Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
The Edinburgh Castle on the corner of Henry Street and Blossom Street in Ancoats only closed a few years ago. It can be traced back to at least 1811 [1] and is shown here in the 1970s.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Neil Richardson [1].
Towards the end the Edinburgh Castle wasn't the most welcoming of pubs, sadly, and didn't do much to entice the residents of the new-build flats nearby.
..
According to the Ancoats Urban Village website Heritage Inns received planning permission to refurbish the pub - although nothing came of it. There was even a render of what Blossom Street might look like once the redevelopment of this area is finished.
During several recces we confirmed that the old Edinburgh Castle is still standing proud, boarded up safely, waiting for something to be done with it.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street, 2010. (c) Pubs of Manchester.
With the dubious preservation track record of Manchester City Council and completion rates of various Ancoats re-developers, we will not be holding our breath.
In 2013 we were privvy to the Lambert Smith Hampton and Manchester City Council brochure for the Edinburgh Castle and adjoining Woody's Backpacker Hostel.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
These photos show the pub is still in good condition and could be easily reopened as a pub or restaurant (as the brochure admits).
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
It's good to see the bar and seating areas are still intact, and while much of the internals are stripped out, it's not succumbed to vandalism of decay.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
1. The Old Pubs of Ancoats, Neil Richardson (1987).
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street, 2010. (c) Pubs of Manchester.
With the dubious preservation track record of Manchester City Council and completion rates of various Ancoats re-developers, we will not be holding our breath.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
In 2013 we were privvy to the Lambert Smith Hampton and Manchester City Council brochure for the Edinburgh Castle and adjoining Woody's Backpacker Hostel.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
These photos show the pub is still in good condition and could be easily reopened as a pub or restaurant (as the brochure admits).
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
It's good to see the bar and seating areas are still intact, and while much of the internals are stripped out, it's not succumbed to vandalism of decay.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
Edinburgh Castle, Blossom Street. (c) Lambert Smith Hampton.
1. The Old Pubs of Ancoats, Neil Richardson (1987).
Always a great pint of Chesters Mild, I used to frequent this pubs in the 70s and 80s during my breaks when I worked at the Daily Express just further down the road. Maud and Bernard ran it - Maud almost spherical in shape was a wonderful soul. Bernard was usually quiet and had a bad case of the Chesters tremors. It used to be heaving every night of the week.
ReplyDeleteCheers for the memories, sounds like a fine old boozer, like so many in Ancoats once were. Sadly the Edinburgh Castle is a bit of a mess inside now according to an old landlord (who's now got the Shamrock), so it's likely to be pulled down.
ReplyDeleteThere's a few old jazz pubs & clubs on here, Blue Note, Thatched House, etc. I'm sure we're missing loads though. Any old locations you can help us with would be much appreciated...
The pub has been bought by the same company that own Euston Tap, Piccadilly Tap etc and is spending half a million pounds on a refurb, due to open this Month.
ReplyDeleteya my partner cathy used to work there 35 years ago
ReplyDeleteMy ancestors the Jackson family owned this pub in the middle of the 1800's.
ReplyDeleteSo glad it is still there.
WoW that you’ve traced that back so far 👍
DeleteYes! The Jackson family are my ancestors too, James Jackson was a Publican there (my 3rd great grandfather).
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ReplyDeleteI used to be one of the managers of Woodies backpackers hostel next to the pub a few years back.
ReplyDeleteI worked there about 45/46 years ago used to be a great boozer !!
ReplyDelete