Freemasons Arms, Spaw Street

Freemasons Arms, Spaw Street, Salford, 1880s. (c) Neil Richardson [1].

Spaw Street still runs south off Chapel Street, the next street up from New Bailey Street.  Almost under the railway bridge was the Freemasons Arms which can be traced back to about 1861, and by the 1880s it was run by Boddingtons Brewery.  The Freemasons closed after the landlord complained that the neighbourhood was too rough to handle!  In 1888 Boddingtons transferred the licence of the Freemasons to the a shop on Albion Street which became the long-lasting Red Cow [1].  The photo above from the 1880s shows the Freemasons in the background at the bridge; that bridge still stands today, and can be seen below with the former Lamb Inn and the sadly boarded-up Albert Vaults in the background.

Former location of the Freemasons Arms, Spaw Street. (c) Google 2013. View Larger Map.

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