The White Lion, once a nice pub with great beer garden, is now garishly decorated as a Manchester United theme pub. Even allowing for my blue persuasion, I'd have the same feeling if it were similarly decorated in blue and white, in that pubs are for all, without the need for these frankly over-the-top wall coverings. That apart, the beer wasn't bad at all - Copper Dragon (Skipton) on for real ale, which was nice enough.
White Lion, Liverpool Road, 2010. (c) Pubs of Manchester.
The pub itself was virtually empty on a Thursday night, despite the Chinese food on offer, compared to the busy Cask and Ox either side - perhaps this is what you get when effectively excluding a good percentage of Mancunians. No pool table either, though I think there may have been a dart board once. Clearly this place must get busy on match days and if his decorations bring people in, all well and good for him, but if he wants more trade on normal days, perhaps there should be more emphasis on the neutral customer.
The White Lion was opened probably in 1777 by Abraham Collier (though not continually licensed until the early 1800s), and the corner of the street that the pub sits on is named after him. The original pub contained a brewhouse and stables, and was one of the first pubs along Liverpool Road after the canal terminus at Castlefield opened [1]. Seen in 1970, 1972, and '72 again as a Whitbread house, over a century ago it was a Threlfalls house.
The Pub has had United photos in there since the mid 80s its not a glory hunting thing . The pub is traditional haunt or was of the advertising industry in Manchester nicked named the White Library
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