Pubs of Manchester

All pubs within the city centre and beyond.
A history of Manchester's hundreds of lost pubs.

Monday 24 December 2012

Mount Tavern, Mount Street


Mount Tavern, Mount Street, Adelphi, Salford. (c) Neil Richardson [1].

The Mount Tavern was originally a house next to a brickmaking works on Mount Street that was converted to a beerhouse in about 1849. When the Mount Tavern was auctioned off in 1862 its list of contents included chandeliers and brasses, as well as the usual loose and fixed seating, glassware and pewter.  The brickworks expanded in the 1880s and the original beerhouse was lost so a new one was built on the corner of Richardson Street and Mount Street, possibly by Kay's Atlas Brewery, in 1891.  Pictured outside the new tavern in the 1890s are the Pierce family who ran it until the 1920s.  Robinsons Brewery of Stockport took the Mount Tavern in 1929 but it received direct hit from the Germans on 2/6/1941 (the same raid that damaged Salford Royal Hospital), and the pub was declared unfit and so was closed for good [1].  A small stretch of Richardson Street still exists today and where it used to meet Mount Street is where the old boozer stood.


Former location of Mount Tavern, Mount Street. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

1. Salford Pubs Part One: Including the Old Town, Chapel Street, Greengate and the Adelphi, Neil Ricardson (2003).

Moulders Arms, Cannon Street

Moulders Arms, Cannon Street, Salford, 1912. (c) Neil Richardson [1].

Pictured here 100 years ago in the late Neil Richardson's book [1], the Moulders Arms dated back to 1845 when it opened on the corner of Arlington Street and Cannon Street in the Adelphi area of old Salford.  Around the turn of the century, Walkers of Warrington bought the Moulders and extended it into the shop next door.  As you can see from the photo, the part of the beerhouse was below street level which happened when the gradient of Cannon Street was altered.  The Moulders Arms closed in 1957 and was demolished as a victim of the St Matthias slum clearance order [1].  Arlington Street and Cannon Street still run through Salford today, the old site of the Moulders being at the top of Arlington in front of St Matthias Court flats (Adelphi Court in the background, below).

Former location of Moulders Arms, Cannon Street. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

1. Salford Pubs Part One:  The Old Town, including Chapel Street, Greengate, and the Adelphi, Neil Richardson (2003).

Friday 21 December 2012

Palmerston, Palmerston Street


Former location of Palmerston, Palmerston Street. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

Today Viaduct Street ends at Palmerston Street but in the past it carried on up to Ashton New Road.  At the intersection of Palmerston Street, a Wilsons house of the same name stood.  The Palmerston wasn't the only beer outlet near here though, the off licence down the road sold Wilsons draught and bottled ales, while the corner shop on the other side of the road to the Palmerston was where you'd go for cigarettes.  These were in the days when there was barely a difference in off-trade and pub prices.  The Palmerston is shown here as a fairly large whitewashed corner boozer in 1963 and a year later looking down Viaduct Street.  This part of inner city Manchester on the Ancoats/Beswick border is strangely devoid of anything these days.

Blacksmiths Arms, Viaduct Street


Viaduct Street, Ancoats/Beswick. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

Seen in 1964, this is the intersection of Viaduct Street from Palmerston Street, the corner shop is advertising Senior Service, Park Drive, Woodbines and Capstan cigarettes - evocative brands.  The off licence up the road offered the same but also Yates Ardwick Gold Medal Ales, on draught or by the bottle ("Beer, porter and tobacco to be served OFF the premises only").  Today, Viaduct Street ends at Palmerston Street here at the Ancoats/Beswick border, but in the past it ran all the north to Ashton New Road as this 1962 photo shows.  Viaduct Street was named because it runs alongside the railway, still in operation as a freight line, that runs past City's stadium.  Here's the Midland signal box on Viaduct Street in these two 1962 photos.

The Blacksmiths Arms was a Threlfalls house on the corner of Napier Street and Viaduct Street seen here in 1963.  It was a classic street corner boozer with the Threlfalls tiling to the lower half of the pub, a style which still survives on a few pubs in town such as the Lass O'Gowrie and Bank of England.  Though only a small boozer, the Blacksmiths was a multi-roomed house with the vault indicated on the window.  There were more beerhouses on Viaduct Street, the Palmerston and the Viaduct Inn...

Monday 17 December 2012

Jolly Carter, Royle Green Road

Former location of Jolly Carter, Royle Green Road, Northenden. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

Halfway along Royle Green Road a couple of new build houses betray the former location of two Jolly Carter pubs.  The first was an old Boddington's house, seen in 1907 and 1970 just before closure (the row of houses seen on the left in both these photos still stands today).  Quite why the powers that be decided to knock down this fine boozer for the new Jolly Carter estate pub, pictured here by Alan Winfield in 1994, is anyone's guess.  The Jolly Carter was sadly pulled down in 2004 and was quickly replaced by Cedarwood Close a year later.

Former location of Jolly Carter, Royle Green Road, Northenden. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

Spread Eagle, Royle Green Road

Spread Eagle, Royle Green Road, Northenden. (c) Goyt Construction.

The Spread Eagle is about to be pulled down to make way for new build housing, just a year or two after it closed its doors following a gang-related shooting that involved the son of the landlady.

Spread Eagle, Royle Green Road, Northenden. (c) Goyt Construction.

Built to replace an old pub of the same name, the Spread Eagle was the second estate-style boozer on Royle Green Road, Northenden, on the Wythenshawe border, and it outlasted the Jolly Carter by almost a decade.

Spread Eagle, Royle Green Road, Northenden. (c) Manchester Evening News.

Still shown open on GoogleMaps, the Spread Eagle is seen in happier times with what looks like some typical clientele lounging about outside.

Spread Eagle, Royle Green Road, Northenden. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

From another angle looking towards Church Road, the closed Church Inn can be seen one side, St Wilfrid's on the other.  The Spread is the forth recent closure in Northenden, following the Tatton Arms, and the Jolly Carters and Church before that.

Spread Eagle, Royle Green Road, Northenden. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

Church, Church Road

Church, Church Road, Northenden, 1992. (c) deltrems at flickr.

One of the first of the recent Northenden pub closures, the Church has been closed for getting on for a decade now.  Towards the end it was blighted by trouble (including a 2002 murder), like many of its neighbours in Wythenshawe proper.  More Northenden boozers closed in its wake - the Jolly Carter, Spread Eagle and Tatton Arms have all been lost over the last few years.

Church, Church Road, Northenden. (c) hugovk at flickr under Creative Commons.

There are some nice old archive photos of the Church Inn from 1908, 1939 and 1971 when it was a Tetley's house.  Rumours are that the old Church Inn is eventually being converted to flats, leaving just the Farmers Arms and the Crown Inn as Northenden's last two real pubs (as well as the newer bars that have sprung up on Palatine Road).

Church, Church Road, Northenden, circa 1910. (c) With permission from Northenden Old & New at NorthendenPast.

Saturday 8 December 2012

Horse & Jockey, Broad Street

Horse & Jockey, Broad Street, Salford. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr [1].

The Horse & Jockey stood on Broad Street opposite St Thomas's Church in Pendleton, Salford, opening in the 1830s.  By 1873 there was a brewhouse at the Horse & Jockey, advertising ales in 6, 9 and 18-gallon casks for sale to punters.  Fulford & Co. at the Empress Brewery leased the beerhouse and expanded it to include a new parlour, a vault and a bar, but by 1903 the Horse & Jockey was entirely rebuilt [2].

Horse & Jockey, Broad Street, Pendleton, 1920s. (c) Neil Richardson [2].

Walkers of Warrington acquired all Empress's houses in the 1920s, and the Horse & Jockey remained under walkers until it had passed to Tetley's when it was closed and demolished in 1971 [2].  The scene below  from Broad Street shows the view which would have been had from the Horse & Jockey before the road widening around here - the pub in the shadow of St Thomas's is the still surviving Church Inn.

Former location of Horse & Jockey, Broad Street (Church Inn in the background). (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

2. Salford Pubs Part Three: Including Cross Lane, Broad Street, Hanky Park, the Height, Brindleheath, Charlestown and Weaste, Neil Ricahardson (2003).

Alliance Inn, Rochdale Road

Alliance Inn, Rochdale Road, Blackley. (c) jacoliame at panoramio.

The Alliance Inn was a Boddingtons beerhouse on the corner of Kate Street (now Russet Road) and Rochdale Road in Blackley.  The above photo is from the 1960s and there are two 1958 photos showing the Alliance Inn a few years earlier.  The late Eddie and Mavis Mees ran the Alliance between 1972 and 1974, and their sons Dave and Johnny, who lived at the pub, remember the pub's tiny bar about 1.5 metres long with just two pumps, bitter and mild.  Bottled Heineken sold well so the Mees installed it on draught in late '72.  Ted Stockton used to drink in here and remembers ordering at the bar stating a cryptic "No.2" or "No.4", etc.  This was because no one drank anything other than bitter or lager and if you ordered half pints then that would have marked you out as a person of questionable tastes.

Former location of Alliance Inn, Rochdale Road (new Alliance Inn behind). (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

Although the license at the Alliance Inn didn't permit the sale of spirits, they always had a couple of bottles under the bar for the locals. Regulars at the Alliance during this time were characters like 'The Beast', 'Chic Chavio', 'Mary Mary' and Brian 'The Bear' Dunn.  A 1973 oil painting of the pub painted by J. Murray for the Mees still resides with the family. The original Alliance Inn was knocked down in the 1980s and a new estate-style pub built in its place, set back a little off the main road, with the plot of the old Alliance still empty.

Albert Park Inn, Duke Street

Albert Park Inn, Duke Street, Lower Broughton. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr [1].

This Albert Park Inn (not to be confused with the estate pub of the same name that opened on nearby Great Clowes Street in 1983), can be traced back to 1858 when the Eagle Inn beerhouse opened on Duke Street, which ran between Sussex Street to Camp Street.  When the Eagle was enlarged it was renamed in 1876 or '77 after the new park which had just opened nearby.  In the 1930s the Albert Park Inn passed from Taylor's Eagle Brewery to Marston's - it was quite unusual for the Burton brewery to own a pub in these parts.  The Albert Park was demolished in 1977 along with all the properties around it, and this part of Lower Broughton is looking fairly smart these days.

Former location of Albert Park Inn, Duke Street, Lower Broughton. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

Wrexham Inn, Ashton Old Road

Wrexham Inn, Ashton Old Road, Openshaw. (c) D.N. at ManMates [1].

Seen in the 1960s, 1964 and 1970s, the Wrexham Inn was once on the end of the terrace on the corner of Lees Street and Ashton Old Road.  Oddly for the period, there was no brewery signage, so the pub may have been a true free house, although by 1992 the Wrexham Inn was a Boddington's house [2].  See Alan Winfield's photo of the Wrexham Inn here.  Unsurprisingly, since the pub was pulled down in the last decade or so, nothing has been done with this site.



Former location of Wrexham Inn, Ashton Old Road. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

1. www.facebook.com/ManMates.co.uk.

Pack Horse, Ashton Old Road

Pack Horse, Ashton Old Road, Openshaw. (c) D.N. at ManMates Facebook [1].

This odd collection of buildings is unmistakably an old boozer as you travel down Ashton Old Road into town, as the PACK HORSE sign remains.  Until recently it was a Holt's boozer and before that, Greenall Whitley's.

Former Pack Horse, Ashton Old Road, Openshaw. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

These 1960s and 1970s photos show the Pack Horse as a Groves & Whitnall house on the corner of Louisa Street.  These days the old Pack House is in use as a variety of tumbledown foreign shops and businesses.

Former Pack Horse, Ashton Old Road, Openshaw. (c) mickaul at panoramio.

1. www.facebook.com/ManMates.co.uk.

Smithfield, Ashton Old Road

Former location of Smithfield, Ashton Old Road, Openshaw. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

The Smithfield was a big, multi-roomed Boddingtons boozer on the corner of Cornwall Street and Ashton Old Road.  You can see Alan Winfield's 1992 photo of this fine looking pub here.  Since it was knocked down there has been nothing done with site, as is the council's policy of needless destruction with no contingency plans.

George, Ashton Old Road

Former George, Ashton Old Road, Openshaw. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

The George Inn on Ashton Old Road, Openshaw was a Centric Pub Company boozer when Alan Winfield visisted in 1993, which meant no decent ale [1].  However, as seen in this archive photo from the 1970s, the George was an old Openshaw Brewery house which passed to Charrington and Tetley's.  It only closed in the last decade or so and still stands, recently in use as a tanning salon.

Former George, Ashton Old Road, Openshaw. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

Openshaw Inn, Ashton Old Road

Former location of Openshaw Inn, Ashton Old Road, Openshaw. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

The Openshaw Inn with its multi-arched frontage is shown at the archive in the grimy 1960s on Ashton Old Road, on the corner of Mitchell Street on the border of Beswick and Openshaw.  The near corner on which the 'football accountant' and account book manufacturers stood is the lost Ensign Street, which used to pass from the Old Road to Kay Street behind.  In a more recent photo from the 1970s, the Openshaw Inn has had a lick of paint, its Chesters sign signage added, and its neighbour demolished.  An advertising hoarding and office marks the spot of the old Openshaw Inn.

Sunday 2 December 2012

Talisman / Cock o' the North, Oatlands Road

Talisman, Oatlands Road, Woodhouse Park. (c) Gene Hunt at flickr.

The Talisman is the most recently demolished Wythenshawe boozer, closing in September 2008 and being pulled down on 22nd December 2009 [1].  

Cock o' the North, Oatlands Road, Woodhouse Park. (c) Sharstonbaths at YouTube.

This Burtonwood house was originally named Cock o' the North, which was rather appropriate given its rough reputation, and it closed its doors under Marstons.


Talisman, Oatlands Road, Woodhouse Park. (c) Talisman Facebook.

The Talisman is still shown as open Google, but this pub-less spot on the corner of Portway and Oatlands Road was fenced off this summer, pub sign still standing, with houses and flats planned.

Talisman, Oatlands Road, Woodhouse Park. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

1. www.camrahops.com/guide/004000/Pub004460.htm.

Friday 30 November 2012

Greenwood Tree, Greenwood Road


Greenwood Tree, Greenwood Road, Benchill, 1994. (c) Alan Winfield with permission. 

The Greenwood Tree was a basic-looking, flat-roofed Tetley's estate pub in Benchill, on the corner of Gladeside Road, further down Greenwood Road from the Anvil.  Back in the 1970s, it looked like more of a family-oriented pub, but when it closed in the mid-2000s as a Burtonwood house, it had gone downhill and was forced to shut by the police due to guns and drugs being found on the premises following a gang-related murder.  The Greenwood Tree also suffered from the protection rackets of local gangsters like many pubs in the Wythenshawe area.

  
Former location of Greenwood Tree, Greenwood Road, Benchill. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

Anvil, Greenwood Road


Anvil, Greenwood Road, Benchill, 1994. (c) Alan Winfield with permission.

The Anvil was another classic Wythenshawe estate pub on the corner of Haveley Road and Greenwood Road in Benchill.  This spot is just to the east of the M56 where it forks left and Princess Parkway starts.  


Former location of Anvil, Greenwood Road. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.

The Anvil was a Hydes pub, of course, named after the old Hydes Anvil brand.  It was your standard estate pub layout with a lounge and bar area and despite a rough reputation (like most Benchill pubs to be honest; like most Wythenshawe pubs, in fact), it lasted until 2004.

Hydes Anvil. (c) Barclay Perkins blogebay.

Sunday 25 November 2012

Lantern, Hall Lane


Lantern, Hall Lane, Baguley. (c) With permission: Alan Winfield.

The Lantern was a classic Wythenshawe estate pub built by Greenall Whitley's in the 1960s on Hall Lane in Baguley.  

Lantern, Hall Lane, Baguley. (c) Sharstonbaths at YouTube.

The Lantern was probably demolished in the late '90s, but in the absence of much history, here are some great internal photos.


Lantern, Hall Lane, Baguley. (c) Sharstonbaths at YouTube.

 
Lantern, Hall Lane, Baguley. (c) Sharstonbaths at YouTube.

 
Lantern, Hall Lane, Baguley. (c) Sharstonbaths at YouTube.


Lantern, Hall Lane, Baguley. (c) Sharstonbaths at YouTube.

Lantern, Hall Lane, Baguley. (c) Sharstonbaths at YouTube.

On the site of the old Lantern is this block of grim new-builds called Lantern Court opposite Baguley Hall.

Former location of Lantern, Hall Lane. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.