059. Wheatsheaf, Oak Street

Wheatsheaf, Oak Street. (c) markydeedrop at skyscrapercity.

The Wheatsheaf is a slightly hidden locals' pub situated slap-bang in the middle of Manchester's Northern Quarter.  Don't get me wrong, it was very welcoming and friendly and was packed to the rafters early on a Sunday evening, but you'd be forgiven for thinking you had been transported into an estate pub somewhere.  The pub is one large room surrounding a central bar area, with a pool table in one corner and a stage in another.  Indeed as we walked in, a middle aged woman was enjoying herself belting out some song or other on the karaoke, but don't let that put you off.  Real ale was available, and the Marston's Pedigree was a good pint, one of two pumps on.  The Wheatsheaf is little bit off the beaten track, but certainly worth calling in for a couple if you're in the area and you can find it.

Wheatsheaf, Oak Street, 1990s. (c) deltrems at flickr.

There are load of interesting pictures hung, many of the old barrow boys and fruit, veg and flower sellers who no doubt frequented the Wheatsheaf when the nearby Smithfield Markets were thriving. These got us guessing as to what the layouts of the streets of this little hidden area of town were like before the housing association flats and smart dwellings were built, probably in the 1980s. The only old photo from the archives from the '70s shows the Tetley's house but doesn't give us a clue, and the '90s snap above shows the area as it still is today. An important point of note about the Wheatsheaf is that the site saw the birth of Manchester's finest brewery. An earlier pub at this location was the Butchers Arms, and its brewhouse produced twenty barrels a week, and it's probable that Joseph Holt started off his brewing career at the Butchers Arms [1].

Wheatsheaf, Oak Street. (c) Manchester Pub Surveys [2].

1. www.northmanchester.net/content/view/88/2.
2. The Manchester Pub Guide, Manchester & Salford City Centres, Manchester Pub Surveys (1975).