Andrew Simpson: The Bowling Green Hotel …… the Chorlton pub with history

Wednesday, 6 September 2023

The Bowling Green Hotel …… the Chorlton pub with history

The Bowling Green is our oldest surviving pub and was serving beer and cheer by the 1780s under the capable hands of Edward Mason.

The Bowling Green, 2022

Added to this it had its own fishpond which it rented out to "gentlemen " and of course its own bowling green.

And in its long history it has occupied two buildings. The first might date back to the late 18th century and its replacement was built in 1908.

That second pub retained its original layout until at least the 1960s and was a place of small rooms where private and discreet meetings might go on away from prying eyes.

Indeed, the battle to get that second pub was hard fought and was won against the temperance influencers both in the City Council and in Chorlton.

The old Bowling Green, date unknown

But won it was and the grand impressive building must have seemed a distinct improvement on the rambling pub which stood a little to the east of the present one.

Across the centuries it has been home to a line of "interesting landlords"*.

Of these my favourite was George Whitelegg.

In 1841 he described himself as a farmer of 22 acres and by 1862 had become a speculative builder who left us the White House on Manchester Road and the large houses known as Stockton Range which face St Clements across Edge Lane.

And in its long history it has seen off other pubs in the township and even the church next door which closed in 1940 and was demolished nine years later.

Nor is that the end of the connection with the parish church because for years a memorial to PC Cock hung over the bar of the pub. PC Cook was murdered in 1876 and was buried in the churchyard. Sadly, the pub memorial has vanished while PC Cock's tomb was removed to Preston.

Looking towards the Bowling Green circa 1900

And for those who want more, our own historian writing in the spring of 1886 commented that “Formerly there stood here one of those ancient wood and plaster dwellings.

The present house was erected about a century ago. It was first a farmhouse and hostelry combined and belonged to the Egerton’s of Tatton, but is now owned by Mr. Wm Roberts, the well-known brewer.

Edward Mason was the person who obtained the first licensee of the house, the business afterwards being continued by his son Edward, who was also a land surveyor. The tenants following were George Whitelegge, William Partington, Charles Chambers, A. P. Philips, and Edward Richards. The tenant at present is James English. There is a bowling-green connected to this inn.

A pond formerly existed on the plot of land bounded by the green behind, and the Chorlton brook, and had a small island in the centre. This was let during the tenancy of Edward Mason, jun to a gentleman for fishing, but on the making of the main sewer through the village by Lord Egerton, it was drained and filled up.” *

Now, Ellwood’s account is fascinating, not least because he drew on the memories of those who had lived in the township all their lives and would in turn have called up the memories of their parents and grandparents, which might well take us back to the time King George lost the American colonies.

The Bowling Green, date unknown

To these we can add the records from the Rate Books which list the owners, and the occupants of our building, starting with the earliest surviving entry which was for 1844.

The records confirm Mr. Ellwood chronology of owners and landlords and offers updates for when they took over the pub.

But what also comes out from those records, is that the first reference to a bowling green only comes in 1862, along with the first refence in the books to the name the Bowling Green Hotel which appears twelve years later.

Of course, history is messy, and the records as ever throw up conflicting evidence.

So, while both the Tithe map of 1845 and the OS map of 1854, show the pond there is no indication of a bowling green. That said the earlier map does list the pub as the Bowling Green Inn, which would suggest that there was indeed a bowling green to the east of old pub.

The Green, 2022

Frustratingly Mr. Elwood did not elaborate on the bowling green, although he did go into some detail on the green associated with the Horse and Jockey and a later one on the corner of Cross Road and High Lane, recording that “Bowling has always been popular in Chorlton, the well conducted greens being attended solely for healthy exercise and recreation”.

Adding “The village can boast of no fewer than six bowling greens, three in connection with the hotels, and three maintained by subscription. ……… The game may be indulged in by the public at the Lloyd’s Hotel, the Bowling Green Hotel and the old inn at Jackson’s Boat”, [with] another bowling green connected with the Chorlton Reading Rooms, [Beech Road] where the working men of the village assemble”.**

The inscription, 2022

At which point I was tempted arrogantly to conclude that the Bowling Green Hotel’s link to a very old bowling green was unlikely, but history may prove me wrong. John Lloyd in his book on the history of Chorlton-cum-Hardy commented that “the reputed date of the Bowling Green Inn is 1693” which comes close to an inscription in the wall beside the green which offers up the date of 1698.****

To which can be added the assertion that “Crown green bowling of a sort is actually recorded in 1600 being played at the Bowling Green Hotel in Chorlton”.

All of which means that this story may have plenty more surprises to come, and along the way, confirm that simple observation that you should never make definitive assumptions about events in the past because the evidence can leap out of the shadows and bite you on the bum.

The plaque, 2023

Happily, I can now report that the Civic Society and Mark Canny the owner of the pub have agreed to the erection of a blue plaque in recognition of its historic role of offering beer and cheer to Chorlton over the centuries. ****

Leaving me just to include a picture of my old friend Ken playing bowls on the green, which has served us for centuries

Location; Chorlton

Pictures; The Bowling Green, 2022, courtesy of Google Maps, The old Bowling Green Hotel, date unknown, from the collections of Allan Brown, Tony Walker,and the Lloyd Collection and Ken playing the green in 1979, the Bowling Green, 2020, from the collection of Tony Goulding, 2022, and Ken playing bowls from the collection of Andrew Simpson, 1979