Vintners' Arms, Smithy Door

Seen in 1865 the Vintners' Arms stood on Smithy Door, a street long gone, also selling wine and brandy. It is also seen here as Deakin's Entire, just before demolition in 1875. The building is depicted in previous incarnations as the Syddall residence and Old Manor House. Smithy Door was once a narrow lane between Market Place and Deansgate and was named after a blacksmith who carried his own front door to court to prove he was owed money from a debtor in the 1500s. The chap was illiterate but had carved the debt owed into the door, and this was proof enough for the courts. Legend has it that a small statue of the 'smith, William Berry, with his door was kept in the Victoria Hotel (the old Woolpack) on Deansgate, and the story itself, carved into the wood decor of the hotel. Of course the Victoria Buildings were bombed by Jerry during WWII so these historical documents were lost.