Fatted Calf (as the Lacy Arms), Cromford Court, 1960. (c) Levy Boy.
The
Fatted Calf was found in
Cromford Court, one of the narrow passages off Corporation Street where the
Arndale Centre was built over. There are two evocative shots of the Fatted Calf at the archives, in
1910 and
1959. This old pub has some history. It's claimed that the National Union of Journalists was founded here. William Newman Watts was the first NUJ general secretary until his death in 1918, based at the Manchester Evening News, and their first president was chief reporter for the Manchester Guardian. Manchester had the largest NUJ branch in the early days, when all national newspapers had offices in the city [1].
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Lacy Arms (inside the Star & Garter), 1960. (c) Levy Boy.
It also featured in the 1960 film,
Hell Is A City, as the fictitous Lacy Arms, right down the so-called
Higgits Passage. The film featured inside shots of the Lacy Arms, but to further complicate matters, these were actually taken at the still-serving Star & Garter over on Fairfield Street near Piccadilly Station. The Fatted Calf is one of many pubs lost beneath the monstrosity that is the Arndale Centre, an area that used to contain some of Manchester's most characterful streets, shops, cafes, clubs and pubs.
1. www.mancubist.co.uk/2007/01/02/the-nuj-and-its-manchester-origins.
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