Millstone, Blackley New Road

Millstone, Blackley New Road, Blackley. (c) novaloca.

The Millstone, a basic two-roomed and now sadly-closed pub, at the junction of Mill Brow and Blackley New Road in Blackley near the old Avecia, Zenace and ICI Building, now known as the Hexagon Tower technology site.  The unusual topography of the location means there is ground floor access to the basement at the rear of the Millstone on Mill Brow.

Millstone, Blackley New Road. (c) eigroup.

The Millstone was one of Blackley's first beerhouses, dating back to at least 1832 when it was described as a cottage and shop with a license to sell beer.  Wheater & Swales brewery took over later in the 1880s and must have been responsible for its rebuild into what we see today.  Swales Brewery formed from this company, moving from Salford to Hulme where "Swales Swill" was brewed into the 1970s until it was swallowed up by Boddingtons [1], as seen in 1972.

Millstone, Blackley New Road. (c) Roger Hall [1].

This 1966 photo ("Mine's a Swales") is also shown at the archives with the old works clearly visible in the background.  The Millstone also had an official cellar entrance round the back too, as seen in 1958.  The Millstone closed for good a couple of years ago and was last seen tinned up and being hawked around for auction.

Millstone, Blackley New Road. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. The Pubs of Blackley, Roger Hall (1980).

Beehive, York Street

Beehive, York Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock. (c) Bob Potts [1].

The Beehive stood at No.45 York Street, just a couple of doors down from the Royal Brew Vaults on Charles Street.  The above photo from the 1950s shows the Royal Brew on the left and the whitewashed Beehive on the right, more than 30 years after it had closed, which happened in 1915.  The Beehive had been a Yates's Castle Brewery and opened in 1861 [1,2].  In more recent times, this spot has seen the coming and going of the Oxford Road BBC site, under demolition below and now a sorry-looking car park.

Former location of Beehive, York Street from Charles Street. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. The Old Pubs of Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Bob Potts (1980).

2. The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton -on-Medlock, Bob Potts (1997).

Pleasant Inn / Brewers Arms, Clarendon Street

Pleasant Inn, Clarendon Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock. (c) Bob Potts [1].

This pleasantly-named beerhouse started life as the Brewers Arms, opening in 1868 at No.6 Clarendon Street which was at the Oxford Road end.  Following a name-change, the Pleasant Inn was a Walkers of Warrington house and closed in 1935 [1,2].  Clarendon Street was eventually built over as the Mancunian Way now passes over Oxford Road where it once ran.

Former location of Pleasant Inn, Clarendon Street. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. The Old Pubs of Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Bob Potts (1980).

2. The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton -on-Medlock, Bob Potts (1997).

Station Hotel / Welcome Inn, Bolton Road

Station Hotel, Bolton Road, Pendlebury, Salford. (c) St Augustines Heritage [1].

Taking its name from the old Pendlebury Railway Station opposite, which closed in 1960 and its island platform removed in 1978, the Station Hotel actually started its life as the Welcome Inn, dating back to 1867.  This closed in 1885 and the a new Welcome Inn was built by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Company.


Staion Hotel (bottom right), Bolton Road. (c) Salford Council [2].

Walker & Homfrays, then the Empress Brewery and Walkers of Warrington had stakes in the pub but it was rebuilt just before WWII.  As seen from the above aerial view of the site, the Station Hotel (bottom right) backs onto the grounds of St Augustines Church [2].

Former Station Hotel, Bolton Road. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

During the 1960s the Station Hotel and its neighbour, the Wellington, put on comedians and stripper shows and in the '70s the beer on offer was keg Tetley's.  The Station Hotel closed a number of years ago, but is till in use as a licensed premises of sorts - it's now the Isis Restaurant.

Former Station Hotel, Bolton Road. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. www.staugustinesheritage.co.uk.

2. www.salford.gov.uk/d/conservation-appraisal-st-augustines-web-3.pdf. 
3. The Pubs of Swinton & Pendlebury (Including Clifton and Newtown), Neil Richardson & Roger Hall (1980).

Fountain, Ashton Old Road

Fountain, Ashton Old Road, Openshaw. (c) Manchester Local Image Collection. Click here to view full image [1].

On the corner of Ashton Old Road and Turton Street in Openshaw, the Fountain was a Tetley's house.  It was a plain-looking corner pub with whitewashed front, as seen in the 1970s.  Note the unusual hours of the next door shop, and the milk bottles on the front step; almost remnants of a bygone era.  Turton Street still runs north off Ashton Old Road today, and while nothing stands on the corner where the Fountain stood, the road is notable for the new Lime Square retail development.

Former location of Fountain, Ashton Old Road. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. http://images.manchester.gov.uk.

Blue Bell, Ashton Old Road

Blue Bell, Ashton Old Road, Openshaw. (c) Manchester Local Image Collection. Click here to view full image [1].

The Blue Bell was a Hydes public house on the corner of Ettrick Street and Ashton Old Road in Openshaw.  As seen in the photo from the 1970s, the still-brewing Hydes brewery (now in Ordsall rather than Greenheys) was formerly known as Hydes Anvil and the Blue Bell sold its ales and stout.  Ettrick Street has been lost but Ettrick Close starts just behind the council houses set back from this bus stop on the main road.

1. http://images.manchester.gov.uk.

Park Inn, Slack Lane / Monton Road

Park Inn, Slack Lane / Monton Road, Monton. (c) Tony Flynn [1].

The original Park Inn was a beerhouse that opened in 1867 when Monton Road was known as Slack Lane.  Monton was then described as a quiet hamlet in open fields stretching to Eccles and Winton.  The Park Inn was replaced by a new Park Hotel, built in 1902 costing Joseph Holt's brewery £5,000 plus the beer licenses of the Park Inn, Robin Hood and Britannia Inn which were surrendered [1].  This grand Holt's house was itself replaced in 1971 by the new Park Hotel estate style boozer.

Former location of Park Inn, Monton Road. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. A History of Eccles Pubs, Tony Flynn (1980).

Horseshoe Inn, Buxton Street

Horseshoe Inn, Buxton Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock. (c) Bob Potts [1].

The Horseshoe Inn, which dates back to 1838, was on the corner of  Buxton Street, later renamed Ardnance Street [1].  The Horseshoe was at No.25 Buxton Street, which was a small road off Saville Street, which was off Oxford Road opposite Chester Street.  The beerhouse was owned first by the City Brewery, then Creese & Co. before ending its time as a Wilsons house in 1964 [2].  Of course, the former BBC building was built over this site and last year this itself was pulled down due to the creation of Media City at Salford Quays.  The site forms one of Manchester's many surface car parks (or zombie car parks) while the unscrupulous land owners, Realty Estates, decide what to claim they'll do to it.

Former location of Horseshoe Inn, Oxford Road. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

1. The Old Pubs of Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Bob Potts (1980).

2. The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton -on-Medlock, Bob Potts (1997).

Ship, Coupland Street

Ship, Coupland Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock. (c) Bob Potts [1].

Pictured above in about 1910, the Ship on Coupland Street in Chorlton-on-Medlock opened in 1839.  It was a Groves & Whitnall house for most of its time, as above, and closed in 1965 [1].  The Ship stood at No.55 Coupland Street, straddling two smaller, unknown streets, just off the bottom end of Higher Cambridge Street.  This location still exists today although Higher Cambridge Street has been extended south slightly across Coupland Street, which today is fenced off University property.  The site of the old Ship is where the below image if taken from, and marked by an artificial football pitch.

Former location of the Ship, Coupland Street. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. The Old Pubs of Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Bob Potts (1980).

2. The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton -on-Medlock, Bob Potts (1997).

Queens Arms, Robert Street

Queens Arms, Robert Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock. (c) Bob Potts [1].

The Queens Arms was a Wilsons beerhouse that stood at No.63 Robert Street, on the corner with Ogilvie Street, just off Upper Brook Street in Chorlton-on-Medlock [2].  The Queens Arms opened in 1858 and lasted 105 years before closing in 1963 [1].  Robert Street used to run north off Upper Brook Street where the Citroen garage is these days.

1. The Old Pubs of Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Bob Potts (1980).

2. The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton -on-Medlock, Bob Potts (1997).

Jerralea Hotel, Anson Road

Jerralea Hotel, Anson Road, Victoria Park. (c) Manchester Local Image Collection. Click here to view full image [1].

The oddly-named Jerralea Hotel was on Anson Road in Victoria Park.  As seen in the 1970s photo at the archives, the Jerralea Hotel was a fully licensed bar and restaurant, offering morning coffee, luncheons 12-2pm, and afternoon teas.  The exact old location of the Jerralea Hotel on Anson Road is not known, but it's likely it was lost to further redevelopment of Victoria Park into the student dominated area it is today.

1. http://images.manchester.gov.uk.

Park Hotel, Lowther Road

Park Hotel, Lowther Road, Prestwich. (c) David Rowlinson [1].

The Park Hotel stood on Lowther Road on the corner with Gale Road facing towards Prestwich Clough.  It was demolished in 2005 to supposedly make way for new flats but these have never been built.  The site remains empty and several years ago there were reports of kids playing in the ruins of the building and even in the exposed pub cellars [2].

The Park Hotel was build on the site of a huge 42-roomed house called 'The Cottages' which was demolished in the early 20th century.  Threlfalls Brewery eventually bought the land in 1936-37 and the pub was built, opening in February 1938.  It had a bowling green that became its car park, and the pub passed to Chesters in 1961 then Whitbread (as seen above), such were brewery mergers back then.

Former location of Park Hotel, Lowther Road. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. A History of Prestwich Pubs, David Rawlinson (1975).

2. www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/site-is-still-unsafe-1025595.

Albion Inn, Bury New Road

Albion Inn, Bury New Road, Prestwich. (c) David Rowlinson [1].

The Albion Inn used to stand where the old Midland Bank building is on Bury New Road in Prestwich, opposite the still-serving new-build Holt's house, the Foresters (read about the foresters in the Pub Shaman of Prestwich by Rob Warm).  The location of the Albion is indicated on the old photo above taken in the late 1910s or early 1920s, and the same view today shows much of this row of shops unchanged.

Former location of Albion Inn, Bury New Road. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

The Albion dates back to the 1850 and by 1905 it was owned by Joseph Holt's.  Before the First World War, the Albion used to open from 6am to 11pm in order to cater for the shift workers at Prestwich Hospital nearby.  The Albion closed on Boxing Day 1922, was demolished and the Midland Bank built to replace it.  Despite being lost for approaching a century, the Albion Inn lives on in the guise of Albion Place.

Former location of Albion Inn, Bury New Road. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. A History of Prestwich Pubs, David Rawlinson (1975).

Hand in Hand, Upper Medlock Street

Hand in Hand, Upper Medlock Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock. (c) Bob Potts [1].

The Hand in Hand beerhouse opened in 1853 on the corner of Upper Medlock Street and Pigott Street in Chorlton-on-Medlock at the border with Hulme [1].  It lasted until 1922 as a Peter Walker's of Warrington house [2].  Upper Medlock Street was later renamed Brennan Street and it's now Brennan Close.  The old Hand in Hand would have stood just here, beyond the end of Brennan Close where the Emmanuel Pentecostal "estate church" now stands.

Former location of Hand in Hand, Brennan Close. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. The Old Pubs of Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Bob Potts (1980).

2. The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton -on-Medlock, Bob Potts (1997).

Lord Stanley / Eagle Vaults, Rosamond Street East

Lord Stanley, Rosamond Street East, Chorlton-on-Medlock. (c) Bob Potts [1].

The Lord Stanley stood at No.51 Rosamond Street East, just off Oxford Road on the corner with Higher York Street [2].  The Lord Stanley opened in 1864, was known as the Eagle Vaults from the 1930s to the 1950s, and closed as the Lord Stanley in 1969 as a Taylor's Eagle Brewery house (hence its name change).  The Lord Stanley was one of the first pubs in Chorlton-on-Medlock to have a piano, although drunken fights would often break out over what songs were to be played!  A wall had to be knocked down to get the piano into the beerhouse as it was so small, and its size also led to an odd method of serving drinks.  The bar staff would fill a tray with various drinks and pass from one side the room to the other and drinkers would help themselves to whatever was going.  Beer was often paid for "on the slate", with bills being settled on pay day - cheeky boozers would sometimes simply switch to a different pub to avoid paying.  

Former location of Lord Stanley / Eagle Vaults (along, right), Rosamond Street East. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

The Lord Stanley was a popular haunt for cinema-goers when Oxford Road was Manchester's theatre district, and landlord Harold Woodward advertised at the La Scala cinema on Oxford Road:  "After the show, why not visit the Lord Stanley?"  Other customers included several well-known shoplifters, and they'd call in for a lunchtime drink in baggy clothes, returning later looking suspiciously fat, padded out with their loot.  On the other hand, policemen from the nearby Cavenish Street police station would also drink in the Lord Stanley.

Former location of Lord Stanley / Eagle Vaults, Rosamond Street East. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

The photo at the top shows the Lord Stanley in the centre with its white Taylors Eagle sign.  On one side of the Lord Stanley was the Provis & Squires Ltd shirt-makers factory, and over the road was the Gladstone pub, a Chesters house with the whitewashed first floor.  After spending most of is life as a beerhouse, the Lord Stanley was finally granted its full licence in 1957, a year later becoming a Marstons house (quite a rarity for Manchester then) for its last 11 years before closing [1].  The view above from Booth Street East is looking down what was once Higher York Street; the Lord Stanley used to stand at the end on the left, facing what is now the Manchester Aquatics Centre.

1. The Old Pubs of Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Bob Potts (1980).

2. The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton -on-Medlock, Bob Potts (1997).

Spinners, Swinton Hall Road

Spinners, Swinton Hall Road, Pendlebury. (c) Neil Richardson & Roger Hall [1].

The Spinners opened in 1860 at No.297 Swinton Hall Road, Pendlebury, named after the Acme Mill opposite, and it was this which also gave the beerhouse its nickname.  It was known as the 'Stinking Stocking', as millworkers would warm their weary and sweaty feet over the fire in the Spinners.  The Spinners lasted until the mill closure and slum clearance in the Bilston area around Albion Street meant it lost too much of its custom.  It closed for good just after World War II [1].  The building shown at 297 Swinton Hall Road looks a remarkably like the old Spinners, though we await confirmation of this.

Possible former Spinners, Swinton Hall Road. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. The Pubs of Swinton & Pendlebury (Including Clifton and Newtown), Neil Richardson & Roger Hall (1980).

New White Lion, Middleton Old Road

New White Lion, Middleton Old Road, Blackley, 1960s. (c) Roger Hall [1].

The New White Lion was built in 1809 when the original Old White Lion inn and Middleton Old Road in Blackley was bypassed by the Rochdale Road turnpike.  At the turn of the century, as seen at the archives in 1896, the New White Lion had passed to H C Wilson & Co, the predecessor of the familiar Wilsons [1], as seen in 1958 and 1972.

New White Lion, Middleton Old Road. (c) Tricia Neal at geograph under Creative Commons.

The Red Lion and the still-serving Grove on Rochdale Road affected trade at the New White Lion over the years, but that didn't stop it surviving until just a few years ago.  The pub was originally a multi-roomed affair, with a resident headless monk ghost, who was linked to the old Blackley Hall which once stood nearby [1].

New White Lion, Middleton Old Road. (c) Tricia Neal at geograph under Creative Commons.

Another more recent claim to fame is suggested by the Dick Turpin sign on the New White Lion, but this turned out to be a joke by the landlord, whose mate Richard Turpin used to help out at the pub.  Towards the end, the New White Lion operated as a residents hotel but has been closed since the late 2000s.

New White Lion, Middleton Old Road. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. The Pubs of Blackley, Roger Hall (1980).

Star Inn / Red Fox, Church Street / Barton Lane

Star Inn, Church Street, Eccles. (c) Tony Flynn [1].

The Star Inn on in Eccles was a basic Groves & Whitnall boozer at No.87 Church Street where it meets Barton Lane - despite being officially on Barton Lane, the Star was always listed as Church Street.  It can be traced back to 1864 but it was 30 years until G&W, the Red Rose Ales brewery, bought the beerhouse. 

Star Inn, Church Street, Eccles. (c) Tony Flynn [1].

As well as the "commodious free and easy" on Saturday and Mondays, the Star had a billiards table upstairs.  The Star became a Greenall Whitley boozer in 1961 when they took over the Salford brewery, and it was known for its resident mynah bird who would parrot the drinkers and staff [1]. 

Red Fox, Barton Lane. (c) Alan Winfield with permission.

Before its closure, the Star Inn was renamed the Red Fox by new owners, Vaux Brewery, at some point in the early 1990s.  Closure appears to have been in the late '90s or early 2000s and the old pub is now a dental surgery, with the old pub sign post reading "The Crown".

Former Star Inn / Red Fox, Barton Lane. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. A History of the Pubs of Eccles, Tony Flynn (1982).

Nags Head, Booth Street West

Nags Head, Booth Street West, Chorlton-on-Medlock. (c) Bob Potts [1].

The Nags Head stood on the corner of Higher Ormond Street Street and Booth Street West, just off Oxford Road.  It opened at No.22 Booth Street West in 1840 and lasted until 1975 when it closed as a Groves & Whitnall House [1].  The old Higher Ormond Street can still be made out running under the new university buildings, and the Nags Head would have stood on the left here.

Former location of Nags Head, Booth Street West. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. The Old Pubs of Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Bob Potts (1980).

2. The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton -on-Medlock, Bob Potts (1997).

Grapes Inn, Rusholme Road

Grapes Inn, Rusholme Road, Chorlton-on-Medlock. (c) Bob Potts [1].

Pictured above in the 1950s, the Grapes Inn opened in 1864 at No.53 Rusholme Road, straddling Wood Street and Maskell Street [1,2].  This location was classed as Chorlton-on-Medlock but was only just off Downing Street and Ardwick Green South in Ardwick.  The Grapes closed in 1962, just two years short of its century, as a Wilsons house [1].  The former location of the Grapes in was roughly where Kale Street meets Wadeson Street today on the Brunswick Estate.

1. The Old Pubs of Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Bob Potts (1980).

2. The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton -on-Medlock, Bob Potts (1997).

White Horse, Oak Street

White Horse, Oak Street, Pendlebury, Salford. (c) Neil Richardson & Roger Hall [1].

The White Horse was the smallest pub in Pendlebury, first recorded in 1836 on Oak Street, off Bolton Road.  It was actually nicknamed the Oak after its street, but was so small, and unsigned, that it appears to have escaped the surveyors between the years of 1839 and 1851 as it disappeared from the records.  In the later part of the century it was known as the Spinners Arms, but was the White Horse from 1888 onwards [1].

The White Horse had a vault to the left, a rear snug and a lounge to the right, although the bricked up door on the left suggests that the original beerhouse may have been just half this size.  Sadly the White Horse lost its license in January 1937 when it was a Worsley Brewery house - the brewery lost a number of pubs at this time.  Slum clearance of Oak Street, Back Oak Street and union Street saw the old boozer demolished in 1939 [1].

Former location of White Horse, Oak Street. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

The former location of the White Horse / Oak / Spinners Arms was opposite Sackville & Swallow's dyeworks, now known as Swinton Electroplating, at the top end of the remaining Oak Street.  This is just down the road from the still-serving Royal Oak, the oldest remaining pub in Pendlebury.

1. The Pubs of Swinton and Pendlebury, Neil Richardson & Roger Hall (1980).

Pineapple, Crowborough / Leaf Street

Pineapple, Crowborough Street, Greenheys, Chorlton-on-Medlock.

The Pineapple stood on Crowborough Street, formerly Leaf Street, in Greenheys, the southern part of Chorlton-on-Medlock.  The Pineapple opened at No.14 Leaf Street in 1858 and lasted until 1967, closing as as Taylor's Eagle Brewery house [1].  It was on the corner of Leaf Street and unusually-named Delhi Grove, off Pigott Street and parallel to Greenheys Lane [2].  This location of pretty much where Aquarius Street and Bronte Street meet today.

Former location of Pineapple, Greenheys. (c) Google 2014. View Larger Map.

1. The Old Pubs of Chorlton-upon-Medlock, Bob Potts (1980).

2. The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton -on-Medlock, Bob Potts (1997).