Wheatsheaf, Oldham Road, Ancoats. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.
Despite being only a couple of hundred yards from the trendy Northern Quarter, and even closer to the popular beer havens of the Marble Arch and Angel, the Wheatsheaf is a forgotten little local's pub on the Ancoats / Miles Platting border. It's been on our radar for years so it was after our tour of Miles Platting that we called in finally.
Wheatsheaf, Oldham Road, Ancoats. (c) Pubs of Manchester.
It looks closed half the time, and its location, nestled in the shadow of a derelict high-rise at the end of a dilapidated row of shops, means it's not the most inviting looking pub in town. Don't judge a book by it's cover though, as inside it's very pleasant - bare boards and traditional bench seating in the vault with a fine old stone floor and cosy lounge.
The beer wasn't great though - Boddies or Stones smooth were purchased, both as tasteless as they were inoffensive. It's an improvement on the alleged cans-only situation that our mate reckoned that was the Wheatsheaf last year. For a Saturday dinner time there was a few in - several pub shaman, a couple of young scallies and a lone female drinker. Another Manchester throwback.
Wheatsheaf, Oldham Road, Ancoats. (c) Pubs of Manchester.
Update: Sadly the Wheatsheaf is no more, and in late 2012 or early 2013 it was stealthily converted into a convenience store. RIP - we will cover its history in more detail soon.
Wheatsheaf, Oldham Road. (c) Neil Richardson [2].
2. The Old Pubs of Ancoats, Neil Richardson (1987).
3. The Manchester Pub Guide, Manchester & Salford City Centres, Manchester Pub Surveys (1975).
What are these? Blank entries waiting for an intrepid reporter to post a review? This could be the way forward. The Wheatsheaf looks worth a visit - it's always hard to resist a pub next door to a derelict block of flats (though I guess they may have been redeveloped or demolished since the pictures were taken?)
ReplyDeleteIf you want some guest reviews I could probably make a start on the remaining open pubs in Salford - there are more than 30 still to be featured?
No, we visited all these last month, just waiting for our review man to do his bit! The Wheatsheaf has been on our list for ages and seeing as we used to drink in the Shamrock regularly, I'm glad we finally got round to it. A surprisingly pleasant pub inside with a few wizened old locals, even though the beer on offer isn't great (Stones or Boddies Smooth). Our mate who's a regular in here told us it was cans only last year. The flats are still standing... think they are earmarked for development rather than demolition. As the remit expands, we will eventually get round to visiting the Salford pubs but it'll take a few years. We'd be happy to host guest reviews though - dan@thedistractions.co.uk
ReplyDeleteIt took us a few visits before we finally found this place open! I can't really recommend the place for a return visit but for pub collecting geeks like us it was a massive tick!
ReplyDeletename of landlord in 1900 s
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