Now you know you are of a certain age when more and more old and familiar pubs have shut up shop and in some cases are just holes in the ground.
What’s more there seem to be more of them with each year that passes.
That said I never visited the Gorton Arms which stood at the end of Clowes Street and didn’t even clock its demolition.
I am not sure when it changed its name from the Gorton Brook Hotel, but as the Gorton Brook it was there by 1894 and just a few decades later it was the home of the landlord Mr Henry W Woods.
In 1911 Mr and Mrs Woods shared the nine roomed pub with their two sons and two staff. Both Henry Wood and his wife Emily came from London, and had moved around the country. Their eldest son had been born in Northamptonshire and their youngest in Longsight.
Alice Hibbert who worked as a barmaid was from Clapham and their general servant Bertha Lowe was from West Gorton.
So, quite a mix of accents and backgrounds and no doubt each had stories to tell over the bar to those who wandered in for a pint and a chat.
As I said I never went in but must have passed the place during the time we lived on Butterworth Street which was off Grey Mare Lane.
I did go back recently which as they say is always a mistake. Our block of flats had long gone, as had the SGB Scaffolding yard on Pottery Lane where I worked for six months along with the big engineering works opposite.
Moreover Pottery Lane itself seemed wider and busier than it was although it did seem a bit greener than it was in 1973.
So with all those changes I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at the passing of the Gorton Arms.
And that just leaves me to point the interested to Pubs of Manchester which offers up a bit of its history along with some photographs to compliment Peter’s painting.*
Well almost the end because a few hours after the post was published Ron commented that, "it became the Gorton arms on the 1st March 1985 I know because I met my now wife there on the opening day I was a manager for the brewery and Julie was part of the bar staff there."
Location, Gorton
Painting; the Gorton Arms, © 2011 Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures,
Web: www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk
Picture; the Gorton Book, 1971, m49676,courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
*Pubs of Manchester, http://pubs-of-manchester.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/gorton-brook-clowes-street.html
That said I never visited the Gorton Arms which stood at the end of Clowes Street and didn’t even clock its demolition.
I am not sure when it changed its name from the Gorton Brook Hotel, but as the Gorton Brook it was there by 1894 and just a few decades later it was the home of the landlord Mr Henry W Woods.
In 1911 Mr and Mrs Woods shared the nine roomed pub with their two sons and two staff. Both Henry Wood and his wife Emily came from London, and had moved around the country. Their eldest son had been born in Northamptonshire and their youngest in Longsight.
Alice Hibbert who worked as a barmaid was from Clapham and their general servant Bertha Lowe was from West Gorton.
So, quite a mix of accents and backgrounds and no doubt each had stories to tell over the bar to those who wandered in for a pint and a chat.
I did go back recently which as they say is always a mistake. Our block of flats had long gone, as had the SGB Scaffolding yard on Pottery Lane where I worked for six months along with the big engineering works opposite.
Moreover Pottery Lane itself seemed wider and busier than it was although it did seem a bit greener than it was in 1973.
So with all those changes I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at the passing of the Gorton Arms.
And that just leaves me to point the interested to Pubs of Manchester which offers up a bit of its history along with some photographs to compliment Peter’s painting.*
Well almost the end because a few hours after the post was published Ron commented that, "it became the Gorton arms on the 1st March 1985 I know because I met my now wife there on the opening day I was a manager for the brewery and Julie was part of the bar staff there."
Location, Gorton
Painting; the Gorton Arms, © 2011 Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures,
Web: www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk
Picture; the Gorton Book, 1971, m49676,courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
*Pubs of Manchester, http://pubs-of-manchester.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/gorton-brook-clowes-street.html
My mum and Dad wear landlords and landlady there around 1970+ TOMMY AND ANN SHILLITO. with me Tracy and my brother wayen I made my first communion at the monastery
ReplyDeleteRemember it well, as teenage lads at Openshaw Tech, we used to visit at lunchtimes - they had strippers on. It was later run by local pro wrestler "Cowboy" Jack Cassidy. Happy days.
ReplyDeleteI used to put rings up for him in the early 80s we used to go into the Gorton Brook as Rockabilly's every Saturday
DeleteGreat days cheese butty couple of pints while watching the strippers then back to college for a kip
DeleteDid any one know a guy called Brian t knowles think he used to sing in there l would say about 1965 or onwards
ReplyDeleteI played there, upstairs with my Punk band, The Dead Heroes in about 1985 (ish). We left the gear there over night and when we went to collect it the night after, it was a Teds (Rockabilly) night....that was fun!
ReplyDelete