The Lloyds Arms was a "spit & sawdust" style boozer on Booth Street West off Oxford Road, shown as a plain-looking Bass house in this 1973 photo from the archives. It was adjacent to the Royal Northern College of Music and today, the extension to the school covers the site of the pub. Students and performers from the universities and music schools drunk in here and when much of the population of Chorlton-on-Medlock were moved out in the clearances of the 1960s and '70s, many ex-locals would return to their old pub. So, especially at weekends, the Lloyds Arms was full of displaced families meeting up. The last landlord, John and Vera Byre, firmly resisted demolition and the Lloyds Arms remained the only building on the street for several years.
Former location of Lloyds Arms, Booth Street West. (c) Google 2011. View Larger Map.
Chris Armstrong - Aug 26, 2010:
ReplyDeleteI think this pub was on Booth Street West (off Oxford Road) rather than the Booth Street in the city centre. The building to the left is the Royal Northern College of Music, and if my theory is right, then the extension to the college is on the site of the Lloyds Arms.
Anonymous - Aug 30, 2010:
Loving your site! I frequented this pub many times as a young girl when my uncle was the landlord, Fran.
Anonymous - Jan 10, 2012:
Chris is correct on the site of this pub. I worked as a chef at Manchester Business School opposite Music school. I think it used to be a residential area known as Chorlton on Medlock before development of the university buildings in the sixties. This was a busy but very much a "spit and sawdust" type pub i frequented as a regular at lunchtimes and after work for about 5 years from 1972. The clientel varied from ex locals when it was the pub on the corner of the street which i believe was Lloyd st, before they were re-located following redevelopment of all the local streets,to all areas accross the city. Weekends brought back many of these to meet as familys. Also many Students and performers from the business school and music school. I'm sure many famous musicians will have enjoyed a cracking pint during the interval of a performance. The Landlords were John and Vera Byrne, who strongly stould firm to resist demolition, remaining the only building on the street for many years. Up to the late sixtys this small area must have had a pub on the corner of nearly every st. I remember the nags head on the other end of the street which closed in about 1974 and the salutation around the corner. There was also another which i cant remember the name of towards cambridge st, which was heavily frequented by mainly Irish clientel.
I have many fond memories and non memory of good times in the lloyds.
Hello, very sorry to trouble you, I'm researching a pub just round the corner this pub called the Church inn on Cambridge street, just asking if you ever visited in the 70's - many thanks, Nick
DeleteI remember this pub as I married the landlord John and Vera Byrnes daughter Catherine in the late 70's.
ReplyDeleteYes, this was Chorlton-on-Medlock. A short walk from Hulme where we lived.
ReplyDeleteAs a student in the late 70s I used to love going to the Lloyds for a pint with pie and peas. The landlord, who was quite frail by then, always used to take your money and say "thanking you". Great memories.
ReplyDeleteI used to drink at the Lloyds Arms between 1979-82. I remember John and Vera well - you really felt it was 'their' place, and they were more tolerant of crowds of rowdy students than we had any right to expect. Yes, John always did say "Thanking you", or "Taa", or often both. I still say it now, and my family have caught it too, but I had forgotten where it came from! John lives on!
ReplyDeleteMy only bad night there was when my beloved bike jacket (and my girlfriends course textbooks) were nicked from my Mk1 Cortina estate (unusually) parked outside.
There used to be beautiful soft light inside from large dingy globes, and I remember how pleased John and Vera were when they had them ripped out, and bare fluorescent strip-lights put in instead. Suddenly, we could all see each other clearly in the ghastly, merciless glare. We didn't go back so much after that...
If ever there were a pub I would want to be transported back in time to visit, it would be the Lloyds. 77 to 80 at the Polytechnic. Thursday lunchtimes were a particular favourite for some reason. I concur with a previous post. John would always say " Thanking you ", after he had shakingly pulled a pint or three. The enduring memory for me however, is Vera saying " You going in the room ", meaning the saloon, as she switched the globe lights on for our benefit. Fantastic. God bless you John and Vera, wherever you are
ReplyDeletethe Lloyd's was on higher ormond St, it was my dad & grandad local, my mum was a cleaner there, & also played darts for them, I remember John & vera well, also Catherine, & even brandy the dog, we used to live just over the road
ReplyDeleteI was there on the very last day when it closed, in fact I still have the Bass bitter and mild pump clips which I took (with John's permission) on closing day. Very sad to see it go.
ReplyDeleteJust read your comment after posting mine. I was obviously mistaken that John and Vera weren’t the last landlords
DeleteWas a regular at this pub when I was a student in Manchester in the late 70s. Remember John and Vera well. I can remember going in for our usual couple of pints late on one evening and the bar hatch was crammed with penguin suited toffs who had been to a do at the RNCM, we weren’t going to stay, but Vera spotted us and insisted she “serve her regulars first”. I’m not sure they were the final landlords, as I remember them leaving and introducing us to the landlord who was due to take over from them. I was devastated when I went back many years ago to find it gone
ReplyDeleteHello, very sorry to trouble you, I'm researching a pub just round the corner this pub called the Church inn on Cambridge street, just asking if you ever visited in the 70's - many thanks, Nick
ReplyDelete