The pub sign …. a question …. and an invite to a heap of stories …. July 25th in the Horse and Jockey at 8pm

Your starter is to suggest a date when this pub sign hung outside the Horse and Jockey.

Who can date the sign?

It now has pride of place in the newly redecorated pub and the manager Iain hopes it will spark a memory.

The restaurant, 2024

As will the stories which will  feature during the launch of our new book The Horse and Jockey in the series Chorlton Pubs The Stories Behind the Doors, Andrew Simpson, and Peter Topping, 2024.

The sign was discovered upstairs in a corner of one of the store rooms.

Nor is that the only forgotten secret to reappear because back in 2010 a chimney breast and an internal wattle and daub wall were uncovered which will have not seen the light of day for at least two centuries.

The rediscovered chimney, 2024

To these forgotten bits of the Jockey’s past can be added a varied collection of stories from Samuel Wilton who stole the village green from the community in the early 19th century to the inquest held in the pub to investigate the murder of Francis Deaken in 1847.

Outside the Jockey circa 1900

And added to these is the arrest of young Samuel Warburton at 7 am in the morning outside the pub having a pint and recovering from his participation in an illegal prize fight out on the meadows in the July of the following year**.

I could go on but for the details of these and other stories you will have to buy the book which will be on sale on the night.

The launch will follow our earlier ones and along with a brief few words from the authors we are hoping for performances from two Manchester poets, along with the usual mix of good conversation.

The event is free, is always fun and of course allows you to explore the newly redecorated pub and relax with a drink.

Leaving me just to thank Iain and his assistant Anna for being our hosts on the night.

You can order the book at www.pubbooks.co.uk email or the old-fashioned way on 07521 557888 or from Chorlton Bookshop

Location; The Horse and Jockey

Pictures; The Horse and Jockey, 2024 from the collection of Andrew Simpson and in 1900, courtesy of Caroline Willetts