Now I haven't timed the walk from Parrs Wood to the old village green but if it takes more than half an hour I apologize.
Along the way we will take in a prestigious block of flats look out on all that is left of the old bus garage, before heading under the railway bridge, now a leafy bit of Wilmlsow Road before ending at the the two pubs, parish church, and the green.
But we start with Parrs Wood Court which remains a bold statement of design and until recently dominated the junction of Wilmslow Road and Kingsway.
Back in 1939 when it was built it offered all that you could want, with central heating, electric lifts and apartments spread over several floors.
Hard by is East Didsbury Railway Station which was opened in 1909 and a little further on past the playing field, can be found the magnificent Shirley Institute, where we should linger and admire this fine building which was built between 1868 and 1872 by John Taylor who founded the Manchester Guardian in 1821.
And for those who like trivial facts, it was here in 1882 that the decision was taken by a group of businessmen to build the Manchester Ship Canal. In 1920 it was bought by the British Cotton Industry Research Association and renamed the Shirley Institute after the daughter of one the main contributors to the cost of buying it.
From here it is but a small walk to the old village green, the Devil’s Gate, and two of our most historic pubs, along with the Fletcher Moss Gardens, the historic parish church, and the Parsonage and Gardens.
All of which are amply catered for by information boards, so I shall close this short walk with the unusual, starting with The Prince Albert, which for a few decades in the mid-19th century was the first port of call for the traveller heading north from Parrs Wood House.
It stood on the northern side of Wilmlsow Road, facing that modern block of flats, located between pmMillgate and Kingston Road and was a modest beer shop. In the 1840s it was managed by John Arnold who was a blacksmith and worked the smithy alongside the Prince Albert.
Its rateable value was a mere £14, compared to the Didsbury Hotel and the Cock both of which were rated at £73.
And it is with the Didsbury Hotel that I shall close, because unlike the Cock, it has had other names, having once been the Church Inn, and stands on the site of the Ring o’ Bells and was a place to elect the village constable, sell the odd posh house and look out on its rival.
Of course there is always more, but space is limited, so instead in a bout of outrageous self-promotion, I will just say that this walk and another five are described in great detail in Manchester Pubs The Stories Behind the Doors Didsbury, Peter Topping & Andrew Simpson, 2019
Location; East Didsbury
Pictures; Parrs Wood Court, 1950, from the Lloyd Collection, the Shirley Institute, 2020, courtesy of Barbarella Bonvento, Wilmlsow Road, circa 1900, The Didsbury Hotel, the Lloyd Collection
An extended version will appear in the May/June edition of Open Up Magazine, https://openupmagazines.co.uk/
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| Parrs Wood Court, circa 1950 |
But we start with Parrs Wood Court which remains a bold statement of design and until recently dominated the junction of Wilmslow Road and Kingsway.
Back in 1939 when it was built it offered all that you could want, with central heating, electric lifts and apartments spread over several floors.
Hard by is East Didsbury Railway Station which was opened in 1909 and a little further on past the playing field, can be found the magnificent Shirley Institute, where we should linger and admire this fine building which was built between 1868 and 1872 by John Taylor who founded the Manchester Guardian in 1821.
 |
| Shirley Institute, 2020 |
And for those who like trivial facts, it was here in 1882 that the decision was taken by a group of businessmen to build the Manchester Ship Canal. In 1920 it was bought by the British Cotton Industry Research Association and renamed the Shirley Institute after the daughter of one the main contributors to the cost of buying it.
 |
| Wilmslow Road, circa 1900 |
All of which are amply catered for by information boards, so I shall close this short walk with the unusual, starting with The Prince Albert, which for a few decades in the mid-19th century was the first port of call for the traveller heading north from Parrs Wood House.
 |
| The Didsbury Hotel, circa 1880 |
Its rateable value was a mere £14, compared to the Didsbury Hotel and the Cock both of which were rated at £73.
And it is with the Didsbury Hotel that I shall close, because unlike the Cock, it has had other names, having once been the Church Inn, and stands on the site of the Ring o’ Bells and was a place to elect the village constable, sell the odd posh house and look out on its rival.
Location; East Didsbury
Pictures; Parrs Wood Court, 1950, from the Lloyd Collection, the Shirley Institute, 2020, courtesy of Barbarella Bonvento, Wilmlsow Road, circa 1900, The Didsbury Hotel, the Lloyd Collection
An extended version will appear in the May/June edition of Open Up Magazine, https://openupmagazines.co.uk/
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