The Waterloo stood on Burton Road close to Boggarts Entry which is now the footpath leading to Candleford Road.
The pub only vanished in the 1990s and stretches back into the 19th century appearing in the rate books for the late 1840s.
I always assumed it was another of those Battle of Waterloo pubs, but not so because according to the Withington historian, Mr. Whittaker, “it is said to take its name from the annual coursing race, the Waterloo Cup.
The story is that the owner of a house where is now the Inn, one day picked up a stray dog. He called the dog Brigadier and in 1866 it won the Waterloo Cup for him. When the dog died, it was buried in the grounds and the grave remains to this day.
On the tombstone is inscribed ‘In memory of a faithful friend Brigadier, winner of the Waterloo Cup 1866, died September 18, 1877 aged 14 years and 3 months’. There is no reason for doubting this victory as the Times for February 17th, 1866, states that the ‘winner of the cup was Mr. Gordan’s Brigadier’”. **
Mr. Whittaker includes a line drawing of Brigadier’s tombstone and there is now a Brigadier Close which runs into Burton Road just a few yards from the site of the pub.
But a trawl of the census return shows no Mr. Gordon on Burton Lane, and the rate books suggest that the pub which is listed as a beer house was owned by a John Chorlton and occupied by a George Thorniley from the 1850s into the 1860s.
All of which is very confusing but shouldn’t ever get in the way of a good story, which just leaves me to say that our pictures are of a later Waterloo and leave you either to find out for yourself about the word Boggart, or better still turn to our new book on Didsbury pubs and bars which is due out in June 11th.
At which point I have to say that my fellow author will be less than pleased that I have lifted one of the stories for the blog and will mutter darkly into his glass of Mancunian, that the “stories are for the book”, you can’t just give them away”***.
But that still leaves the stories of the other 48 drinking establishments, which we have grouped into six walks, allowing the reader, the Didsbury resident and the casual tourist to stroll from the east to the west of the township taking in the history of each pub and bar, along with the history of the area, and for good measure we included the “Withington four”.
And because we can we have also added the lost pubs, like the Prince Albert which flourished briefly and the grand Wellington Hotel which still dominates the corner of Wilmslow and Barlow Moor Roads.
So mindful of my fellow author I will say no more.
Manchester Pubs The Stories Behind the Doors Didsbury, is available from www.pubbooks.co.uk and local bookshops.
Location; Didsbury
Pictures; The Waterloo, 1907, m50749 and in 1970, m50750, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
*A History of Withington, Whittaker, Kenneth, page 38
**ibid, Whittaker, Kenneth, page 21
***Brightside Brewing Company, http://brightsidebrewing.co.uk/beers/the-mancunian/
 |
| The Waterloo, 1907 |
I always assumed it was another of those Battle of Waterloo pubs, but not so because according to the Withington historian, Mr. Whittaker, “it is said to take its name from the annual coursing race, the Waterloo Cup.
The story is that the owner of a house where is now the Inn, one day picked up a stray dog. He called the dog Brigadier and in 1866 it won the Waterloo Cup for him. When the dog died, it was buried in the grounds and the grave remains to this day.
On the tombstone is inscribed ‘In memory of a faithful friend Brigadier, winner of the Waterloo Cup 1866, died September 18, 1877 aged 14 years and 3 months’. There is no reason for doubting this victory as the Times for February 17th, 1866, states that the ‘winner of the cup was Mr. Gordan’s Brigadier’”. **
 |
| The Waterloo, 1970 |
But a trawl of the census return shows no Mr. Gordon on Burton Lane, and the rate books suggest that the pub which is listed as a beer house was owned by a John Chorlton and occupied by a George Thorniley from the 1850s into the 1860s.
All of which is very confusing but shouldn’t ever get in the way of a good story, which just leaves me to say that our pictures are of a later Waterloo and leave you either to find out for yourself about the word Boggart, or better still turn to our new book on Didsbury pubs and bars which is due out in June 11th.
At which point I have to say that my fellow author will be less than pleased that I have lifted one of the stories for the blog and will mutter darkly into his glass of Mancunian, that the “stories are for the book”, you can’t just give them away”***.
And because we can we have also added the lost pubs, like the Prince Albert which flourished briefly and the grand Wellington Hotel which still dominates the corner of Wilmslow and Barlow Moor Roads.
So mindful of my fellow author I will say no more.
Manchester Pubs The Stories Behind the Doors Didsbury, is available from www.pubbooks.co.uk and local bookshops.
Location; Didsbury
Pictures; The Waterloo, 1907, m50749 and in 1970, m50750, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
*A History of Withington, Whittaker, Kenneth, page 38
**ibid, Whittaker, Kenneth, page 21
***Brightside Brewing Company, http://brightsidebrewing.co.uk/beers/the-mancunian/
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