In the shadow of Strangeways Prison, this Tetley's house must have had some rum customers in its time. This photo from 1971 shows the Mechanics Arms on the corner of Sherborne Street and a side street. Whilst that street is unknown, we know that the Mechanics Arms was just a few doors down Sherborne Street from Great Ducie Street thanks to this 1967 photo from the archives. The pub would have been where the modern carbuncle with the two arched windows is today - the only new building in the short block, sadly replacing the Mechanics. The bridge over Sherborne Street is actually part of Strangeways Prison (or HMP Manchester to give it its proper title).
Please don't think I spend all my spare time scouring your blog for inaccuracies. The Mechanics was one of only a tiny handful of pubs to get the highest four-star rating in the 1975 Manchester Pub Guide so I was just having another look at your entry when I noticed a slight discrepancy in the location. Your little google-man is standing on Great Ducie Street looking east towards the Juice Corporation but if he turns around and looks behind him down Sherborne Street West he will see a virtual recreation of the 1967 photo of the pub:
ReplyDeletehttp://g.co/maps/xhcys
- the buildings on the corner remain (although they are totally blacked out) and the building beyond the pub on the other side of Barker Street is still there also. Only the Mechanics itself is missing, replaced by the modern carbuncle with the arched windows. There is another early 70s photo in the Manchester Archives looking out past the same corner towards Strangeways:
http://images.manchester.gov.uk/web/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=65761&reftable=ecatalogue&refirn=62133
The Mechanics could hardly have been closer to the Salford border and was a near neighbour of the still-surviving Albert and Palatine.
My dad use to own the mechanics before it got turned into a church or whatever it is. At the time he went in to hospital very poorly and never got the pub back.
ReplyDeletePlease can anyone point out Barker Street for me
ReplyDeleteBarkers st is just in the next street to the orange building that was once the mechanics arms it be came a producer of plastic bags there is a celler under that building that was once where the beer was delivered by horse and. Cart in the 60s
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