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Drake's Drum, Marsden Square

There was a great little coffee bar off Cannon Street at the back of British Home Stores called 'Drake's Drum'. You went downstairs to a small cafe with red tables and chairs and a great old juke box. Called in a few times with some mates and played the Stones 'Not Fade Away' and the b-side 'Little by Little' on it over and over again, before heading to a 'Cavern' all-nighter.

Peter Bradford

I remember Drakes Drum in Marsden Square behind British Homes Stores about 1963-66. British Homes Stores was then Henrys store and had a conecting tunel to H.Samuel, the jewellers. I worked at both places and Drakes Drum was a regular after work haunt. Having played in a band in the early 60's - Paul Fenda and the Teenbeats - I placed a demo disc in the Juke box which did not prove popular and was soon removed.

Chris Bowden - 27/12/11

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John Coller
2 years ago
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John Coller
2 years ago
I used to go to Drakes Drum at lunchtime when I worked at Affleck & Brown as a school leaver, around 1964/65. It has bugged me trying to remember just where it was and I think it must have been swallowed up by the Arndale Centre. The proprietor had sandy hair and a goatee beard and looked quite Elizebethan and piratical to me! The jukebox was great and always had the latest single releases. I remember playing Juliet by The Four Pennies, for some reason it is that song I associate with the café.
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Mary Grant
3 years ago
I discovered this little gem of a cafe in 1967 when I was on a rare outing with my cousin John and his friend Douggie Smith. Despite Manchester back streets and alleys in the Sixties being on the dark side and a bit grim, this place felt very private and off the beaten track and had a good jukebox. It wasn’t the kind of place I would have gone to with my friends at the time and I forever associate it with John and Douggie.  Also tucked away on Cannon Street was a great club called Rails, where my friend Sandy Howson worked as a waitress at night. Great days of youth,
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Jim Murray
5 years ago
 I worked for Chris Nicolau theTailor in the building  above the Drakes Drum I was a friend of the owners son a Jewish guy called Howard   The Romanso cafe was  in the opposite  corner of the Marsden sq they were the places you hung around in waiting for the clubs to open great days 58 years ago Jim
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Graham Dooley
6 years ago
I worked slit shifts at the Grand hotel on Aytoun St. A group of us would take a walk through the stores (Pauldons) and BHS and end up in Drakes Drum playing the pinball machine and jukebox, drinking coffee until it was time to return to the Grand and begin the evening shift at 5PM. Used to take my girlfriend there on a 'date' also. Ummm happy days.
Graham Dooley (Tom)
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Anonymous
8 years ago
I worked there for about a year. My mum thought I  still worked at handley wild & charltons chartered accountants! It was a great place & very with it!
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