Sir Charles Napier, Lower Moss Lane, Hulme, 1913. (c) Bob Potts [1].
The Sir Charles Napier opened under a unknown name at No.86 Lower Moss Lane, a couple of doors down from City Road, in 1849 [2]. It was named after the Commander of the Baltic Fleet in the Crimean War which ended in 1856, the same year that Samuel Myles took over the beerhouse and renamed it the Sir Charles Napier. John Myles took over from his father from about 1880 [1], and it was known locally as Myles's, which sold 'Ale Stout & Cider', as the sign above shows in 1913.
The Napier was a rare freehouse and sold beers from Bass, Tetley, Guinness, Allsopp, Jameson and Oakhill breweries. Beer pumps only being installed in 1920 so before that they were served from the cellar in enamel drugs. Locals were only allowed to drink in the vault, while friends and associates of Myles were allowed in the back room. In 1925 the beerhouse was bought by Wilsons and it closed in 1963 as a Tetley's house [1]. The Sir Charles Napier used to stand where City Road and Jackson Crescent meet Chorlton Road.
1. The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton-on-Medlock, Bob Potts (1997).
2. The Old Pubs of Hulme Manchester (1) 1770-1930, Bob Potts (1983).
