Pubs of Manchester

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

Friday 18 December 2015

House That Jack Built / Sports, Bury New Road

Sports / House That Jack Built, Bury New Road, Higher Broughton, 1989. By Stanley Horrocks, with kind permission and (c) Rose Horrocks. 

The House That Jack Built was a very distinctive 1970s estate pub, opening in 1975 at the newly-built Newbury Place shopping centre off Bury New Road in Higher Broughton.  

House That Jack Built, Bury New Road, 2003. By Stanley Horrocks, with kind permission and (c) Rose Horrocks. 

It was described in the Manchester Evening News at the time as "something entirely different" - a maze of bars, passages and alcoves with an indoor tree house [1]!

House That Jack Built, Bury New Road, 1990. (c) deltrems at flickr.

'Deltrems' who photographed the House That Jack Built in 1990, top, remembers the stumpy pool cues that were required due to the tiny pool room [2].


House That Jack Built, Bury New Road. (c) Paul Wilson with posthumous permission.

The pub was renamed 'Sports' for a time, then Jacks bar.


House That Jack Built, Bury New Road, 1992. By Stanley Horrocks, with kind permission and (c) Rose Horrocks. 

The pub's first licensee was, appropriately, Jack Moon, although the final landlord had his licence revoked in 2004 due to unlicensed gambling and illegal drink [3].


House That Jack Built, Bury New Road, 1990. By Stanley Horrocks, with kind permission and (c) Rose Horrocks. 

Demolition followed in 2005 (the flats behind had gone too).


House That Jack Built, Bury New Road, 1992. By Stanley Horrocks, with kind permission and (c) Rose Horrocks. 

1. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, Oldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).

Old Priory, Laurel Grove

Old Priory, Laurel Grove, Higher Broughton, 1994. (c) By Stanley Horrocks, with kind permission and (c) Rose Horrocks.

The Old Priory was demolished in 1998 and now, in between the top end of Great Clowes Street and Lower Broughton Road, the site is an old folks home. This will have been sad news for the stalwarts of the old Man United drinking club as their old training ground, The Cliff, was yards away and they were known to frequent the pub.

Old Priory, Laurel Grove, Higher Broughton. (c) deltrems at flickr [1].

The pub had an interesting history, as here in the 1800s a Gothic residence, Broughton Priory was built, complete with gardens, orchards, pond and fountain.

Old Priory, Laurel Grove (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr. [3].

James Harrop, newspaper owner, lived here until 1823 but by 1840 the house was empty and the gardens overgrown [2]. Broughton Priory's outbuildings were eventually demolished and the main house was linked to Great Clowes Street along a new lane, Laurel Grove. At the end of the lane, a new building was built and by 1860 it had been licensed as the Old Priory.

Old Priory, Laurel Grove, 1989. (c) By Stanley Horrocks, with kind permission and (c) Rose Horrocks.

Wilsons Brewery bought the Old Priory and its gardens in 1920 and although they'd planned to make improvements, a 1941 air raid damaged the pub before they had chance to. The pub passed to Watney's who sadly decided to strip out all the small rooms and cosy nooks and crannies, making a more modern two-roomed pub.  

Old Priory, Laurel Grove. (c) Neil Richardson [2].

In 1984, the Grand Metropolitan Pub Company reverted back to 'Ye Olde Worlde' style decor although they got rid of the bowling green for a car park and added a dining room to the pub. The Old Priory lasted for fourteen more years before being knocked down in 1998 [1].

2. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, Oldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).
3. www.flickr.com/photos/61756486@N05/6319233642.

Wednesday 2 December 2015

Tanners, Fairy Lane

Tanners, Fairy Lane, Cheetham Hill, 1989. (c) By Stanley Horrocks, with kind permission and (c) Rose Horrocks.

The Tanners was a grim-looking Holt's estate house built to serve the small inner city estate at Fairy Lane in Cheetham Hill, just north of Strangeways, off Bury New Road.


Tanners, Fairy Lane, 1990. (c) deltrems at flickr.

The Tanners has been demolished along with some of the streets and houses of this estate, with new-builds appearing, although the pub still appears some older internet listings.


Tanners, Fairy Lane, 1999. (c) Mike Paul at Closed Pubs [1].

The Tanners was put up for sale in 1999, and according to the auction catalogue, may have been built in 1975 [1]. It also sounds like it had a ground floor 'cellar', which is a little unusual for a pub.

Former location of Tanners, Fairy Lane. (c) Google 2015.

The Tanners used to stand on the corner of Fairy Lane and Broomfield Drive, which is very different toady since the Fairy Lane estate has been flattened.


Tanners, Fairy Lane, 1989. (c) By Stanley Horrocks, with kind permission and (c) Rose Horrocks.

Sunday 29 November 2015

Jubilee, Tatton Street


Jubilee, Tatton Street, Ordsall. (c) Tim Martin with kind permission.

The Jubilee was one of Salford many 1960s and '70s estate pubs, situated in the heart of a redeveloping Ordsall. Boddington's Brewery celebrated its 200th jubilee in 1978 by building a new estate pub named after the occasion.


Jubilee, Tatton Street. (c) Alan Winfield with kind permission.

Boddies chose the once heavily-pubbed Tatton Street in Ordsall, and the Jubilee opened in April 1978 [1]. In its last days, Boddington's leased the Jubilee to Cong Dinh Le for £645 pa [2], but the pub closed in 1995 [1], becoming a local shop.


Jubilee, Tatton Street. (c) Paul Wilson with posthumous permission.

The Jubilee Convenience Store was acquired by the council in 2008 [3] and has recently been knocked down.  The location of the old Jubilee pub was on this plot in front of the Ordsall Health Centre.

Former location of Jubilee, Tatton Street. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

1. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, Oldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).

Mechanics Arms, Dudley Street

Mechanics Arms, Dudley Street, Cheetham. (c) Tim Martin with kind permission.

The Mechanics Arms was a Boddingtons estate pub situated on Dudley Street off Waterloo Road, a couple of hundred yards north of the Waterloo, in Cheetham.


Mechanics Arms, Dudley Street, 1995. By Stanley Horrocks, with kind permission and (c) Rose Horrocks.

The Mechanics Arms has been closed for a good few years now and looks to be some sort of religious meeting place, next door to the similarly coloured New Life Mission Pentecostal church.

Mechanics Arms, Dudley Street. (c) Google 2015. View Larger Map.


Mechanics Arms, Dudley Street, 1995. By Stanley Horrocks, with kind permission and (c) Rose Horrocks.

Unicorn, Shawheath Close


Unicorn. Shawheath Close, Hulme (c) Tim Martin with kind permission.

The Unicorn was a strange-looking Greenall Whitley's estate pub on Shawheath Close in Hulme.  It was built in 1968 so was one of Hulme's first new-wave estate boozers [1].


Unicorn. Shawheath Close. (c) Tim Martin with kind permission.

The odd but impressive Unicorn "horn" that the pub sported is seen twice from different angles in 1972 - note the off-sales entrance next to the lounge.

Unicorn. Shawheath Close. (c) kevinfromHulme at exhulme.

Unlike many of Hulme's estate pubs, the Unicorn has lasted, although today it is a sorry sight.


Former Unicorn, Shawheath Close. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

In 2011 it appeared to be being used as a club or religious place of some sort, but by 2014 was derelict.

Former Unicorn, Shawheath Close. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

The Unicorn's horn ias still partly evident - or at least its base is.  Alan Winfield has another colour photo of the Unicorn over at pubsgalore.

Former Unicorn, Shawheath Close. (c) Google 2015. View Larger Map.

1. The old pubs of Hulme and Chorlton-on-Medlock, Bob Potts (1997).

Monday 16 November 2015

Papermakers Arms, Clifden Place

Papermakers Arms, Clifden Place, Higher Broughton, 1973. By Stanley Horrocks, with kind permission and (c) Rose Horrocks.

The Papermakers Arms on Clifden Place in Higher Broughton is shown here in glorious 1970s colour thanks to Rose Horrocks and the late Stanley Horrocks (1922-2005), serviceman, policeman, Reverend and Salford historian. Stanley took dozen of photos of Salford during the 1970s, '80s and '90s, including many pubs, which he saw as landmarks of his community. Taking a closer look at this photo of a sunny Salford day in 1973, we can see a group of younger gents gathered outside deep in conversation, what must be a mother and son passing by the pub, and a curious old gentleman who couldn't resist popping outside from his pint of Greenalls to see what the fuss was about.

Papermakers Arms, Clifden Place, 1973. By Stanley Horrocks, with kind permission and (c) Rose Horrocks.

Another key keeper of Salford's social history, the late Paul Wilson takes up the story. In it's early days, the CAMRA magazine, What's Doing, featured a few Salford pub crawls. In May 1976 they visited Higher Broughton and while they enjoyed calling at the Star, Church, Sun, Post Office and Dover; there was no doubt as to the pub of the day. Jem Callaghan wrote: "The next pub, the Papermakers Arms, is a real gem - almost a find for it is so well concealed. It stands almost alone in a derelict area down Back Roman Road some two or three hundred yards from the Sun. To somebody not from the area, it seems to be a typical Manchester pub. Three rooms separated from one another by a narrow corridor, all with plain seats and tables and all small enough to seem crowded with a half-dozen regulars in. Etched glass, tiled corridors, wood panelling around the bar. The Greenall Whitley mild and bitter served through metered electric pumps are as good as any I've tasted and the landlord and landlady are both very friendly."

Papermakers Arms, Clifden Place. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr [1].

"Sadly, the Papermakers is due for demolition in about a years time. It seems hard to understand why, the local trade is not huge, but the area must surely be due for new housing from which trade would benefit. To the planners in brewery and Council it no doubt seems like an ordinary pub the licence of which could probably be transferred to somewhere newer and brighter with plastic and stainless steel replacing the wood and porcelain. But to those who have an interest in where they drink as well as what they drink, its passing would be as sad as that of the Derby to which in some ways it is similar. Will we see a new Phoenix like the tasteless House That Jack Built emerge from the ashes of this old fashioned characterful pub?"

Papermakers Arms, Clifden Place, Broughton. (c) Neil Richardson [2].

The National Front graffiti on the wall outside the Papermakers Arms in the 1970s (yes, it really does say "NF - GET NATIVES OUT") has tactfully been airbrushed out in the version in Neil Richardson's book [2]. It's a sobering reminder of the backward values that existed even in the more enlightened areas of the country so recently. Clifden Place was a row of about 10 houses that overlooked the Broughton Grove Mill on the boundary of Manchester and Salford, just to the east of Bury New Road. The last property, on the corner of Back Roman Road, was turned into a beerhouse in 1869, the Papermakers Arms.

Papermakers Arms, Clifden Place, Broughton. (c) Neil Richardson [2].

The Papermakers Arms extended into next door in 1891 and Groves & Whitnalls owned it by the new century.  It passed to Greenall Whitley and remained standing until after the mill was demolished and the houses around become derelict.  Shown in the the 1970s when the houses were empty, the Papermakers Arms lasted until 1978 [2].  Clifden Place was eventually swept away as this part of Brougton was redeveloped.  These days Appian Way snakes past the former site of the Papermakers, as shown on the map below, marked '9' [2], although Upper Camp Street and Grove Street still survive.

Papermakers Arms, Clifden Place, 1973. By Stanley Horrocks, with kind permission and (c) Rose Horrocks.

1. www.flickr.com/photos/61756486@N05.
2. Salford Pubs Part Three: Including Cross Lane, Broad Road, Hanky Park, the Height, Brindleheath, Charlestown and Weaste, Neil Richardson (2003).

Saturday 7 November 2015

Unicorn, Broughton Road

Unicorn, Broughton Road, Pendleton, Salford. (c) Paul Wilson with posthumous permission.

The Unicorn at No.10 Broughton Road can be traced back to 1836 when a lease was first taken out for the beerhouse. However, it took until about 1860 for it to open under Joseph Embley [1].

Unicorn, Broughton Road, 1970s. (c) Neil Richardson [1].

By the 1890s the Unicorn was a Groves & Whitnall house, and in 1963 the pub passed to Greenall Whitley [1].

Unicorn, Broughton Road. (c) David Dixon at geolocation under Creative Commons.

The Unicorn was close to Pendleton railway station, one of Salford's lost stations, and of course the old Railway pub still stands just up the road.

Unicorn, Broughton Road, 2007. (c) Alexander P Kapp at geograph under Creative Commons.

A claim to fame for the Unicorn is that The Hollies' Graham Nash, also of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young fame, used to pull pints behind that bar. That's because he bought the pub for his mother in the 1970s [2].

Unicorn, Broughton Road. (c) Salfordonline.

Despite a rather dour grey face lift in the early 2010s (or was it post-closure?), the Unicorn closed its doors in 2012 and stood empty for a few years.

Unicorn, Broughton Road, May 2015. (c) Google 2015. View Larger Map.

The old Unicorn, the last of the Broughton Road pubs, is now a lettings office as of mid-2015, leaving slim pickings in this part of Salford, with only the Church Inn and Priory still serving.

Former Unicorn, Broughton Road, August 2015. (c) Google 2015. View Larger Map.

1. Salford Pubs Part Three: Including Cross Lane, Broad Street, Hanky Park, the Height, Brindleheath, Charlestown and Weaste, Neil Richardson (2013).

Thursday 5 November 2015

Royal George, Rochdale Road

Royal George Inn, Rochdale Road, early 1960s. (c) Bob Potts [1].

The Royal George Inn stood at the bottom of Rochdale Road on the fringe of the city centre. It was a Chesters house on the corner of Kenwright Street for most of its life, as seen here twice in 1958. However, for its latter years the Royal George stood on the corner of Kenyon Street - as per the renamed street - as a Whitbread boozer.

Royal George Inn, Rochdale Road. (c) Manchester Local Image Collection. Click here to view full image [2].

After the CIS building was erected on Miller Street in 1962, the tower loomed over the Royal George as seen in this 1971 photo. At some point in the 1980s, I guess, the Royal George was demolished and eventually a new build replaced it. This itself was knocked down in about 2012 as part of the Co-Op's creeping expansion into this part of town.

Former location of Royal George, Rochdale Road, 2008. (c) Google 2015. View Larger Map.

This forgotten pub stands closer to town than the popular Marble Arch and Angel (former Beer House, below) beer Meccas, standing as it did at No.17 Rochdale Road. The Royal George dates back to 1846 and sold ale from the Beaumont & Heathcote brewery of Chorlton-on-Medlock [1]. 

Beer House, Angel Street, 2008. (c) Google 2015. View Larger Map.

The Royal George passed to Chesters in 1899 and was nicknamed the 'Little George' [1], probably because there was another (presumably bigger) George almost directly across the road on the corner of Addington Street.

Former location of Royal George, Rochdale Road, 2011. (c) Google 2015. View Larger Map.

1. The Old Pubs of Rochdale Road and neighbourhood Manchester, Bob Potts (1985).

Thursday 22 October 2015

Seahawk, Bold Street

Seahawk, Bold Street, Old Trafford. (c) Richard Aldred at BBC.

The Seahawk is the last of Hulme and Old Trafford's estate pubs to close. A vast area that once boasted 17 new-build pubs to serve the new housing estates, plus untold older boozers, is now virtually a pub-free zone.

Seahawk Lounge, Bold Street. (c) Anthony P Bruce at flickr under Creative Commons.

The Seahawk battled on as the 'Seven Sisters' flats that surrounded it were reduced to three, with the demolition of Raven, Osprey, Falcon and Eagle Court tower blocks. 

Seahawk, Bold Street. (c) The Nubian Times [1].

Towards the end the pub only opened at 7pm on selected evenings, and even then it was just the lounge that opened, as the Seahawk Lounge.

Hupton Harriett, Seahawk, Bold Street. (c) The Nubian Times [1].

Sadly landlord, Hupton Harriett, who'd run the Seahawk for 16 years, shut the doors for the last time on 7th January 2015, as the pub was acquired by Trafford Housing Trust for demolition [1].

Seahawk, Bold Street, 2015. (c) Duncan Morton @numlash at twitter.