M. Manze Pie and Mash Shop in Islington Is Closing

M. Manze, the traditional Cockney pie and mash shop on Islington’s Chapel Market, will close by Christmas. After 106 years of trading, Tim Nicholls, the owner, has told the Islington Gazette that “high business rates” and rent hikes in the area are forcing their closure.

Manze is among the oldest of London’s traditional pie and mash shops, having first opened in 1911. It comes as operators across London are being asked to meet new rent demands in line with the rising value of property, particularly in the inner-city. The Chairman of the Chapel Market Traders Association (which represents the daily market), David Twydell, described Manze’s planned closure as a “nail in the coffin” of Angel Islington’s historic shopping street.

The Islington Gazette report that “In March, the Islington Chamber of Commerce marched on Whitehall with a 12,600-strong petition against devastating 45% rate increases. Businesses in Islington face the third highest hike in the country.” Twydell, who has run a fruit and veg stall on the market for 40 years is weary of the future of the area: “The rate hikes are hitting the small businesses while the big boys can survive...The worry is, it’ll become just another street of fast food joints and Costa coffee shops,” he said. “Manze is a reason a lot of people come to the market. It makes you worry as a stallholder.”

Whilst Manze will close in Islington, Nicholls did announce that they are opening a branch this weekend — on Braintree High Street, between Colchester and Chelmsford — in Essex. Manze also have locations in Peckham and Sutton and the Tower Bridge Road location, dating back to 1902, is London’s oldest.

Earlier this month, another historic London pie and mash shop, G. Kelly, on Roman Road announced that they were closing temporarily. On their website they state that they “are undergoing structural repairs and improvements to ensure we can continue trading long into the future.” They say that they plan to be open in the first half of 2018.

• Famous Manze pie and mash shop to close after 106 years in Chapel Market [Islington Gazette]