Bee Hive, Lower Broughton Road

Bee Hive, Lower Broughton Road, Salford. (c) Mark Naylor at vimeo.

As mentioned in the Poets Corner entry, the Bee Hive was the smaller turreted pub that was absorbed into the Poets Corner by Greenall Whitley Brewery in 1974 [1].  The Bee Hive is first listed in 1863 and by the early twentieth century was owned by Groves & Whitnall, as shown in the above snap from the superb Salford Pubs The Movie.  Greenall Whitley took the Bee Hive in the 1960s before the amalgamation with its neighbouring pub and the shops in between [1].

1. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, Oldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).

Railway, Broughton Road

Railway, Broughton Road, Salford. (c) deltrems at flickr.

This closed old Salford boozer can be traced back to 1859 when beer retailer, John Scott, applied for a full licence to cater for passengers at nearby Pendleton Station.  He detailed the 54 trains and 3,000 passengers a day that used the station, but unfortunately he was turned down, and the Railway held only a beer licence until the 1960s [1].


Railway, Broughton Road, Salford. (c) Anthony Parkes / Creative Commons at www.closedpubs.co.uk.

A Boddingtons house for most of its life, the Railway closed in 2003 but still displays its Boddies sign today as offices.

Railway, Broughton Road, Salford. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

1. Salford Pubs - Part Three: Including Cross Lane, Broad Street, Hanky Park, the Height, Brindleheath, Charlestown and Weaste, Neil Richardson (2003).

Castle, Kersal Way

The Castle, Kersal Way, Kersal. (c) kersalflats.

The brilliant Kersal Flats website pays homage to one of Manchester's (well, Salford's) most famous lost estates.  Along with the likes of Manchester History, Ex-Hulme and the Manchester District Music Archive, it's one of the essential Manchester websites.

Kersal Flatsm before and after. (c) kersalflats.

Please visit the site to read about the fascinating history of the area, its transformation into the unforgettable estate, the characters, the floods, its eventual and inevitable decline, and the final demolition of most of the high-rises.  

The Castle, Kersal Way, Kersal. (c) kersalflats.

The estate's pub was The Castle, a Greenall Whitley house built in 1971 and opened by Sir Jimmy Savile (RIP) [1].  While it survived the October 1990 demolition of eight of the towers, its custom was obviously hit and it closed a while later.  The last landlord was Harold Foster, his story detailed below in the press cutting.

The Castle, Kersal Way, Kersal. (c) kersalflats.

There are loads more photos of the Castle and its locals on the website, although it's not yet been confirmed exactly when the Castle was demolished.  All images used with kind permission from the webmaster. 

The Castle, Kersal Way, Kersal. (c) kersalflats.

1. www.kersalflats.co.uk/pictures/newspapers/demolitionscr25-10-1990large.jpg.

Maypole, Ford Lane

Maypole, Ford Lane, Salford, 1990. (c) deltrems at flickr.

This fine-looking building still stands at the end of Ford Lane on the corner with Broughton Road.  The Crown & Maypole Inn opened in 1825 and was shortened to the Maypole by 1850.  In 1875 a new, grander Maypole was built next to the original two-storey pub, probably by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway who passed their Hindley and Wigan line underneath the old pub.  Manchester Brewery then Wilsons Brewery leased the Maypole from the railway company until it became a Bass house in the 1970s.  As much of old Pendleton was flattened for "improvements", the pub's trade fell away and it closed in the early 1990s.  The Centric pub company gave it a go in 1993 but a year later the Maypole closed for good [1].

Former Maypole, Ford Lane, Salford. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

1. Salford Pubs - Part Three: Including Cross Lane, Broad Street, Hanky Park, the Height, Brindleheath, Charlestown and Weaste, Neil Richardson (2003).

Ark Royal, Tavistock Square

Ark Royal, Tavistock Square, Harpurhey, 2007. (c) Gene Hunt at flickr / Creatve Commons.

Situated on the edge of the grim Tavistock Square shops on Lathbury Road just off Rochdale Road in Harpurhey, the Ark Royal was another classic north Manchester estate pub.  Although shown shuttered up in 2007 above, googlemaps now shows it as the Redemption Place church, retaining the pub signage.   Alan Winfield has a 1992 photo of the Ark Royal as a Robinson's house at Pubs Galore [1].

Former Ark Royal, Tavistock Square, Harpurhey. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

1. http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/74408/.

Manchester Pub Guide

From this months' Opening Times, this should be worth a purchase for anyone who's found themselves reading this blog:

Manchester Pub Guide. (c) Opening Times (read more back issues here).

THE twin cities of Manchester & Salford are the vibrant heart of a region with a population of 3 million and attracts 90 million visitors a year for leisure, tourism, sport and business.  Like the city itself, the city's pubs and bars are a mix of the modern and the traditional with something for everyone.  With over 200 pubs and bars in the city centre ranging from the historic to the new bohemian bars of the Northern Quarter, the visitor can be bewildered about where to go for a pint.  The three CAMRA branches that cover the City of Manchester have come together to produce a guide to the pubs and bars of the City Centre.  The guide splits the city centre into seven areas with the name & address of every pub and bar listed.  Clear maps in each section show the location of each pub & bar. Over 100 pubs selling real ale are described in detail along with opening times and icons showing the facilities available. Each pub or bar's location is shown on clear maps. 

For the more adventurous visitor, additional sections cover the popular suburb of Chorlton, where over 20 pubs and bars squeezed into less than half a square mile have made it a destination in itself, and the Wilmslow Road corridor home to two universities and the bulk of their 80,000 strong student population.  The pub listings are complemented by a range of feature articles on the city's history, local breweries and other subjects of interest to pub-goers. Whether coming to the city for its pubs and ales or just looking for somewhere to relax between museums or meetings, the guide will help visitors plan their visit and seek out the very best the city has to offer.  The Manchester Pub Guide is due to be launched to coincide with the SIBA Great Northern Beer Festival [starts today].  The full colour, 112 page will have a cover price of £4.99.  For orders and enquiries contact Heather Airlie at pubguide@thcamra.org.uk.

Even easier, order from here (sample page and map at the link): www.camragreatermanchester.org.uk/guide.html.

Griffin, Lower Broughton Road

Griffin, Lower Broughton Road, Lower Broughton. (c) deltrems at flickr.

The Griffin was a huge pub on the corner of Great Cheetham Street West and Lower Broughton Road, sadly demolished in 2008 (and, as ever, replaced with... nothing).  There are a number of photos at flickr from Eddie Manchester recording the demolition of this grand old pub. It doesn't look too bad here... or here.  But... going... going... gone. The original Griffin dates back to the early 1700s, first listed in 1732 under Thomas Pendleton, who is recorded as an alehouse keeper in 1716, so the Griffin may date back earlier than that [1].  

The original Griffin, Lower Broughton Road, 19th century. (c) Neil Richardson [1].

As shown above, the original Griffin was set back from the main road, had a bowling green to the rear, and had facilities for stabling horses. Threlfalls owned the Griffin by the end of the 19th century and applied to build a new pub by expanding onto the green and creating "a colossal drinking palace" (reputed to be the biggest in Manchester for a time); plans which were approved.  This was despite objectors who complained that the new hotel would be a "gigantic drinkshop" and attract "riff-raff, scum and rabble [1]."

Griffin, Lower Broughton Road, Lower Broughton. (c) Mark Naylor at vimeo.

It is quite ironic that the pub was eventually closed down with no small thanks to the gangs who ran protection rackets all over this part of Salford.  By the time Whitbread had the Griffin, the green was costing too much to maintain so they turned it into a car park.  This came in handy when the pub closed and became the Oriental Star [1] then Saigon Chinese restaurants before its unfortunate demolition a few years ago.

Griffin, Lower Broughton Road, Lower Broughton. (c) Jez Page at flickr.

1. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, Oldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).

Clifford Hotel, Clifford Street

Clifford Hotel, Clifford Street, 1960s. (c) Bob Potts [1].

Clifford Street used to run off Oxford Road, exactly where the brutally-modern University bridge briefly takes the main road into darkness through a tunnel.  It ran parallel to Booth Street East to meet up with Upper Brook Street.  Just a few doors down Clifford Street from Oxford Road on the right hand side, as shown below, stood the Clifford Hotel.  The Clifford was a Threlfalls then Chesters house which closed in 1968 [1].  The late '60s was a good time for Manchester, although not particularly for the pubs around here - the university expansions saw off a huge number of Chorlton-on-Medlock and Hulme boozers.

Former location of Clifford Hotel, Clifford Street. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

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

York Minster, Higher Chatham Street

York Minster, Higher Chatham Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock, 1912. (c) Bob Potts [1].

The York Minster was a Walkers of Warrington house, formerly known as the Kings Arms, on the corner of Rosamond Street West and Higher Chatham Street.  Pictured above in 1912 in Bob Potts' book, the York Minster closed in 1969 [1].  On this site these days is a student accommodation block, just a few doors down from the surviving Salutation. 

Former location of York Minster, Higher Chatham Street. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

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

Manchester City YMCA Khaki Club & Hostel, Piccadilly Gardens

Manchester City YMCA Khaki Club & Hostel, Piccadilly Gardens. (c) David Boardman at Manchester History.

Many Mancunians and visitors remember the sunken Piccadilly Gardens that were once a pleasant place to relax in the city centre, but later became a tramp's hangout in the 1980s and '90s (arguably preferable to the brutal mess that Piccadilly Gardens is today).  Some may not realise that the Manchester Infirmary and Lunatic Asylum once sat in Piccadilly Gardens until their demolition in 1908.  And fewer still will know about the YMCA that temporarily occupied the site, as the long-winded Manchester City YMCA Khaki Club and Hostel.  It was at the Portland Street end of the Gardens on the site of the ugly new red brick Piccadilly One office block.  The buildings later became the temporary home of the Manchester Library after the old Town Hall on King Street was demolished, and before the Central Library opened at St Peters Square in 1934 [1].

The image above is used with permission from David Boardman's still expanding Manchester History website.  It shows the canteen-style layout of the club and what appears to be the bar on the left.  There is another image at the top of the YMCA entry showing the low, temporary buildings with smart signage and flagpole.

1. http://manchesterhistory.net/manchester/gone/piccadillyymca.html.

Poets Corner, Lower Broughton Road

Poets Corner, Lower Broughton Road, Salford. (c) Lost Sites of Broughton.

This fantastic looking boozer was on the corner of Lower Broughton Road and Hough Lane, just over the River Irwell into Salford.  In 1864 the Poets Corner was known as the Albion Inn and although offering a multi-roomed downstairs plus seven bedrooms, it was denied a full licence until Groves & Whitnall took it in 1903.  The brewery enlarged the premises by incorporating the Peel Park Inn beerhouse next door on Hough Lane.  The Poets Corner survived the Lower Broughton demolition order in the 1960s and was again spared in 1976 when owners Greenalls absorbed another pub, the neighbouring Beehive, and a few shops in between.  The new, larger pub now included both the impressive turrets as was a famous landmark until it was sadly demolished in 1993 after final try as 'Poets' under Ascot Taverns pub company [1].  The Poets Corner may be the only example in Manchester of three pubs becoming one pub.

Poets Corner, Lower Broughton Road, Salford. (c) Lost Sites of Broughton.

1. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, Oldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).

City Gates / Hyde Road Hotel, Hyde Road

Hyde Road Hotel, Hyde Road, West Gorton. (c) ultimatewigan.

This fine looking old pub marked the spot of Manchester City's first proper ground on Hyde Road in West Gorton.  As late as the 1980s, the City Gates was a popular watering hole before the match for supporters travelling in from East Manchester.  It was kitted out in all sorts of MCFC memorabilia and was run by Gorge Heslop, City legend of the 1960s, after he'd had the Royal George in town.  I remember popping in here a few times as a wide-eyed youngster, rather puzzled why such a pub was so far from Maine Road (about 3 miles) - it was never explained that the land behind the pub used to be a 30,000+ capacity ground, hemmed between the railway arches.

The Hyde Road Hotel plays an important part in the club's history, being the meeting place of Ardwick A.F.C. in 1887 and subsequently, the place where they became Manchester City F.C. in 1894.  Players would get changed in the hotel then duck down the alleyway at the side of the pub to the Hyde Road Stadium.  As a Chester's house, a condition of the club's official link to the pub was that supporters (and club officials and players) would sup Chesters ales, and in return (Stephen) Chesters Thompson of the brewery helped finance stadium improvements.

Hyde Road Hotel, Hyde Road, West Gorton, early 1900s. (c) The Mancunian Way.

The Hyde Road Hotel handed out free beer to customers on election day in 1892 on the promise that they said "success to Balfour" [1] - Balfour being the local Tory who was standing to local election, and was also Vice President of a certain nearby football club, Newton Heath.  This was organised by Chesters Thompson of Chesters Brewery, who used his position at the brewery to influence local politics as well as the football club.  The map on Manchester History shows the location of the Hyde Road Hotel in relation to the football ground [2].  

The move of MCFC to Maine Road in 1923 following a fire at the Hyde Road ground, didn't adversely affect the Hyde Road Hotel and it continued to serve the West Gorton community and the once-bustling Hyde Road thoroughfare.  Sadly, as the community around it was decimated, the pub struggled and its last hurrah was as the City Gates theme pub.  The business failed in 1989 and the pub sat empty and rotting for twelve years until it was demolished, despite a half-hearted fans campaign to save it.  Two keystones from the Hyde Road Hotel reside in the MCFC memorial garden and are all that remain of this significant Manchester pub.

More about Manchester's and MCFC's history at The Mancunian Way.

1. www.mcfchistory.com/2011/10/politics-corruption-and-rise-of.html.
2. http://manchesterhistory.net/manchester/gone/Ardwickmap1.jpg.

Swan, Oldham Road

Former location of the Swan, Oldham Road, Miles Platting. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

This large advertising hoarding on Oldham Road in Miles Platting marks the spot of the lost Swan pub.  It is shown here at Pubs Galore at a Belhaven house in 1993 and Alan Winfield reported that the Swan served Tetley's, albeit in a rather depressing environment [1].  The Swan was near to Miles Platting Railway Station which closed in 1995, probably around the time of the pub.  All signs of the station have been removed from the area, although some of the station awning can now be seen on the East Lancs Railway at Rambsottom [2].

Miles Platting Railway Station, 1989. (c) wikipedia / Creative Commons.

1. www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/75362.

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Platting_railway_station.

Moonrakers / St James, Phoebe Street

The Moonrakers was an Ordsall estate pub built by Greenall Whitley on Phoebe Street in 1977.  In the 1980s it was renamed St James but had closed by 1990.  Two years later Salford lost yet another of its estate pubs when it was demolished [1].  This Construction News article from 1993 details the plans at the time for £2.5m worth of housing to be built on the site of the Moonraker [2].  The article mentions Browfield Avenue, which is now a residential road just off Phoebe Street.  This suggests the pub sat to the east of the curve of Phoebe Street as shown in the googlemap below.

Former location of Moonrakers / St James, Phoebe Street, Ordsall. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

1. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, Oldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).

2. www.cnplus.co.uk/news/07oct93.

Rovers Return, Guy Fawkes Street

Former location of Rovers Return, Guy Fawkes Street, Ordsall. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

This Rovers Return is barely celebrated unlike its famous namesake at Granada Studios, the oddly ale-free surviving Rovers Return on Chapel Street, and even the old, lost Amalgamated Inn over on Gloucester Street, Ordsall, which doubled as the Coronation Street pub in the 1960s [1]. It was an estate pub built in 1977 for the Lancaster Taverns division of Grand Metropolitan, who owned Wilsons Brewery.  Eric and Margaret Ogden were the first licensees but sadly closed in 1991 after just 14 years.  The street on which the Rovers Return stood runs down the side of Ordsall Hall, the place where, legend has it, Guy Fawkes hatched the Gunpowder Plot [2]. 

Guy Fawkes Street, Ordsall, Salford. (c) www.salford.gov.uk/guy-fawkes.htm.

1. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, Oldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).

2. www.salford.gov.uk/guy-fawkes.htm.

Sabre, Taylorson Street

The Sabre, Taylorson Street, Ordsall, 1978 (right). (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s.

Another of Salford's lost estate pubs, the Sabre was a short-lived Joseph Holt's house on Taylorson Street (behind Ordsall Hall) in Ordsall.  It was built by Holt's in 1978 and lasted only 15 years as it was closed in 1993 and demolished the following year [1].  The above image shows the rear of the Sabre (centre right) and is taken from this 2004 edition of LifeTimesLink where it was the "Mystery photo [2]."  In the following edition, the mystery was cleared up by Salford Housing Officer, Paul Wilson: "The brick building in the background is The Sabre pub, and the tower block in the distance is Sunnyside Court... the pub has gone and sadly so has Sunnyside [3]."

The Sabre, Taylorson Street, Ordsall. (c) www.salford.gov.uk/d/lifetimes-issue14.pdf.

1. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, Oldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).

2. www.salford.gov.uk/d/lifetimes-issue14.pdf.

3. www.salford.gov.uk/d/issue15.pdf. 

Trafford Hotel, Trafford Road

Trafford Hotel, Trafford Road, Ordsall, 1961. (c) Mark Naylor at vimeo.

Along with the Clowes Hotel, the Trafford Hotel was built to cater for the increased traffic passing through Ordsall due to the racecourse and Trafford Road Bridge.  It stood on the corner of the next street up - Elizabeth Street - on Trafford Road, and existed from 1869 until 1984. Unlike the Clowes, the Trafford Hotel didn't have a full licence for spirits and sold only beers and wines until the 1950s.  Walkers & Homfray had the Trafford followed by Wilsons until its closure in 1981 [1].

Trafford Hotel, Trafford Road, Ordsall, 1961. (c) Neil Richardson [1].

1. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, Oldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).

Clowes Hotel, Trafford Road

Clowes Hotel, Trafford Road, Orsdall, 1974. (c) NAH1952 at flickr.

This famous old landmark pub stood on Trafford Road at the junction with Broadway in Ordsall.  Although sadly knocked down in 1985, the Clowes Hotel, it is remembered by many as a haunt of sailors and dockers and their associated ladies of the night.  The Clowes was built in 1869 as a new hotel serving this area close to the racecourse and the newly opened Trafford Road Bridge which linked Orsdall to Chester Road, Old Trafford.  In the early 20th century it was still a freehouse offering Worthington's, Bass and McEwan's ale before it was bought by Walkers & Homfray, passing to Wilsons Brewery in the 1950s.  As the surrounding area was demolished in clearance initiatives, the Clowes remained standing and survived until 1984, a year before its final demise [1].

Clowes Hotel,. Trafford Road, Ordsall, (c) Salford_66 at flickr.

1. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, Oldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).

Bridge, Lower Broughton Road

Bridge, Lower Broughton Road, Salford. (c) Neil Richardson [1].

The Bridge once stood on Lower Broughton Road opposite - and presumably named after - the Gerald Road suspension bridge, which still operates as a pedestrianised bridge on St Boniface Road.  The pub can be traced back to 1834 which was 8 years after the bridge opened [1].  Cardwell's Brewery had the Bridge by 1897 and Wilsons then took the lease two years later, followed by Hardy Crown Brewery in about 1920 who rebuilt the pub as the building which still stands today next to the still open Prince of Wales.  The forlorn old Whitbread and Mercury Taverns pub was a Bass Charrington house in 1979 when there was a large Victorian-style room dedicated to photos of old Salford [1].

Bridge, Lower Broughton Road, Salford. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

1. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, ldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).

Park Inn, Ducie Grove

Park Inn, Ducie Grove, Chorlton-on-Medlock. (c) Bob Potts [1]

A couple of doors up Ducie Grove from the Robin Hood was the Park Inn. It is shown here in 1972 as a Wilsons house - the year it closed due to University expansion [2] - looking down towards Oxford Road with the Holy Name church in the background.  This was when Ducie Grove used to run due north to meet up with Oxford Road, and when Devas Street was named Ducie Street.  The former location of the old Park pub is in the car park behind Big Hands.

Former location of the Park, Ducie Grove. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

1. The Old Pubs of Chorlton-upon-Medlock Manchester, Bob Potts (1984)

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

Appleford, Queens Road

Former Appleford, Queens Road, Cheetham Hill. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

The Appleford was a north Manchester estate pub on the corner of Appleford Road and Queens Road in Cheetham Hill and has now been converted to the Nawab curry house.  This buffet-style Indian opened in 2007 and before that it was the Desi Lounge.  It's not clear when the Appleford closed but Alan Winfield has a picture of the Appleford in 1993 at Pubs Galore, confirming it as a Whitbread house offering Chesters and Boddies [1].

1. www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/75135.

Duchy Inn, Brindleheath Road

Duchy Inn, Brindleheath Road, Salford. (c) Google 2011.  View Larger Map.

The Duchy Inn sits on the corder of Brindleheath Road and the forgotten Laundry Street, off Broad Road in Salford.  It's sadly derelict with its roof half-missing and looking ripe for demolition.  The beerhouse opened in 1863 and by the end of the century was owned by Groves & Whitnall.  The beerhouse and neighbouring shop were rebuilt by the brewery and in 1930, the shop which had by now become a hairdressers, was incorporated into the Duchy [1].  Despite most of this part of Salford being subject to the Brindleheath compulsory purchase scheme, the pub was spared and continued trading until the 2000's.  The small, pleasant-looking new-build estate over the road from the Duchy clearly wasn't enough to keep the pub going.

1. Salford Pubs - Part Three: Including Cross Lane, Broad Street, Hanky Park, the Height, Brindleheath, Charlestown and Weaste, Neil Richardson (2003).

161. Black Lion, Chapel Street

Black Lion, Chapel Street, Salford. (c) tysonsbeerblog.

The Black Lion on the corner of Blackfriars Road and Chapel Street has reopened as a community hub offering café and internet facilities during the day as well as continuing as a fine pub, as reported by Man Con [1] and then later in the Evening News [2].  Read much more here at the independent Salford Star magazine [3].  Interestingly, new landlords, Jenny Archibald and Mark Ashmore of FutureArtists, are film-makers and they plan to stream films in a cinema upstairs.  We wish them well with this venture, but during our Saturday evening visit, we were most interested in the pub and beer.  

Thankfully, we weren't let down as both were on terrific form.  A modest £4,000 has been spent on the refurb, but it's only been closed 18 months or so, and little has changed from the old pub.  Downstairs is smaller than you might expect but old-fashioned furniture and a low-key music give it a pleasant atmosphere.  Impressively, they already had real ale on (unlike its neighbour, the Rovers Return), with an endearingly handwritten pump offering Copper Dragon (best bitter?) which was as good as ever.  The Black Lion was nice and busy and the old locals we chatted to were pleased to share memories of the old pub and many, many more.  A welcome return for the Black Lion, and one we hope heads the rebirth of Chapel Street.

Black Lion, Chapel Street, Salford. (c) Google 2011 - View Larger Map.

ORIGINAL ENTRY:

Recently closed after a short-lived renaissance, the Black Lion is a large distinctive pub on the corner of Blackfriars Street and Chapel Street.  The chap who runs the hugely successful New Oxford up the road on Bexley Square, Tim Flynn, tried to make a go of this former keg-only pub in 2009.  However, a combination of real but rather uninspiring ale, a refusal to use sparklers and the pub company, Enterprise, hiking up rents, led to the Black Lion closing in July 2010 and it remains boarded up today [4].  In 1975 its architecture was described as "majestic late-Victorian" with large rooms, each with their own bar, and an upstairs function room.  On offer was Brew 10 and mild, Carling, Worthington E and Guinness [5].

The Black Lion can be traced back to 1776 when it was first licensed to John Kinnaston although it was sometimes listed as the White Lion and the Golden Lion.  By 1876 the tumbledown pub was replaced by the grand building we see today, possibly with the help of Hardy's Brewery of Hulme.  They took the Black Lion over a few years later and 1906 John Marsh advertised it as a family and commercial hotel , one minute from the Exchange and Victoria Stations.  Bass took over the pub in the 1960s before the Pub Co's Centric and finally Enterprise owned it [6].  With no likelihood of the it reopening any time soon, maybe the proposed Chapel Street regeneration scheme will eventually breathe life back into this grand old boozer.  

1. www.manchesterconfidential.co.uk/News/Black-Lion-Reopens-With-Its-Own-Cinema.
2. http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews. 
3. www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=1104.
4. http://tysonsbeerblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/lion-sleeps-tonight.html.
5. The Manchester Pub Guide, Manchester & Salford City Centres (1975).
6. Salford Pubs - Part One: the Old Town, including Chapel Street, Greengate and the Adelphi, Neil Richardson (2003).