This unlikely survivor of Salford is a café-sandwich bar today and can be traced back to 1850s when it opened as the Druids Arms on the corner of Ducie Place and Liverpool Street, not far off Oldfield Road and the Crescent. By the 1890s the pub was owned by Issott's Brewery of Ardwick but the local giant, Wilsons, took over in 1903 [2], as can be seen by the 1970s photos shown here [1].
Druids Arms, Liverpool Street, Salford. (c) Salford Pubs of the 70s at flickr.
Wilsons renovated the pub in the '80s when it was lucky enough to be excluded from the Liverpool Street industrial development zone and in 1993, J W Lees, one of Manchester's big three family brewers, took charge. Sadly, the Druids only lasted a couple of years under the Middleton brewery and by 1995 was boarded up [2]. However, today it functions as Jeans Scullery café, serving the industry which still survives in this hard-hit part of Salford.
Druids Arms, Liverpool Street, 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).
My Grandad used to frequent this boozer in the 70s & 80s, they lived on Hulme Street just round the corner(ish).
ReplyDeleteCalled in a few times with him and family during the 80s.
Happy days.