New York New York, Cross Street

New York New York (not to be confused with the gay pub on Bloom Street) was an American style diner and bar on Cross Street in the late 1970s.  The place is described by farahj on the Manchester District Music Archive as having "waiters on roller-skates and it was the closest thing to the Big Apple that many of us got!  Great atmosphere... not so sure about the food!" [1].

1. www.mdmarchive.co.uk.

Dive Bar / Azura Bar, Portland Street

Former location of Dive Bar, Portland Street (below Portland Bars). (c) blueskies at MDMA.

The Dive Bar was below the old Portland Bars pub on Mosely Street, part of the Piccadilly Plaza hotel complex.  Whereas the Portland Bars was a more traditional pub, the Dive Bar was a bit of a punks hangout, despite doing steak dinners (in the US, dive bars are of course the typical basement bar drunkard's hangouts).  The bouncers on the door at the Dive Bar were apparently a couple of off-duty policemen who'd flash their warrant card to break up trouble [1].  Dive Bar opened in the 1960s and had a stint as Azura Bar, but not sure if it lasted as long as the upstairs pub, which only closed when the hotel complex was redeveloped in the '90s.

1. www.mdmarchive.co.uk.

Hope & Anchor, Water Street

Former location of Hope & Anchor, Water Street. (c) googlemaps.

The Hope & Anchor in Water Street was demolished in 1838 to make way for the construction of the River Irwell end of the Manchester and Salford Junction Canal (we were lucky enough to take a guided tour of the Great Northern Warehouse end of these tunnels recently).  According to a scan of the 1835 plan of this end of the canal, the pub was approximately where the entrance to the old Granada Studio Tours is today [1].  The licence of this Hope & Anchor was transferred to a hotel near Victoria Station which was renamed the Hope & Anchor, Cathedral Yard [1].

1. Beneath Manchester, Keith Warrender (2009).

Flying Horse, Hunts Bank

Probable former location of Flying Horse, Hunts Bank. (c) googlemaps.

The Flying Horse was built on the 26 yards of new roadway that were created in 1836 by the building of the improved route through Hunts Bank.  It cost the princely sum of £10 to build the pub.  Its location is described as between on the stretch of Hunts Bank between the Cathedral and where Victoria Station would go on to be built near Hunts Bank Bridge (which now carried the railway lines [1] - so probably along the stretch marked as Victoria Street on the above map.  The Flying Horse looks like it was a short-lived pub as there is no mention of it on the 1849 map and could well have made way for the larger Palatine Hotel which was built in 1843 to cater for Victoria Station.

1. Beneath Manchester, Keith Warrender (2009).

Von Blucher, Cateaton Street

Victoria Arches / Cathedral Arches / Steps. (c) geograph.

The Victoria Arches (or Cathedral Arches / Steps) beneath Victoria Street leading to the River Irwell at Hunts Banks are now well known thanks to urban explorers and underground experts such as Keith Warrender [1].  

Victoria Arches / Cathedral Arches / Steps. (c) I_glass at flickr / urban-photography.co.uk.

When the Arches were being constructed as part of the creation of Hunts Bank during 1838-1840, one of the last works was to adjust the road level of Cateaton Street and change what was a sloping entrance to the Arches into a stepped entrance.  In 1842, the lease held by the Von Blucher public house expired which enabled the Manchester Improvement Committee to purchase the pub and knock it down to improve the line of the street [1].  

Possible former location of Von Blucher, Cateaton Street. (c) googlemaps.

As such, the Von Blucher - named after Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher who fought alongside the Duke of Wellington in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 - isn't recorded on any of the 1849 maps and their Slater's Directory extracts.  Its precise location was probably on the corner of Cateaton Street where the building on the right in the above shot is.  The Arches can be seen below Cathedral Approach in the centre and left - all were bricked up long ago but that's not stopped explorers who have found other means of gaining entrance to the hidden labyrinth below.

1. Below Manchester, Keith Warrender (2009).

Fishermens Hut, Chapel Street

 

Fishermens Hut, Chapel Street, Salford, 1870s. (c) Neil Richardson [1].

Across Hatton Court from the larger Old Ship / Ship Hotel on Chapel Street was the Fishermens Hut beerhouse, on the right in the above photo from the 1870s.  It was an old timber framed building with lath and plaster walls divided into five premises of which one was the beerhouse.  Originally a butchers, the first licensees of the Fishermens Hut were Mary then Elizabeth Copley until 1863.  Thomas Wood had it until the 1880s and the last licensee was Thomas Baxter who kept the beerhouse until it was pulled down with its adjoining shops in 1894 [1].

1. Salford Pubs Part One: The Old town, including Chapel Street, Greengate and the Adelphi, Neil Richardson (2003).

Old Ship, Chapel Street

Old Ship Hotel, Chapel Street, Salford. (c) deltrems at flickr..

Seen here in 1962 as a rather plain looking Boddingtons house, the Old Ship Hotel is another of Chapel Street's lost pubs.  This one was knocked down relatively recently in 1999 [1] along with the adjoining building which abutted the larger offices/warehouse to the right in the above photo.  Just out of shot off to the right is the Black Lion, sadly closed for the time being.


Former site of Old Ship Hotel, Chapel Street, Salford. (c) googlemaps.

It looks like the Old Ship was demolished to make way for the access road for the huge "Men Arena / Printworks Premier Inn" on Victoria Bridge Street.   The proximity of this part of Salford to the centre of Manchester is evidenced by the Wheel and Arndale Centre in the background behind the Premier Inn, below.

Former site of Old Ship Hotel, Chapel Street, Salford. (c) googlemaps.

The Old Ship, or the Lower Ship as it was once known, can be traced back to licensee Robert Fairbrother in the 1760s.  Further licensees were Thomas then Alice Schofield until 1805, and the Hatton family until about 1837, who gave their name to the court at the side of the pub.  The photo from the 1870s shows the three-storey pub that was rebuilt in the early 1900s to the same specifications.  Peter Leech, the Ainsworths and Gibsons ran the Ship, before it was destroyed by the Christmas Blitz of 1940 and the two-storey Boddingtons pub we see above was rebuilt in the mid-1950s [1].

The Ship, Chapel Street, Salford, 1870s. (c) Neil Richardson [1].

1. Salford Pubs Part One: The Old town, including Chapel Street, Greengate and the Adelphi, Neil Richardson (2003).

Crown, Blackfriars Street

Crown, Blackfriars Street. (c) deltrems at flickr.

The Crown on Blackfriars Street has been threatening to reopen for a few years now, and we believe it's still slated to open its doors once again in 2011 - though whether or not as a pub is unknown.  The Crown dates back to the early 19th century and has been Grade II listed since 1980, due to features such as its Welsh slate roof, tiled frontage and arched doorways [1].
.

Crown, Blackfriars Street. (c) Tim Green aka atoach at flickr.

In its last incarnation the Crown Hotel, before that simply the Crown then the Crown Tavern, it is actually situated just across the River Irwell, over Blackfriars Bridge into Salford.


Crown, Blackfriars Street. (c) Franciscus51 at flickr.

1. http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk.

140. Golftorium, Ducie Street

Golftorium, Ducie Street. (c) golftorium.

.
Sat a little way up Ducie Street from Piccadilly and just before the Jolly Angler is the Golftorium Bar and indoor golf experience.  Here you can play most of the worlds' courses, from the comfort of the bar, with beer as well and without wandering a yard!  Is it accurate?  In truth, probably not.  But it's good fun to while away an hour or two in an afternoon before heading out for a session.

Golftorium, Ducie Street. (c) golftorium.

.
It was quiet when we arrived but this was a Monday afternoon, and so was to be expected.  No real ale as you would expect, so Guinness was the drink of choice and as befits bars of this ilk it was a tad pricey.  You don't have to play golf, you can just have a drink and its canal side location would make it nice in summer I suspect.  Similarly, even non-players can watch with their pints as their mates have a go.  Worth a try, albeit I don't think I'll be becoming a member or anything.

Website:  www.golftorium.com.

Goose Inn, Exchange Street

Former location of Goose Inn, St Anne's Square (Exchange Street). (c) googlemaps.

Today's Exchange Theatre on St Anne's Square is named after Exchange Street which used to connect St Anne's Square with Market Street in the 1700-1800s.  The Goose Inn stood near to the Dog Inn, opposite the Exchange Coffee House, part of the old Manchester Subscription Library at The Exchange on Market Street.  Like the Dog Inn, the Goose Inn faced onto a dangerous stretch of road where vehicles would endanger pedestrians ("Dangerous Corner"), so people would often hide in the doorway of the Goose Inn when a coach or carriage passed [1].

Collectanea relating to Manchester and its Neighbourhood. (c) google [1].

1. Collectanea relating to Manchester and its Neighbourhood, John Harland (1867).

Dog Inn, Exchange Street

Former location of Dog Inn, St Anne's Square (Exchange Street). (c) googlemaps.

The short stretch of pedestrianised street that connects St Anne's Square to Market Street today is just an extension of the Square.  In the 1700-1880s it was Exchange Street (the Exchange Theatre named thereafter), and the Dog Inn stood along here somewhere in the 1700s.  In those times Exchange Street was a dangerous thoroughfare, with only a narrow pathway for pedestrians who struggled to avoid speeding carriages.  Just before the Dog Inn was a retreat built into the wall for people to duck into.  Such was the danger here that the passage was known as "Dangerous Corner" [1].  

1. Collectanea relating to Manchester and its Neighbourhood, John Harland (1867).

Higher Swan / Saracen's Head, Market Street

Near the entrance to High Street from Market Street used to be a pond called the Horse Pool adjacent to the Palace Inn.  Nearby was the Higher Swan pub's stables, with the below passage from 'Collectanea relating to Manchester and its Neighbourhood' revealing that the Higher Swan used to be called the Saracen's Head [1]:

Higher Swan / Saracen's Head, Market Street. (c) google [1].

1. Collectanea relating to Manchester and its Neighbourhood, John Harland (1867).

Three Boars' Head, Market Place

The Three Boars' Head stood in Market Place in the 1700s.  It is recalled in an article written in 1850 which was about the old Market Place & Neighbouring Streets in 1772.  The Three Boars' Head was run by Peter Fernhead who died in 1781 [1].  The pub was gone by the time the 1849 map of the area was drawn which shows the only the Falstaff Hotel on Market Place.  This extract from 'Collectanea relating to Manchester and its Neighbourhood' describes the pubs' "good sound ale" and workers getting pissed:

Three Boars' Head, Market Place. (c) google [1].

1. Collectanea relating to Manchester and its Neighbourhood, John Harland (1867).

Cumberland House, Deansgate

Former location of Cumberland House, Deansgate. (c) googlemaps.

This grim looking building at the top end of Deansgate just before Market Street contains, at street level, an American Express and not much else.  A couple of hundred years ago this was a busy block containing a toyshop, drapers, confectioners, tobacconists, boot maker and watchmaker [1], as well as the Cumberland House pub, kept by Alan Marshall in the 1840s.  The Cumberland House was four doors down from St. Mary's Gate, so was approximately where the empty property is in the above shot [2].

1. Manchester (Oxford Street & Gaythorn) 1849, Alan Godfrey Maps (2010).
2. Manchester City Centre 1849, Alan Godfrey Maps (2008).

York Minster, Deansgate

Former location of York Minster, Deansgate. (c) googlemaps.

Before the John Rylands Library was built on Deansgate, there used to be a narrow street called Spinningfield off Deansgate, and on the other side, Mulberry Street used to continue to join the main thoroughfare.  On the corner of Deansgate and Spinningfield was the York Minster pub, its exact former location being precisely this corner of the library  [1].  The pub was likely lost around 1889 when Enriqueta Rylands purchased land on Deansgate for the building of the stunning Gothic library which would commemorate her late husband, John [2].  The old street, Spinnningfield, has of course given its name to the massive Spinningfields business and residential redevelopment on the River Irwell side of Deansgate.

1. Manchester City Centre 1849, Alan Godfrey Maps (2008).

Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square

Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square. (c) youngestpensioner.

Very occasionally Manchester allows its magnificent Town Hall to play host to musicians and even parties.  These two fliers from the 1980s show that on 1st November 1985 was the Halloween Hellraiser party, with horror films, bands, disco and more importantly (and what just about qualifies it for inclusion), a late bar.

Halloween Hellraiser party at the Town Hall, 01/11/1985. (c) MDMA.

One of Manchester's most celebrated adopted daughters, Nico, of Velvert Underground fame, was famously part of the Hulme scene of the '80s.  She played a gig at the Town Hall in March 1985.

Nico gig at the Town Hall, 13/03/1987. (c) MDMA.

More recently, the likes of Daniel Johnston and Laura Marling have played in the Grand Hall at the Town Hall.  Its fantastically grand interior reflects the more serene style of musician that tends to play here these days.

Manchester Town Hall interior. (c) flickr.

Co-Op development update

Some interesting snippets from this Manchester City Council Report on the Co-Operative Complex.

This map confirms the plans to build a ring road gyratory which will take west-east traffic up Corporation Street, past the site of the soon-to-be former Crown & Cushion (see list of relevant links on this entry), and up Angel Street:  

Angel Street will be widened but traffic calming measures will be built, so the Angel / Beer House's future should be secure:

Someone's been telling porkies regarding the acquisition of the Crown & Cushion:

Golden Pint Awards 2010

It's that time of year, the Golden Pint Awards!  For a bit of fun, submit your answers on this blog, on Pencil & Spoon, Beer Reviews, or anywhere you want, so long as you let the beer boffins know.

(c) Rob from I Might Have a Glass of Beer / Pencil & Spoon. 

Best UK Draught Beer - Manchester Bitter (Marble)

Best UK Bottled Beer - Humdinger (Holt's)

Best Overseas Draught Beer - Honkers Ale (Goose Island)

Best Overseas Bottled Beer - Nigerian Foreign Extra Stout (Guinness)

Best Overall Beer - Jaipur (Thornbridge)

Best Pumpclip or Label - Pint (Marble)

Best UK Brewery - Thornbridge

Best Overseas Brewery - Brooklyn

Pub/Bar of the Year - Castle Hotel, Oldham Street, Manchester

Beer Festival of the Year - Chorlton Beer Festival, Manchester

Supermarket of the Year - Sainsbury's

Independent Retailer of the Year - Carringtons, Chorlton-cum-Hardy

Online Retailer of the Year - The Whiskey Exchange 

Best Beer Book or Magazine - 'Beer'

Best Beer Blog or Website - Pubs of Manchester Closed Pubs

Best Beer Twitterer - Tyson_Beerhound

Best Brewery Online - Joseph Holt

Food and Beer Pairing of the Year - Manchester Bitter and Bacon Frazzles

In 2011 I’d Most Like To… - Raise a pint to our football club winning a pot

Open Category:  Pub Crawl of the Year - Sheffield The Valley of Beer

Fox Tavern, Jackson's Row

Former Fox Tavern, Jackson's Row. (c) googlemaps.

This fine looking building on the corner of Deansgate / Jackson's Row and Deansgate / Lloyd Street is Elliot House, temporary home to the City Library while Central Library us refurbished.  It used to house the Manchester Registry Office and the Education Department, having been designed by Royle and Bennett in 1878 in red brick, terracotta and sandstone [1].  The temporary library apparently boasts a bigger local history section, must take a look one day...  Before Elliot House, on the corner of Deansgate and Jackson's Row (above; and far right below) was the Fox Tavern, managed in the 1850s by John Cleasley [2].

Elliot House, Deansgate. (c) manchesterlitlist.

1. www.newmanchesterwalks.com.
2. Manchester City Centre 1849, Alan Godfrey Maps (2008).

Half Moon, Back Queen Street

Former location of Half Moon, Back Queen Street (Lloyd Street). (c) googlemaps.

In the 1800s, this Deansgate end of Lloyd Street was known as Back Queen Street and on this corner was the Half Moon public house.  It was kept in this period by Joseph Kerchin [1].  A Café Nero coffee shop sits on the site of the old pub; the Farmer's Arms was a couple of doors up Deansgate where Millets is now, and the distinctive white Rising Sun (then, just the Sun Inn) can still be seen down Lloyd Street (right).

1. Manchester City Centre 1849, Alan Godfrey Maps (2008).

Farmer's Arms, Queen Street

Former location of Farmer's Arms, Queen Street. (c) googlemaps.

On this corner of Queen Street and Deansgate where Millets and this ugly block is, stood the Farmer's Arms in the mid-1800s [1].  A few doors down Deansgate was the Half Moon, and down Queen Street was the Sun Inn, still proudly surviving today as the Rising Sun (left).

1. Manchester City Centre 1849, Alan Godfrey Maps (2008).

Herriots, Quay Street

The former Herriots, Quay Street. (c) googlemaps.

A sort of hotel come fitness club come nightclub bar, Herriots was a popular venue in the late '80s, at the Deansgate end of Quay Street, around the corner from the Old Grapes.  Drinks would be taken in a circular bar which overlooked the swimming pool and leisure club below, good for the pervs and letches no doubt.  Attached to this was a separate eating area (they used to do a lot of meal and clubbing deals) and a small night club.  Places like this were everywhere in the '80s, maybe not with the swimming pool, but certainly within hotels trying to get extra outside trade.  I suspect it's never really been missed since it closed in the early '90s.

The former Herriots, Quay Street. (c) googlemaps.

Quigley's / Mitre Tavern, Piccadilly

Quigley's, Piccadilly. (c) image46.webshots.com.

Open in the mid-to-late ‘90s, Quigley's was one of the first attempts at opening up the café bar type premise to the Piccadilly Gardens area, which like the rest of the surrounding area, eventually failed.  In the 1970s it was called the Mitre Tavern, part of the Henekey Inn restaurant.  It served Bass cask, including Brew Ten and best mild [1], but was described as "obviously fake" with regards to its decor [1].  As Quigley's it wasn't really sure what it wanted to be, whether that be yuppie bar, or Irish bar or indeed night club, and subsequently never particularly succeeded at any of them.  The bar itself was accessed where the all-you-can-eat Buffet Metro is situated now on the edge of Piccadilly Gardens, half a dozen doors up from Wetherspoons.
 

Buffet Metro, Piccadilly. (c) www.buffetmetro.co.uk/gallery.html.

The photo above gives you an idea of the layout in Quigley's.  You went down the stairs where you found along thin bar down the right hand side, with a dance floor at the bottom, and comfy seating in the remainder of the areas (probably one of first with sofas at the time).  The attempt at a club ensured music played at silly decibel levels later on in the evening, despite on most days, there being hardly anyone in.  As for beer, usual suspects only, this wasn't a time for real ales, and indeed even less chance in an Irish bar.  Gone, generally forgotten, and no loss to anyone really!


Buffet Metro, Piccadilly. (c) googlemaps.

1. The Manchester Pub Guide, Manchester & Salford City Centres (1975).

Rifleman, Market Street

In the early 1800s the Rifleman tavern stood at the lower end of Market Street near to the steps of The Exchange - The Manchester Subscription Library which was on the left handside, facing the old Market Place.  The Rifleman was sited between Patisons, a confectioner and Ann Hopps' bookshop [1].

1. Reminiscences of Manchester Fifty Years Ago, Josiah Slugg (1881).

Hope, Mulberry Street

Before Mulberry Street was lined with warehouses it was a rather dingy street lined with some private houses, a couple of houses of alleged disrepute, and The Hope public house [1].  This was before Manchester became "Cottonopolis" requiring warehousing, and by the 1840s The Hope was lost.  The one building that Mulberry Street is still famous for today, St Mary's Roman Catholic Chapel, or "The Hidden Gem" (built 1794; perhaps The Hope took its name from the church), survived development, although it did end up with a coach manufactory as its next door neighbour [2].

St Mary's Roman Catholic Chapel, "The Hidden Gem", Mulberry Street (c) hiddengem.

1. Reminiscences of Manchester Fifty Years Ago, Josiah Slugg (1881).
2. Manchester City Centre 1849, Alan Godfrey Maps (2008).

Buck, Withy Grove

Thomas Barritt, a renowned Manchester antiques expert, was born in the late 1700s next door to the Buck pub on Withy Grove, then literally, a grove lined by withy trees with a brook running down its centre.  There were mansions in the grove and this part of town was considered the fashionable quarter.  Barritt deposited many drawings and devices with the Chethams College, which may still be there today.  He died in in 1820 having for many years worn a cork leg due to an early amputation [1].  There is no record of the Buck on the 1849 map of Manchester, it having been lost along with the mansions, trees and brook, when Withy Grove was "improved" in the early 1880s.

1. Manchester: its political, social and commercial history, ancient and modern, James Wheeler (1836).

Three Coins / Staxx Club, Fountain Street

Staxx Club, Fountain Street. (c) http://manchestersoul.co.uk/msoul/stax_club.html.

This venue was run by a couple of Manchester legends.  Firstly, Jimmy Saville opened the Three Coins but the R&B and soul club wasn't a success [1].  A few years later, Roger Eagle, he of Twisted Wheel fame, re-opened it as the Staxx Club but again, it flopped, this time as a funk club [2].

1. http://manchestersoul.co.uk/msoul/stax_club.html.
2. www.soulbot.com/Roger-Eagle.htm.

Korumba, York Street

Korumba, York Street. (c) pubsgalore.

Next door to the now shut Scubar on York Street off Oxford Road is another closed venue.  Korumba appears to have been a student bar / club venue.  The below above shows it in the centre with Scubar in the background.

Korumba, York Street. (c) googlemaps.

Jumpin' Jaks / Billie Rox, Portland Street

Billie Rox, Portland Street. (c) googlemaps.

Jumpin' Jaks was a large, dreadful bar and club on the corner of Portland Street and Dickinson Street, which I think I had the displeasure of visiting in the '90s.  It was memorable only for the clientèle (mainly underage, all pissed and the type of which flock to Deansgate Locks these days for a good night out) though it did have a huge mural of Hilda Ogden on the dancefloor which earns it some credibility.  More recently it changed its name to Billie Rox, which sounds just as bad, and even had a stint as a roller disco before shutting a year or two ago.  What is to become of this impressive building on this low-brow street is anyone's guess.

Billie Rox, Portland Street. (c) qype.

Twisted Wheel, Brazennose Street

Twisted Wheel, Brazennose Street. (c) www.soulbot.com/The-Twisted-Wheel.htm.

These days the location for the famous Twisted Wheel club is at Legends, the old Placemate 7 on Whitworth Street, near Piccadilly Station.  However, the original Twisted Wheel was here on Brazennose Street from 1963 to 1965/66 [1].  The club was famously run by legendary DJ, Roger Eagle, 'The Godfather of British Soul' and often had bands playing, such as the Cymerons, as seen below in 1963 [2].  Twisted Wheel was at number 26 Brazennose Street which in the mid 1850s was George Daniels' surgery (quite apt considering the pills that would have been popped in the club in the swinging 1960s).  The club was known as the Left Wing Club or Coffee Bar before the Twisted Wheel [3]. 

Twisted Wheel, Brazennose Street. (c) www.manchesterbeat.com.

1. www.soulbot.com/The-Twisted-Wheel.htm.

2. www.manchesterbeat.com/venues/manchester_cbd/twistedwheel/twistedwheel.php
3. http://www.manchesterbeat.com/venues/manchester_cbd/leftwing/leftwing.php.

Avenida / Auntie's Kitchen, Clarence Street

Croma, formerly Avenida, Clarence Street. (c) googlemaps.

The impressive looking Croma Italian restaurant tucked off Albert Square down Clarence Street was, in the swinging '60s, Avenida.  This club gets a very brief but specific mention in an article about the famous Blue Note club which used to stand next door to Pubs of Manchester HQ, the Waldorf, on Gore Street [1].  It looks like this place was also known as Auntie's Kitchen at some point as well [2].

Auntie's Kitchen, Clarence Street. (c) ManchesterBeat.

1. www.soulbot.com/bluenote.
2. www.manchesterbeat.com.