Grey Mare / Mare & Foal, Back Lane

Mare & Foal, Back Lane, Failsworth. (c) Rob Magee [1].

Back Lane was an old name for Ashton Road West which runs off Oldham Road in Failsworth. On the first bend of the road close to where the current Mare & Foal stands today, used to be a farmhouse, part of which was the original Mare & Fold beerhouse. The farmhouse, which stood where a lane, Bardsley Fold (now Clive Road) ran off Back Lane, was owned by Ralph Ogden who opened what was originally the Grey Mare in 1833 [1].

Former location of Gray Mare, Back Lane. (c) Alexander P Kapp at geograph under Creative Commons.

By 1887 both beerhouse and lane had changed name, to the Mare & Foal, Ashton Road West. Rothwells Brewery took over the beerhouse in the 1920s when it had a lobby, pubic bar, serving bar and bar parlour, so was a fairly big boozer. In 1935-36 Rothwells rebuilt the Mare & Foal and the new pub was fully licensed by 1949. Marstons took over in 1961 and still own the building, which sits almost exactly on the same spot as the original [1].

1. Failsworth Pubs 1731-1995 and their licensees, Rob Magee (1995).