Pubs of Manchester: 01/02/2015

Saturday, 14 February 2015

Woodman, Oldham Road

Woodman, Oldham Road, Newton Heath. (c) Manchester Local Image Collection. Click here to view full image [1].

The Woodman was a Wilsons house on Oldham Road in Newton Heath standing at No.752 [2]. It may have been near the junction with Dulverton Street, as the pub is labelled as being on the street in the 1970s image at the archives. The Woodman is notable for being the house of former Manchester City, Manchester United and England player, Herbert Burgess. He played for many local sides - St Francis FC, Gorton FC, Openshaw Utd FC, Moss Side FC and Glossop FC, before joining City in 1903. He made 85 appearances for City, and narrowly escaped joining Everton, before signing for United 1906, making 49 appearances before retirement. Burgess, who made 4 appearances for England whilst at City, remained living at the Woodman with his parents, the landlords [2], as a blacksmith [3].

Herbert Burgess. (c) England Football Online [3].

1. http://images.manchester.gov.uk.

2. http://pubshistory.com/Lancashire/ManchesterW/WoodmanInnOldham.shtml.

3. www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamPlyrsBios/PlayersB/BioBurgessHt.html.

Britannia Hotel, Drury Lane

Britannia Hotel, Drury Lane, Hollinwood. (c) Neil Richardson [1].

The Britannia Hotel was a Wilsons house on Drury Lane in Hollinwood. Pictured above is Charlie Wayman the drayman (!) with his Wilsons Brewery steam wagon outside the Brittania, courtesy of the late Neil Richardson and his History of Wilsons Brewery 1834-1984 [1].

1. A History of Wilsons Brewery 1845-1984 To Commemorate 150 Years of Brewing at Newton Heath, Neil Wilson (1983).

Albion Inn, Under Lane

Albion Inn, Under Lane, Hollinwood. (c) rightmove.

The Albion Inn closed in November 2011 and has recently been converted into offices of, somewhat ironically, a demolition company [1]. This nondescript little pub stood at junction of Under Lane and Drury Lane in Hollinwood and was a Lees pub on closure.

Albion Inn, Under Lane. (c) CAMRA What Pub [1].

The Albion Inn opened in 1867 and was named after the mill whose workers supplied a lots of its trade. Albion Mill shut in 1938 and housing the area was replaced by light industry [2], just one factor which led to its demise.

1. http://whatpub.com/pubs/ROB/57/albion-inn-oldham.

2. http://bygoneboozers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/albion-inn-chadderton-oldham.html.

Thursday, 12 February 2015

Drum / Bass Drum, Chester Road

Drum, Chester Road, Stretford. (c)Chris Gleave at Manchester Evening News [1].

The Drum on Chester Road in Stretford was a familiar site to Mancunians, and Old Trafford visitors alike, as they approached town from the south along the A56. Originally the Bass Drum, the almost unique (for Manchester anyway) looking building was sadly lost last year to make way for something far more popular than a pub.

Bass Drum, Chester Road, 1975. (c) Trafford Council. Click here to view full image [2].

The Bass Drum, seen here in 1975, was built to replace the original Angel Hotel in the early 1970s and its sister pub over in Pendleton, Salford, was similarly designed and named the Kettle Drum. Both pubs operated from the first floor while accommodation was found on the lower floor.

Bass Drum, Chester Road, 1975. (c) Trafford Council. Click here to view full image [3].

In its final years, the trade in the Drum fell away as local tastes changed, and even healthy match day trade couldn't stop its eventual closure in 2012. Money-laundering by a conman hadn't helped its cause [1], so the Pub Company sold the Drum, and Trafford Council approved its demolition and replacement.

Drum, Chester Road, Stretford. (c) Manchester Evening News [1].

A McDonald's "restaurant" and drive-through opened on the site of the old Drum in late 2014, to much local fanfare - the McDonald's in the Precinct had notably failed, or at least been closed by choice, a decade or so ago. This modern eyesore complements the new-build giant Tesco store up the road at the north end of Stretford.