992 as J D Wetherspoon plc.

Value-focused community pub within the J D Wetherspoon chain, offering long opening hours, low prices and a broad drinks and food range in a converted heritage building.

• Real ale and guest ales

  Cask ales offered as part of Wetherspoon's regular range and twice-yearly beer festivals.

• Craft cans

  Canned craft beers with published tasting notes.

• Spritz cocktails

  A range of nine classic and fruity spritz cocktail recipes.

• Pub food and Christmas menu

  Standard pub food plus a seasonal Christmas menu available from mid-November to the end of December.

1. 1The Eccles Cross - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
2. 2History - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
3. 3The Eccles Cross - J D Wetherspoon (pub history)jdwetherspoon.com
4. 4About us - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
5. 5The Eccles Cross - Wikidatawikidata.org