Old House at Home, Bottomley Side, Blackley, 1995. (c) Alan Winfield with permission.
The Old House at Home was a well-known yet well-hidden pub, tucked away along Bottomley Side in Blackley. From some angles, such as the one below, it looks like a countryside pub, and indeed it was for many years, after one of the cottages in the row was first licensed to sell beer in about 1861 [1].
Old House at Home, Bottomley Side, 1961. (c) Roger Hall [1].
Horse races were run in the fields betweent the Old House and Lion Street during Blackley Wakes. However, from the front in 1958 you can see how it was hemmed in by the industries which came to Crumpsall and Blackley. Levensteins Works became ICI, and the Wilsons house (from 1937) flourished thanks to thirsty workers adding to local's custom.
Old House at Home, Bottomley Side. (c) Pugh Auctions.
Quirks of the Old House at Home were that until the 1960s, it was lit by gas and had chemical toilets that were installed before WWII. Then, in 1978 customers saved the pub from demolition when Wilsons wanted to sell up to ICI [1]. Sadly, the Old House at Home suffered from dwindling custom in recent years and closed in 2011 under long-standing landlord, Hartley Downs, having recently been converted to private housing.
Former Old House at Home, Bottomley Side. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.
1. The Pubs of Blackley, Roger Hall (1980).
By 'eck, I had a good few pints in there between 1977 and '79.
ReplyDeleteThis Beer House was built by my great great grandfather John Smallwood. His daughter Alice Smallwood then ran it with her husband James Howard Hopkinson. The pub remained in the Hopkinson family until 1960's when the last James Hopkinson sold it to Wilson's Brewery.
ReplyDeleteRIP Hartley Downs
ReplyDeleteMany a great evening in this pub, good memories, good times...
ReplyDeleteIs the Pub still Open ??
DeleteNo it’s now a home
DeleteUsed to go in there on a Friday Lunch time in the mid-90's when working for a Contractor working for AstraZeneca, 1st proper job after leaving Uni. Great times, quirky little pub, but fondly remembered.
ReplyDeleteHappy memories of good times at the old house over the years, always welcomed by Hartley and Linda even on the night when about 40 of us turned up on bikes😊
ReplyDeleteUse to go here with my Uncle loved the Pub the Nice Smell hit you when you walked in & the Tables where Sewing Machines yeah happy memories on a Tuesday Evening
ReplyDeleteMy parents, aunts and uncles were all part of the campaign to save it from ici in the 70s
ReplyDelete