Now I never drank in the Last Hop on Chester Road, or indeed when it was first the Commercial, then the Turville before getting that silly name of the Last Hop.
According to that excellent Pubs of Manchester, “Bob Potts' book confirms that the Commercial Hotel later became the Turville and then the Last Hop.* The pub dates back to the 1870s and was granted a spirits licence in 1896.**
At which point I should mention Bob Potts who has over the years written some fine books on the history of Manchester pubs and has an impressive knowledge of all things Red Cross.
But back to the Commercial/Turville/Last Hop which is now home to Institu a place I have been coming too for years.
It has not always been on Chester Road, but “since launching in 1984, as predominantly a reclaimed door and fireplace seller, Insitu has grown through many guises but the main focus has always been on architectural salvage and classic design pieces.
Now based just on the outskirts of Manchester’s trendy Castlefield, in a Grade 2 listed Victorian pub building, it is an exciting venue to find high quality and interesting pieces to create unique homes and express individual style.
Proudly named as, “Hands down the best second hand shop in Manchester” by Creative Tourist, Insitu Architectural Salvage is a reclamation business with a difference. Specialising in reclaimed timber flooring, doors, cast iron radiators, stained glass, anything that can can be saved from demolition”.***.
All of which takes me back to Andy’s pictures which show how ever grand the pub once was it is now a minnow set against the surrounding development.
And I do have to wonder how close some of that new build can get to the old pub.
But that is a debate for another time.
Location; Chester Road
Pictures; Chester Road, 2018, from the collection of Andy Robertson
* Pubs of Manchester, http://pubs-of-manchester.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Turville%20%2F%20Commercial%20Hotel%20-%20Chester%20Road
** The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton-on-Medlock, Bob Potts, 1997
***Insitu, https://www.insitumanchester.com/about-us/
At which point I should mention Bob Potts who has over the years written some fine books on the history of Manchester pubs and has an impressive knowledge of all things Red Cross.
But back to the Commercial/Turville/Last Hop which is now home to Institu a place I have been coming too for years.
It has not always been on Chester Road, but “since launching in 1984, as predominantly a reclaimed door and fireplace seller, Insitu has grown through many guises but the main focus has always been on architectural salvage and classic design pieces.
Proudly named as, “Hands down the best second hand shop in Manchester” by Creative Tourist, Insitu Architectural Salvage is a reclamation business with a difference. Specialising in reclaimed timber flooring, doors, cast iron radiators, stained glass, anything that can can be saved from demolition”.***.
All of which takes me back to Andy’s pictures which show how ever grand the pub once was it is now a minnow set against the surrounding development.
And I do have to wonder how close some of that new build can get to the old pub.
But that is a debate for another time.
Location; Chester Road
Pictures; Chester Road, 2018, from the collection of Andy Robertson
* Pubs of Manchester, http://pubs-of-manchester.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Turville%20%2F%20Commercial%20Hotel%20-%20Chester%20Road
** The Old Pubs of Hulme & Chorlton-on-Medlock, Bob Potts, 1997
***Insitu, https://www.insitumanchester.com/about-us/
The area you refer to is Hulme. Castlefield finishes on the opposite side of the road from the back side of St Georges Church. Technically I think it is the Parish of St Georges which was later swallowed by Hulme. As a resident of the 'poor' side of Chester Road where we are proud to live in our unique are, St Georges, this is definitely not a button you should be pressing should you find yourself amongst us. If the developers had their way Castlefield would extent all the way to Stretford and maybe even beyond.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, but I didn’t actually refer to the area as Castlefield that comes from the comment made by Institu. Still, I do rather feel that the advance of “inner city living” beyond the inner city and out along the Duke’s Canal and the river has “walked all over” the existing areas, but historically that was only what the Victorians had already done with their mix of factories, warehouses, timber yards and foundries along with two up two downs carpeting what had once been fields and rural cottages.
ReplyDeleteAnd the developments are proving popular if perhaps more expensive than what was there before.
So was it The Last Hop or The Last Hope? And is it Institu or Insitu?
ReplyDeleteAh you have spotted my inability to spill or check text
ReplyDeleteIs it not Cornbrook here? And I remember it being the Last Hop before it was renamed to Turvilles
ReplyDeleteIt was called the turville it changed name to last hop in 1980 when I refurbed it in 1980 we had to put a new roof on has it been burnt of with a fire it had a major refurb they called it last hop because cornbrook brewery was across the Ed and shut down
ReplyDelete