The New Oxford is sat back off Chapel Street in Bexley Square, directly opposite the Salford Magistrates Court, and so could clearly attract scrotes, chavs and vagabonds on a normal weekday. On a Saturday however, it's a fantastic place to sup. A central bar area, surrounded again by different rooms, and a continental style outside area in the Square, with the mandatory silver chrome table and chairs arrangements as befits all new pubs and bars these days in city centres.
New Oxford, Bexley Square. (c) newton-estates.
As for the ale, probably somewhere in the region of 12 different beers and ciders on offer, with a specials board showing these together with the prices so that you don't have to walk to all four corners of the bar. The beer itself was superbly kept, and included one of our personal microbrewery favourites in Thornbridge Jaipur. Whilst not a session ale really at 5.9%, it's too hard to resist at least one pint to see you on your way. This was swiftly followed up by a few more quaffable Manchester Pale style ales at about 4%. The New Oxford was a new pub for me, but I'll definitely be back, indeed I suspect if I return in summer, it could be for a lengthy session here.
Oxford Hotel, Bexley Square, 1950s. (c) Neil Richardson [1].
The New Oxford was originally the Town Hall Tavern beerhouse in the 1850s in what was then Bexley Street, it become the Court Tavern a few years later then the Amateurs Arms in 1871 when it contained a music hall. By the 1880s the pub had become the Oxford Hotel, and when Wilsons Brewery acquired it and the four neighbouring shops and cottages, it became the large hotel shown above in the 1950s. Licensee Benjamin Grant obtained a billiards licence for the old music hall, and later the place was run by James and Charlotte Brand from the 1920s to '40s, Robert West and Roy Bamforth in the '50s, and William Bailey in the 1960s and '70s. Attempts at modernisation and sporadic closures led to its eventual closure as a Vaux house in 2001 [1]. Thankfully, it's one of Salford's survivors...
1. Salford Pubs - Part One: The Old Town, including Chapel Street, Greengate and the Adelphi, Neil Richardson (2003).
New Oxford, Bexley Square. (c) newton-estates.
As for the ale, probably somewhere in the region of 12 different beers and ciders on offer, with a specials board showing these together with the prices so that you don't have to walk to all four corners of the bar. The beer itself was superbly kept, and included one of our personal microbrewery favourites in Thornbridge Jaipur. Whilst not a session ale really at 5.9%, it's too hard to resist at least one pint to see you on your way. This was swiftly followed up by a few more quaffable Manchester Pale style ales at about 4%. The New Oxford was a new pub for me, but I'll definitely be back, indeed I suspect if I return in summer, it could be for a lengthy session here.
Oxford Hotel, Bexley Square, 1950s. (c) Neil Richardson [1].
The New Oxford was originally the Town Hall Tavern beerhouse in the 1850s in what was then Bexley Street, it become the Court Tavern a few years later then the Amateurs Arms in 1871 when it contained a music hall. By the 1880s the pub had become the Oxford Hotel, and when Wilsons Brewery acquired it and the four neighbouring shops and cottages, it became the large hotel shown above in the 1950s. Licensee Benjamin Grant obtained a billiards licence for the old music hall, and later the place was run by James and Charlotte Brand from the 1920s to '40s, Robert West and Roy Bamforth in the '50s, and William Bailey in the 1960s and '70s. Attempts at modernisation and sporadic closures led to its eventual closure as a Vaux house in 2001 [1]. Thankfully, it's one of Salford's survivors...
1. Salford Pubs - Part One: The Old Town, including Chapel Street, Greengate and the Adelphi, Neil Richardson (2003).
Crackin place....was gutted to see landlord Tims other place 'The Black Lion' close....it was a great place to start this crawl.
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