Thousands knew him, thousands miss him (2025)

Andy Martin, legendary landlord of The Star and Garter, died a year ago last week

Thousands of Mancunians knew Andy Martin. The legendary pub landlord poured his heart and soul into his beloved boozer.

The Star and Garter boss knew he was at helm of one of the city's most significant venues. He didn't let punters at the iconic venue down, steering the ship for over two decades.

Under his leadership, the Fairfield Street boozer shaped the youth of many a Manc. Andy was the perfect fit for the treasured watering hole, which dates back more than two centuries.

The pub, in the shadow of Manchester's Piccadilly station, was on the cusp of a new era following rocky times when Andy died. Battling financial uncertainty, he was finally seeing the light.

Andy's death at 52 - a year ago last weekend - left friends, family and customers devastated. An inquest exploring the care he received in hospital was held last week.

Jurors concluded there were 'missed opportunities' as Andy rapidly deteriorated at Salford Royal Hospital. 'Sub-optimal care' and delays in treatment were identified. The jury said the issues 'more than minimally contributed to [his] death'.

Andy's wife Helen Kitchen earlier said in evidence to Bolton Coroners' Court she was told off by staff for pressing an emergency button. She said she was told she just needed to wait for antibiotics to take effect.

Helen didn't know the father of her two daughters hadn't been given the prescribed medication and that by the time that happened, more than eight hours as passed. All the while, Andy was suffering with sepsis, meningitis and brain inflammation.

The Manchester Evening News spoke to Helen following the hearing. She said the jury's conclusion left her feeling 'vindicated'.

"We wanted answers... we wanted proof," Helen added. "We were made to feel we were fussing unduly. We knew there were gaps in the care. We got the answers that we wanted. I feel vindicated, but it was hard to hear."

Helen told the inquest Andy became increasingly agitated, feverish and distressed in hospital. "I was told that Andy was fine because he'd already had a dose of antibiotics and paracetamol, and that I needed to give them a chance to work," she added.

"I was quite scared. We were asking for help and constantly being told that we were overreacting and that everything would be okay.

"I was crying and begging for help, but everyone seemed to ignore me. I pressed the emergency button. I was told that it wasn't that kind of emergency and that everything would be fine. I was told off and that the alarm was only for nursing staff for real emergencies."

Helen, reflecting on the proceedings, said: "I trust medical staff and I love the NHS, but I'm always going to question it. I'm never going to trust it like I did before Andy died."

A whole other side

While he was the face of The Star and Garter, at home Andy was simply 'Dad'. Helen said there was a whole other side to him when he was with his girls, Jasmine and Georgina.

The pair met at the pub in 2009. Like so many others, Helen went on a night out at The Star and Garter and became a regular.

On one occasion she noticed Andy walking towards her. She gave him a look - and he fell in love. Helen later started working at the pub. Andy's family never thought he would get married and have kids, but he and Helen did just that.

"He was destined to be a dad of daughters", she said. "He was a fantastic dad. The kids absolutely adored him, he took on the daytime childcare and said to me 'I could do this full time'. If we could afford to do it he would have done that."

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News after her husband's death, Helen said: "He apparently said to a friend he 'didn't know who the f*** he was' before having the three of us.

"Everybody would say to us that they had never seen him this happy. We were this family unit, with so much love in this house. Nobody could really hurt us. Honestly, it was just a dream."

Speaking about her husband's infectious personality, she added: "He was the funniest person I've ever met in my life. I've never met anyone who could pull a one liner from anywhere. He was a top guy.

"He would just sort something out for you. If my mum said something like the washing machine was on the blink, one would be delivered the next day.

"He was a big feminist, he really genuinely loved women. He loved it when there were bands that were fronted by women."

Andy and Helen had been dreaming of a move to the Lancashire coast and 'get something bigger for the kids'. The pair were on Rightmove 'every day' and planned to sell their Manchester home. Andy insisted he would commute to The Star and Garter.

Those hopes for the future were destroyed when Andy tragically died.

"That was mine and Andy's dream", Helen added. "I'm moving to be close to my mum in Rochdale. She's in her 70s and drives down the M62 at rush hour. We need to be closer to her."

Helen found herself dealing with her house sale, the transfer of the pub's licence and the inquest in the same week. "Everything happened at once," she said.

'The last truly independent music venue'

Speaking about The Star and Garter, Helen puts it simply: "Andy would describe it as the last truly independent music venue you will ever know in Manchester."

Many bands have played the venue over the decades - including Status Quo, The Courteeners, Dougie Poynter, Half Man Half Biscuit, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, UK Subs, Subhumans, Bring Me The Horizon, Al Perkins, Corrosion of Conformity, Chuck Mosley and Arnocorps.

Andy's association with the pub started back in 1997 when he put on Half Man Half Biscuit for a gig. He went on to officially secure the license in 2003. The venue became famous for its annual MozArmy festival every May, celebrating the music of The Smiths.

Andy later opened up the pub for TV filming to help cover costs. It famously doubled as The Crow's Nest in hit Sky comedy Brassic.

Earlier in 2024, he told the Manchester Evening News how stars from the show surprised him after the birth of his daughter when they were filming at North Manchester General Hospital.

The pub faced some tough times. In 2023, Andy said that without the 'dedication' of Morrissey fans, he would have had to have closed due to an 'unexpected' tax bill from grants he received during the Covid pandemic.

He described the pub, which first opened in 1803, as facing a 'knife-edge fight' to survive, but that events such as Mozarmy was helping keep the venue afloat.

In December 2019 the pub appeared to be on a sure footing after new owners signed a 10-year-lease with Andy. Its future had hung in the balance for more than a decade previously, but it was considered secure as part of plans to regenerate the area behind Piccadilly station.

The Mayfield Partnership - a joint venture made up of regeneration specialist U+I, Manchester council, Transport for Greater Manchester and LCR - bought the Grade II-listed building, saying it was committed to keeping the Star as a music venue - for the long term.

Sadly, after finally seeing the light, Andy never got to move to the coast and enjoy his commute to his beloved pub.

With Andy gone, the future of the Star and Garter was again thrown into question. Helen took over some of the work, but said were it not for the efforts of the staff - especially Danny Marsh - the venue might not have survived.

The lease was sold to Broadwick Venues, which runs Parklife. "The people who are running it both knew Andy and they were friends of his," Helen said. "They respect it. They just want to maintain it."

There are also plans to install a permanent memorial to Andy at the pub - either an artwork or a room in his name. However that memorial takes shape, one thing is certain - Manchester will never forget Andy Martin.