Golden Lion, Wilmslow Road, Withington. (c) Jules Selbas at Closed Pubs [1].
The Golden Lion stood at 579 Wilmslow Road, the poor relation of the other two Lions in the area, the still-serving Red Lion and the sadly closed White Lion. The Golden Lion was once a Hardy's Crown Ales then Tetley's house, as seen in a number of great archive photos from 1959, as a Hardy's house, then under Tetley's in 1970, 1972, and one from the rear, also in 1959. The Golden Lion turned into one of the ubiquitous Mr Q's pubs in the early 2000s before closing in 2006, but I recall it having a brief spell as the Manor House.
Remains of the Golden Lion, Wilmslow Road. (c) Didsbury Action File.
The reaction of locals to the plan to build 48 apartments to replace the Golden Lion was "The People of Manchester Say Thank You For Yuppie Flats". The pub was finally demolished in April 2009 and the sign still poking over the hoardings is all that remains of the Golden Lion. Predictably, the company - Clarke-Lyons of Didsbury - who, in 2005, successfully lobbied the hapless Manchester City Council for permission to demolish the pub, did absolutely nothing with the land, bar fence it off in the ugliest way possible.
Former Golden Lion, Wilmslow Road. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.
