Gloucester Arms / Cambridge Inn, Regent Road

Gloucester Arms, Regent Road, Salford. (c) Neil Richardson [1].

This Regent Road boozer on the corner of West Peel Street started out as the Monarch Brewery Vaults and although it quickly changed its name after opening in 1861 to the General Havelock.  The Monarch Brewery lasted 20 years but the pub remained after it was demolished, changing back to the Monarch Brewery Vaults in 1867, then to the Cambridge Inn a year later.  A grisly tale from Neil Richardson's book - when licensee, Richard McDermott, refused to serve a chap called Michael Johnson who was drunk, Johnson returned to the Cambridge and stabbed a customer, Patrick Nurney.  He was hanged at Strangeways three months later [1].

Gloucester Arms, Regent Road, Salford. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr [2].

Walkers & Homfray bought the Cambridge in 1898, by which time the pub was being advertised as the Cambridge Music Hall.  The brewery rebuilt the Cambridge Inn on the same site and licensee, William Whitehead, who moved here from the Railway at Pomona Docks, continued to advertise as a Music Hall.  Unfortunately, the music licence was revoked in 1916 when the police complained that it was used by "foreign seaman and a large number of females, including young girls."  In the 1930s the Cambridge was renamed the Gloucester Arms and became a Wilsons house in the '60s.  Greater Manchester Council acquired the Gloucester in the '70s due to their plans to widen Regent Road, but they didn't demolish it straight away.  Instead, they leased it to David Pollard, whose Stockport microbrewery supplied the ales, although this only lasted three years and the Gloucester closed for good in 1982 [1].

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

2. www.flickr.com/photos/61756486@N05.

Grove Inn, Regent Road

Grove Inn, Regent Road, Salford. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr.

The narrow, three-storey Grove Inn on Regent Road was a landmark for a time, as all the shops around it had been pulled down.  It had been a less-striking-looking beerhouse in the middle of a row of seven houses and shops, first licensed in 1848, before being taken over by Groves & Whitnall in the 1890s.

Grove Inn, Regent Road, Salford. (c) Neil Richardson [2].

Groves & Whitnall rebuilt the Grove in front of the shops, in what is described as a "doll's house" style by Neil Richardson.  Following conversion to a Greenall Whitley house after the brewery buyout, the Grove finally closed on New Years Eve 1982 [2].

Grove Inn, Regent Road. (c) Mary Evans at amazon.

Bizarrely this wonderful image of the Grove Inn is actually available as a jigsaw puzzle.

Grove Inn, Regent Road. (c) Media Storehouse at amazon.

1. www.flickr.com/photos/61756486@N05.
2. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, Oldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).

Greyhound, Woden Street

Greyhound, Woden Street, Ordsall. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr [1].

Just over the River Irwell into Salford, the Greyhound sat on the corner of the lost Bigland Street and Woden Street, just off Ordsall Lane.  It was first recorded in 1865 and was a Groves & Whitnall house by the 1920s followed Greenall Whitley's in the '70s or '80s [2].  The Greyhound was one of Ordsall's survivors into the 1990s but sadly it closed in 1991 and was demolished shortly afterwards.

Greyhound, Woden Street, Ordsall, 1972. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr [1].

1. www.flickr.com/photos/61756486@N05.
2. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, Oldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).

Ordsall, Ordsall Lane

Ordsall, Ordsall Lane, Ordsall. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr [1].

The Ordsall was a large, three-storey pub on the corner of Everard Street towards the bottom of Ordsall Lane.  It survived longer than most of its neighbours along here having opened as the fully licensed Ordsall Hotel in the 1860s, although in 1911, Alfred Gadd's licence was revoked when he was found guilty of opening at 6am for Ordsall Lane workers on the early shift [2]!

Ordsall, Ordsall Lane, Ordsall, 1951. (c) Neil Richardson [2].

Walker & Homfrays took over and modernised the Ordsall inside and tiling its outside, while Wilsons took it in the 1940-50s, during which time the six shops next door up Ordsall Lane were pulled down.  Another refurbishment in the 1980s saw more re-tiling with the pub lasting until 1990, and it was eventually pulled down in 1994 [2].

Ordsall, Ordsall Lane, Ordsall. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr [1].

1. www.flickr.com/photos/61756486@N05.
2. Salford Pubs - Part Two: Including Islington, Ordsall Lane and Ordsall, Oldfield Road, Regent Road and Broughton, Neil Richardson (2003).

Spring Bank Inn / O'Connor's, Stockport Road

O'Connor's, Stockport Road, Longsight. (c) Alan Gall [1]

This boozer in Longsight was captured in happier times by Alan Winfield in 1993, as seen at Pubsgalore [2].  In the '90s, O'Connor's was a Tetley's pub and as its name suggests, it was popular with the large Irish community around here.  The pub was originally known as the Spring Bank Inn, a Walkers of Warrington house, as shown below from Manchester History [3], which by the 1970s had been taken over by Tetley's.

Spring Bank Inn, Stockport Road. (c) Spring Bank page at Manchester History [3].

Although the outdated googlemaps view above shows it next to Farmfoods, in the 1950s it was next to a Woolworths store.  The Spring Bank / O'Connor's was recently been knocked down in about 2009 and the site is under redevelopment, as shown below from the Manchester History site [3].


Former location of Spring Bank / O'Connor's, Stockport Road. (c) Springbank page at Manchester History.

1.  Manchester Breweries of times gone by, Alan Gall.
2. www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/74284.
3. http://manchesterhistory.net/LONGSIGHT/PUBS/spring.html.

Grove, Bury New Road

Grove, Bury New Road, Higher Broughton. (c) deltrems at flickr [1].

The Grove was a large Boddingtons house on the border of Manchester and Salford in Higher Broughton.  It sat on the corner of Appian Way and Bury New Road, next to the Horners car dealership which remains there today, and in the past had once had a third floor [1].  There is a photo of the Grove at pubsgalore taken by Alan Winfield in 1993, where the cobbled area in front of the pub still remains today since the Grove was demolished [2].

Former location of the Grove, Bury New Road. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

1. www.flickr.com/photos/deltrems/2780593097.
2. www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/25963.

Fox Tavern, Clayton Lane

Fox Tavern, Clayton Lane, Openshaw, 1986. (c) D.N. at ManMates Facebook [1].

The Fox Tavern stood on the corner of Ridings Street and Clayton Lane, not far off Alan Turing Way and Ashton Old Road.  It was closed and pulled down as part of the East Manchester redevelopment scheme, ironically, around the same time as it may have had a boost in trade as City moved to the area.


Fox Tavern, Clayton Lane, Openshaw, 2003. (c) ManMates [2].

The Fox Tavern was a small, two-roomed pub which I imagine drew decent trade from the Clayton and Openshaw factories... which are themselves now closing down.  It was a Whitbread house before closure in late 2003.

Fox Tavern, Clayton Lane. (c) Keith Williamson at GEOlocation under Creative Commons.

1. www.facebook.com/ManMates.co.uk.
2. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/alscot1/victoriast.htm.

Ducie Arms, Stockport Road

Ducie Arms, Stockport Road, Longsight. (c) Ducie Arms page at Manchester History [1].

The Ducie Arms, pictured above still trading at the Manchester History site, sadly closed in the mid-'00s and remains a sorry sight on the main Stockport Road through Longsight.  It stands on the corner of Hayley Street just up from Plymouth Grove, adjacent to Longsight Youth Centre which is the old Longsight Hall, which used to have the library to the rear [2].

Ducie Arms, Stockport Road, Longsight. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

1. http://manchesterhistory.net/LONGSIGHT/PUBS/ducie.html.
2. http://manchesterhistory.net/LONGSIGHT/BUILDINGS/hall.html.

Welcome, Ordsall Lane

Welcome, Ordsall Lane, Salford. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s [1].

A couple of doors up Ordsall Lane from Jospeh Holt's still surviving Bricklayers Arms stood the Welcome Inn on the corner of Garrett Street.  It was first recorded in the 1860s like its neighbour on the other side, the Albion, and the first brewery to own the Welcome was Longsight's Barber & Co, followed by J W Lees.  The Ordsall Lane and Oldfield Road redevelopments saw the end of the Welcome, when all three pubs - the Bricklayers, Welcome and Albion - were scheduled for demolition.  The Bricklayers was reprieved when the one pub that was earmarked for saving for the new community - the Pickwick - was burnt out.  A "Welcome Action Group" CAMRA campaign to save the boozer saw Lees ale at 2 pence a pint on the day of the public inquiry into the council's plans.  However, this failed and the Welcome closed at the end of August 1978 [2].

Bricklayers & Welcome, Ordsall Lane, Salford. (c) Neil Richardson [2].

1. www.flickr.com/photos/61756486@N05/with/6318865923.

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

Post Office, Hilton Street

Post Office, Hilton Street, Higher Broughton, 1952. (c) Neil Richardson [1].

Hilton Street in Higher Broughton boasts one of Salford's few surviving pubs, the Church, but lower down, on the corner with Fenney Street, stood the Post Office until 1978.  Today, looking at this corner, just off Bury New Road, you can see another survivor, the Dover, along Fenney Street.  The Post Office Inn beerhouse probably opened in the 1850s on the site of Higher Broughton's first ever post office.  By the 1890s, Hydes Brewery were leasing the beerhouse, followed by the Moss Side Brewery, then Walker & Homfrey in the 1920s [1].  It last owners were Tetley's, and below is an evocative 1980 photo of the pub two years after it closed, with the buildings that once housed the Post Office's regulars in ruins in the foreground as "regeneration" takes place.

Post Office, Hilton Street,  (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr [2].


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

2. Salford Pubs of the 70s - www.flickr.com/photos/61756486@N05.

Albion, Ordsall Lane

Albion, Ordsall Lane, Salford. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr [1].

Originally the Irwell Inn in the 1860s, the Albion was a Walkers Brewery that stood on the corner of Irwell View and Ordsall Lane until the 1990s.  It originally had a plain corner door leading into the vault and a side door to the bar parlour before it was altered into the pub shown here.  When the Regent Road flats were being built (seen in the background, above), the Albion was under threat of demolition, but instead, Walkers extended the pub into the Irwell Place house next door and clad it in black and cream tiles.  The Albion was a Tetley's before it closed in 1990 and was finally knocked down a few years later [2].  Asgard Drive today marks the spot where the old Albion once stood.

Albion, Ordsall Lane, Salford. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr [1].

1. Salford Pubs of the 70s.

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

Pickwick Inn, Oldfield Road

Pickwick Inn, Oldfield Road, Salford, 1959. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr [1].

The Pickwick Inn stood on the lower part of Oldfield Road on the corner with Zebra Street, opposite the Oldfield Road ironworks.  First recorded in 1871, the Pickwick belonged to Cronshaw's Brewery in the 1890s and Groves & Whitnall took over in 1899.  A year later the landlord, Thomas Jackson, was in trouble when the police accused him of allowing illegal gambling, and the use of a lookout on the door who would shout "Now gentlemen" or "Aye, aye!" to warn those inside playing dominoes of the approaching law.  Thankfully, they couldn't prove this and pub stayed open until 1976 when a fire led to its demolition [2].  Zebra Street has been lost to St Bartholomew's Drive today (googlemap link).

1. Salford Pubs of the 70s.

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

Lochnagarr, Medlock Street

Lochnagarr, Medlock Street. (c) Bob Potts [1].

The Lochnagarr Inn was apparently named after a Scottish balled, 'Lachin y Gair' (although it could just as easily be after the Lochnagar mountains in the Grampains) by the Scottish licensee, Alexander Graham.  The pub had previously been known as the George the Fourth until 1851 [2] - the 1860 date on the pub sign may refer to a rebuild date of the Lochnagarr.  Opposite this Threlfalls boozer, which closed in 1934, was Walker's Yorkshire House.

1. The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton-on-Medlock, Bob Potts (1997).
2. The Old Pubs of Hulme Manchester, Bob Potts (1983).

Yorkshire House, River Street

Yorkshire House, River Street. (c) Bob Potts [1].

This Walkers boozer had the odd feature of its sign spanning across the house next door on River Street.  The Yorkshire House was originally a Bell & Co. pub and closed in 1925 after it was compulsorily purchased by Manchester Corporation [1].  Facing the Yorkshire House was the Lochnagarr Inn across Medlock Street (right in the above photo).

Yorkshire House, River Street. (c) Bob Potts [2].

1. The Old Pubs of Hulme Manchester, Bob Potts (1983).

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

British Standard, River Street

British Standard, River Street. (c) Bob Potts [1].

The British Standard is another Hulme pub lost beneath the Mancunian Way.  River Street once extended further west and met up with Great Jackson Street, itself which used to carry on south rather than sweep round and join City Road East.  The British Standard was on the south side of River Street, a couple of blocks before it met Great Jackson Street at a point known as Park Place which contained the Town's Weighing Machine (the Township of Hulme) [2].  The Threlfalls house was licensed from 1833 to 1934; the photo above is from the 1930s just before it closed [1].

1. The Old Pubs of Hulme Manchester, Bob Potts (1983).

2. Hulme 1844, Alan Godfrey Maps (2007).

Hobsons Choice / Brown Cow, Oldfield Road

 -

Hobsons Choice, Oldfield Road, Salford. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s [1].

Hobsons Choice stood on the corner of Cow Lane and Oldfield Road as a Whitbred house until 1999 when it was demolished, having closed in 1993.  Originally the Brown Cow, the beerhouse it opened in 1862 and was rebuilt by Chesters Brewery at some point.  As Chesters merged with Threlfalls, they were then taken over by Whitbread in 1968, who were responsible for the name change to Hobsons Choice in 1976 for its last 17 years.  The name Hobsons Choice probably comes from the famous 1954 film, set, as it was, in Salford, and possibly filmed nearby on Oldfield Road.  As is ever the case, nothing has been done to the site of the old pub since demolition.

Brown Cow, Oldfield Road, Salford. (c) Neil Richardson [2].

1. Salford Pubs of the 70s.

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

Derby, Exbury Street

Derby Arms sign, Ladybarn Lane, Ladybarn. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map

This old boozer has been converted into a residential properties for a number of years, although pleasingly, the pub sign has been retained as a feature outside on its pole on Ladybarn Lane.


Derby Arms sign, Ladybarn Lane. (c) Google 2011.

The Derby actually stood just behind here on Exbury Street off Mauldeth Road, parallel to Kingsway.  It is shown here to the rear on Exbury Street in 1959, 1970 and 1972 at the archives as a Wilsons house.

Former Derby, Exbury Street, Ladybarn. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

Old House at Home, Braemar Road

Old House at Home, Braemar Road, Ladybarn. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

This backstreet local's pub sadly closed in 2010 year and has recently been converted into accommodation.  The planning document laments the loss of the pub as "...regrettable as it represented a community facility that facilitated social cohesion [1]."  The Old House at Home was hidden away on Braemar Street, parallel to Moseley Road in between Wilmslow Road and Kingsway in Ladybarn.  There is a photo of the pub as a Greenalls house taken by Alan Winfield at Pubs Galore.

1. www.manchester.gov.uk/Braemar_Road_final.pdf.

Shakespeare, Philips Park Road

Shakespeare, Phillips Park Road, Bradford. (c) D.N. at ManMates Facebook [1].

The Shakespeare was a Chesters house at the junction of Forge Lane and Philips Park Road, back in the days when the latter used to run all the way from Miles Platting and through the area where the mini athletics stadium and the larger MCFC stadium is.  The archives has a 1971 photo of the Shakespeare from the Forge Lane side.

Shakespeare, Philips Park Road, Bradford. (c) Henry Bairsto [2].

The Shakespeare did brisk trade from the Richard Johnson & Nephew wire works situated in Forge Lane, but when the works and English Steel ceased, many of the pubs in this area of Bradford near the Colliery, suffered [2].  However, the Shakespeare survived and was still trading as recently as 1991 and I have vague memories of passing this pub, near to where the SportsCity flats are today.

Former location of Shakespeare, Philips Park Road. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

1. www.facebook.com/ManMates.co.uk.
2. Just Henry - Memories of Bradford and Moston Collieries Manchester, Henry Bairsto (1991). 

Forge Tavern, Forge Lane

Forge Tavern, Forge Lane, Bradford. (c) Henry Bairsto [1].

The Forge Tavern was opposite the Bee Hive on Forge Lane (Alan Turing Way), near to the Bradford Pit entrance.  As such it was a popular place for miners and workers to sink a few pre- or post-shift pints; this time Wilsons rather than the Chesters available over the road.  Sadly, both these legendary Manchester ales are consigned to the slop tray of history...

1. Just Henry - Memories of Bradford and Moston Collieries Manchester, Henry Bairsto (1991).

Bee Hive, Forge Lane

Bee Hive, Forge Lane, Bradford. (c) Henry Bairsto [1].

The Bee Hive was right outside the entrance to the Bradford Pit, so would be full of miners who would have a quick shower after their shift then head for a pint of Chesters.  Morning workers would also pop in for a couple of pints before work (a more relaxed attitude to health & safety then) while the afternoon shift would have to convince the landlord to allow them a drink despite the restrictive opening hours [1].  There is a 1971 photo of the Bee Hive at the archives.

1. Just Henry - Memories of Bradford and Moston Collieries Manchester, Henry Bairsto (1991).

Half Moon, Holland Street

Half Moon, Holland Street, Miles Platting. (c) Henry Bairsto [1].

The Half Moon was a small Wilson's pub at the top end of Holland Street, also shown here at the archives in 1963.  This street still runs through Miles Platting from Butler Street to Varley Street (and has the still-surviving Navigation pub), but in the past it continued on to meet up with Hulme Hall Lane (Alan Turing Way).  The Half Moon was at the Hulme Hall Lane end near Royle's Bridge over the canal, and was described as having the smallest bar room in the area - if there were half a dozen drinkers in the bar it was overcrowded [1].

1. Just Henry - Memories of Bradford and Moston Collieries Manchester, Henry Bairsto (1991).

Stag, Philips Park Road

The Stag, Philips Park Road, Bradford, 1971. (c) Copyright Manchester Libraries.

The Stag is shown above and in 1971 at the archives on the corner of Sedon Street and Philips Park Road.  The photograph of the Stag was taken by A. Dawson from here at the Manchester Local Studies Collection, and adheres to their policy of allowing not-for-profit sites to display a limited number of their images in low resolution. 

Philips Park Road, Bradford. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

Sedon Street is long-gone but what remains of Philips Park Road will be familiar to anyone who's ever took a cab from the city centre to City's ground in Bradford.  The road runs up from Ancoats to the mini athletics stadium, but in the past, before the stadium and Bradford Colliery, it continued all the way over to Forge Lane, what is now Alan Turing Way, as shown below.  

Philips Park Road, Bradford. (c) Henry Bairsto [1].

1. Just Henry - Memories of Bradford and Moston Collieries Manchester, Henry Bairsto (1991).

Pubs of Manchester poster

Name all 105 Manchester pubs featured on this great poster (via @UtdNation at twitter)...

(c) hgwh at photobucket.

Prince of Wales, Oldfield Road

 Prince of Wales, Oldfield Road, Salford. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr.

Next door to Jollies (formerly St Philips Hotel) the top of Oldfield Road near to Chapel Street was the tiny Prince of Wales.  It was known locally as "Little's", not due to its size and probably not to differentiate it from the other Prince of Wales further down Oldfield Road either, but because it was run by the Little family from 1910 to the 1950s.  As pointed out by Mr Wilson, it was fairly common to have two similarly named pubs in proximity to each other, and for them to be known as the "Big ..." and "Little ..." - the Big Queens and Little Queens on Regent Road, the Big Derby and Little Derby on Derby Street in Ordsall, and the Big Dover and Little Dover in Higher Broughton (both still surviving).

 Prince of Wales, Oldfield Road, Salford. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr.

The Prince of Wales opened a couple of years after its neighbour, the St Philips Hotel, as the Horse and Groom beerhouse in about 1838.  By the 1870s it was renamed the Prince of Wales and was a Groves & Whitnall house towards the end of the century.  The aforementioned Littles took over in 1910 and by the 1950s it was a Tetley's house.  The Prince of Wales or "Little's" closed in 1983 and reopened as Chung's Chippy [1].  Three decades later and the chippy is still going, despite its old neighbour being demolished.

Former Prince of Wales, Oldfield Road, Salford. (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).

Mitre Inn / Wine Bar, Stretford Road

Mitre Inn, Stretford Road, Hulme. (c) Bob Potts [1].

The Mitre Inn actually started out as the Mitre Wine Bar in 1866 under Allsopps Brewery.  It modified its name and survived under the Walker Cain Brewery until 1966 [2], although the brick building pictured at number 63 Stretford Road was probably an update on the original pub.  Sadly the pub and its neighbouring boozers and shops, on what was once Hulme's bustling thoroughfare, were demolished in the late '60s.  Today the old location of the Mitre is this block of new-build flats in the shadow of the Hulme Arch which spans Princess Parkway.

Former location of Mitre Inn, Stretford Road, Hulme. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.

1. The Old Pubs of Hulme Manchester (1) 1770-1930, Bob Potts (1983).
2. The Old Pub of Hulme & Chorlton-on-Medlock, Bob Potts (1997).

Nottingham Arms / White House Tavern, Warde Street

Nottingham Arms, Warde Street, Hulme. (c) Bob Potts [1].

Originally the White House Tavern, a Peter Walker & Son house, this pub became the Nottingham Arms in 1860.  It stood on the corner of White Street and Warde Street until it closed in 1965 [2].  White Street has gone but the latter still runs through Hulme; the former location of the Nottingham Arms was just east of where Old York Street crosses Warde Street.

1. The Old Pubs of Hulme Manchester (1) 1770-1930, Bob Potts (1983).
2. The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Bob Potts (1997)

Ivy House, Chapman Street

Ivy House, Chapman Street, Hulme. (c) Bob Potts [1].

The Ivy House looks strangely reminiscent of some of the Hulme estate pubs of the 1970s, despite the fact it closed in 1938 as an Empress Brewery house, having opened in 1862 [1].  It had previously been a Peter Walker & Son's house and stood on Chapman Street, a road which is long-gone since the Hulme redevelopments, but ran just north and parallel to the existing Warwick Street.  The surviving Junction and new-build Kim-By-The-Sea pubs are a stones throw from where the Ivy House once stood.

1. The Old Pubs of Hulme Manchester (1) 1770-1930, Bob Potts (1983).

168. Turnpike, Wilmslow Road

Turnpike, Wilmslow Road, Withington. (c) MEN [1].

The nearby Albert is a blast from the past that should be celebrated, and pleasingly the Turnpike officially has been, as earlier this year it was added to CAMRA's historic pub list.  This Sam Smith's pub has barely changed since the 1960s, when it was renamed and expanded from the old Rochdale & Manor Brewery pub, the Wellington, into the biscuit shop (or was it confectioners and tobacconists?) next door [1]. The entry for CAMRA's Heritage Pubs web can be found here and has some fine images as well as a detailed examination of the pub's layout and decor [2].  

Turnpike, Wilmslow Road, Withington. (c) Turnpike Pirates.

During our visit to the Turnpike, we tried both sides of the pub, but it was pretty busy so we settled for stools around the fire place as we tucked into our cheap and decent Sam Smith's bitter.  It was a cracking penultimate pub for our Fallowfield and Withington crawl.  The Turnpike is a fine local's pubs but they didn't mind a gang of sozzled gents popping in for a pint - no turnpike toll required (the old Withington turnpike road from Manchester to Wilmslow is the source of the renaming of the pub).  The pub is clearly a valued community hub and even has its own football team, the Turnpike Pirates.

1. http://menmedia.co.uk/pub_thats_stayed_in_the_1960s_wins_historic_status.

2. www.heritagepubs.org.uk/pubs/national-inventory-entry.asp?pubid=595.

Kings Arms, Oldfield Road

Kings Arms, Oldfield Road, Salford. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr.

The Kings Arms sat on the corner of Allwood Street and Oldfield Road until as recently as 2000, and can be traced back to 1805 when the Good Samaritan opened.  Five years later it had changed its name to the Kings Arms and the owner was John Allwood, hence the street name.  The pub was rebuilt in 1848 and the brewhouse it had boasted since 1831 remained until at least 1850, advertised as the Royal Brewery.  Further alterations to the Kings Arms were confirmed by an 1854 datestone which was transferred to the pub when further work was done a century later in the 1950s. 

Kings Arms, Oldfield Road, Salford, 1961. (c) Neil Richardson [1].

Walker & Homfrays had the Kings Arms from 1898 and when it transferred to Wilsons in the 1960s, the Newton Heath brewer painted the lower floor's tiled frontage.  Holt's Brewery bought the Kings in 1982 and it remained open until September 2000 when it was demolished a month later for improvements.  As shown below, these are yet to take place, and the only reminder of the Kings Arms are the railings that stood in front of the pub in the '60s and 70's as shown above.

Former location of Kings Arms, Oldfield Road, Salford. (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).