91-year-old landlady celebrates 50 years at Manchester's Peveril of the Peak pub

ITV News Correspondent Juliet Bremner reports on the legendary landlady who's been working behind the bar for more than half a century


At 91 years old, Nancy Swanick is one of the oldest landladies in country.

She's been pulling pints at the Peveril of the Peak - known more commonly as The Pev - in Manchester for 50 years.

Despite the past year and the Covid-19 pandemic having a detrimental impact on pubs, the nonagenarian told ITV News Correspondent Juliet Bremner she's not lost her fighting spirit.

These days arthritis makes it difficult for Nancy to pull the pints herself, but over the years she's been there to welcome the famous faces - Oasis used the Pev for one of their early photoshoots - but Nancy has always been the boss.

Oasis had the Peveril of the Peak pub as a backdrop during a photoshoot. Credit: Handout

"I take no nonsense from anyone, if there was trouble say in the bar, I'd say: 'OK, outside, have it outside, but you don't have it in my pub and smash the place up' and they'd go," she recalled.When she and husband Tommy took over the pub in 1971 it was an old fashioned boozer - after he died she carried on fighting to stop it being unturned into a trendy sports bar.

"I said 'no way, you'd do that over my dead body'... I saved the pub in my own little way," she said.

With her full name above the door - Nancy is determined to carry on making the decisions - to preserve the character of the pub she's now run for half a century.