Love of list(ing)s
So delighted to hear about the Listed status given to Manze’s Pie, Eel and Mash shop in Walthamstow this week. The Manze’s chain has a number of these shops across London, some still owned by the family and some in other hands. I’ve always been to timid to go into the one in Peckham High Street…
I think it’s because I’m wild on the decor of these places, but less so on the food. I attended a fashion shoot in the Hoxton pie and mash shop a couple of years ago. The restaurant closed for the day, but the kitchen kept producing take-away pie and mash, collected by a constant stream of older Hoxtonites. The pie-passionate OAPs pleased me, but gosh the smell of the liquor (gravy) stays in your hair.
We’ve posted a gallery of images of the Listed Walthamstow shop on Facebook. Have a look to see just how charming the interior details are. Well worth the listing. And here, from the website of Peckham Manze’s, is a short history of this London institution.
“Michele Manze arrived in britain from a picturesque hillside village in southern Italy in 1878. The Manze family settled in Bermondsey and began trading as ice-merchants, turning later to ice-cream makers. Realising the need for more substantial food in post-Victorian London, Michele branched out into the pie, mash & eels trade.
The first shop to bear his name opened in 1902 at 87 Tower Bridge Road, Bermondsey. He went on to open his second shop at 250 Southwark Park Road, Bermondsey in 1908, and two further shops in Poplar,which were lost during World War Two. His fifth and final shop at 105 Peckham High Street was opened in 1927.
Several of Michele’s brothers followed his lead, and by 1930 there were a total of 14 pie,mash & eel shops in London bearing the Manze name.”
Over in Deptford his great grandson is still doing a roaring trade… and their site has a wonderful archive gallery:
The above photo is from a much more in-depth piece on London’s Pie and Mash shops by The Gentle Author. It’s a good read. My favourite quote from it?
Julia Richards, nearly ninety-eight – “They used to have live eels outside and you could pick your own.”
This is such a nice story about keeping the heritage of old properties alive.
Hi there
Thank you for a continuing enlightening blog! I hope you don’t mind but I remembered an old post of yours and discovering we must live fairly near I trundled over to Aladdin’s Cave and had a look about. I’ve mentioned it on my blog, pebbledashedpad.wordpress.com and credited you for a picture I used. Let me know if you are unhappy as I’m more than happy to remove it if so. I’ll certainly be going back another day, without sis, Nan and two year old in tow, to rummage!
Meanwhile I’ll keep my eyes peeled for other great haunts you recommend!
Melanie
Hi Melanie
No problem at all, thanks for crediting us as that’s all we’d ask for. Hope you enjoyed the cave.
J&R