The grim side to some of our Manchester pubs

Now I am back with Peterloo and the dastardly actions of the Manchester Yeomanry who on August 16th, 1819, charged a peaceful crowd in St Peter’s Fields, leaving many dead and wounded.

The Manchester Yeomanry in action, 1819

And over the last few days I have been exploring* the background of the 101 men listed in the Northern Star as participating in the outrage.**

We can track the occupations of 87 of them, and they represent a cross section of the population, with over a third drawn from the “people of plenty”, another 29% who made their living as publicans and shopkeepers, which left the rest as a mix of skilled, and manual workers, with the odd surprises which include a “Professor of Dance” and a quack doctor.

But today I am interested in the nine publicans.  They were William Bowker of the King's Head at 4 Old Shambles, John Beeston who ran the Windsor Castle in Salford, and later took over the George at 47 Deansgate, and William Benson of the Fox at 1 Jackson’s Row.

The Briton's Protection, 2016 as seen in the book

To these three we can add Mr. Burgess of the Hen & Chicken on 163 Deansgate, Parker Horsefield of the Briton’s Protection on Waterloo Street by Great Bridgewater Street, Edward Hall of the Blue Cap at 80 Greengate, Jacob Chadderton who offered up beer and cheer at the Wool Pack in Pendleton, John Reid of the Globe, Gartside Street and Samuel Lees of the Crown and Thistle, 9 Half Street, Manchester.

Of these I am pretty sure that only one of the nine pubs still in business is the Briton’s Protection, but some will have lasted longer than others.

So, while the Blue Cap on Greengate had vanished by 1850, the Windsor Castle on New Windsor in Salford was still there thirty-one years after Peterloo.

The Windsor Castle Salford, 1850

Had I come across this bit of information back in 2016, it might well have been included in our book on city centre Manchester Pubs, that said as the book is only about ones you can visit today that would have limited the inclusion of the Manchester Yeomanry landlords to just the Briton’s Protection.

That said, I see no reason why I shouldn’t pursue the remaining eight, starting with the Fox on the corner of Deansgate and Jackson’s Row which was still selling happiness or sadness in 1844, but now sits under Onward Building.

So in the fullness of time we  shall see just what can be found out about the two Salford pubs and their landlords, followed up by the more  Manchester landlords and their pubs.

The Fox, Jacksons Row, 1844

Location; Manchester and Salford

Pictures; "Manchester Heroes", Peterloo, print from etching by unknown artist, published by S W Fores, 1819, m07587, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass, New Windsor, Salter’s Street Directory, 1850,  The Fox Inn, Jackson’s Row, 1844, from the OS for Manchester & Salford, 1844, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://digitalarchives.co.uk/


*The Manchester Yeomanry, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2019/08/exploring-butchers-of-peterloo-101-men.html

**The Northern Star, Chartist newspaper, August 20th 1842

*** Manchester Pubs- The Stories Behind the Doors, Centre Centre along with  our two companion volumes,  Manchester Pubs- The Stories Behind the Doors, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, and  Manchester Pubs- The Stories Behind the Doors are available from www.pubbooks.co.uk and Chorlton Books

Lost and forgotten Salford streets nu 9 ......... Mallett's Court and Greengate

Greengate, numbers 34-42, circa 1895

You won’t find Mallet’s Court nor for that matter the beer shop of Mrs Lucy Parton which occupied numbers 34 & 36 Greengate, or the home of Mr James Finn shopkeeper.

They were all there on this bit of Greengate in 1895.  Mrs Parton’s beer shop is there on the immediate right of the picture announced by the sign of the Flying Dutchman.

But already the row of houses next door are marked, for there is a sign announcing that they are to be sold, and just a few years later the site is empty and later still has become a garage for the Daimler Motor Company.

The Flying Scotsman, circa 1895

Mrs Parton however hung into 1909 but she too had vanished two years later and the pub was now a boarding house.

Now in time I will go looking for Mrs Parton along with Mr Finn and the other inhabitants both of this bit of Greengate and Mallet Court which led off to seven back to back properties.

And for those wanting to know exactly where we are on Greengate, had you stepped just one more down from the beer shop you would have been standing on the corner of Greengate and Gorton Street.

All a bit more helpful than the caption on the picture postcard which just said “Old Houses, Greengate Salford.”

Which just leaves me to ask if any one is passing this bit of Greengate to snap the corner with Gorton Street and send me the results.

Other than that I will offer up the detail of the area from Goad's Fire Insurance maps which show Gorton Street, Greengate and Mallet's Court.

Greengate, circa 1900

At the time no doubt Mrs Parton was still offering up beer to her customers.

And here I must give a thankyou to Alan Jennings who corrected me on the original story where I called her pub the Flying Scotsman.

In my defence I couldn't read the name, and the directories only list the place as a "beer shop" so I was pleased that Alan came in with, "Hi Andrew, not trying to be picky, but the pub was called the Flying Dutchman, not Flying Scotsman. 

It was named after the 1849 Derby winner, it closed in 1906 when Cornbrook brewery were awarded compensation for the licence.

In 1850 it was a whip makers shop, 2 years later it was the Flying Dutchman, tenanted by Henry Smith, later licensees included William Boswell in the 1860s, Sarah Hindle in the 1870s and Paul Parton in early 1900s. 

The brewery installed Thomas Carney in July 1905, 8 months later the police reported that the pub was still being used by thieves and other bad characters and so it was referred for compensation. Carney was at the Waterloo hotel before that."

Now that is not picky just a sound piece of historical correction and has set me off looking for the story of the Cornbrook brewery.

Please keep them coming Alan.

Location; Salford






Picture;“Old Houses, Greengate Salford, circa 1895, from the collection of Mrs Bishop and map from Goad's Fire Insurance Maps, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://digitalarchives.co.uk/

Lost and forgotten streets of Salford ...... nu 28 Gore Street

It isn’t so much that Gore Street has been lost or even forgotten it is just that it has become another giant Salford car park.

And what were once Morris, Beck, Ridings and Bolton Streets have suffered the biggest indignity of now being relegated to car park entrances with only one still being marked with its name on the street map.

Also gone are Walker’s Place, Temple Place, Short Street, and Back Saxon Street along with three pubs and the Albert Bridge Brewery.

To be fair I have no idea of the state of the housing off Gore Street but I suspect they were not good.

Likewise at least one of the pubs had vanished by the 1890s leaving only the Griffin and the Red Lion on Chapel Street and the Egerton Arms Hotel on Gore Street.

And now only the Egerton is still serving pints.

As for the brewery, according to one source the brewery which stood in the shadow of the New Bailey Prison, was founded sometime before 1788,

“Accounts from the Ring O'Bells, Didsbury, show that the pub served Joule's beer in 1791 when two barrels of strong beer cost three pounds and sixteen shillings. The brewery document reproduced on the following page carries the warning ‘Barrels to be returned when empty being never sold’. By the 1840s the brewery on New Bailey Street had about 13,000 barrels in use.”  

The Joule family who had owned it from the beginning  put it up for auction in 1855 and although it was then owned by various brewers by 1868 the site was used for storage and was later redeveloped.

There is more but that would stray into a new series ............ the lost and forgotten breweries of Salford and that is for another day.

To which Alan Jennings has added, "A very interesting post, I worked just around the corner on Chapel StreetThe Egerton Arms was a great pub in the 1960s when it was run by Nan Freshette, and I was a regular customer, The cast from Coronation Street used the pub regularly and there was a beautiful full-length portrait of Pat Phoenix in evening dress on the wall, Peter Adamson who played Len Fairclough would stagger out very drunk, the pub itself has a long and fascinating history with the first license being granted in 1834, when the pub was rebuilt in 1897, it was announced that it had been rebuilt regardless of cost and that it had the ' Grandest concert room in Salford, but it also drew attention from the police who described the Egerton as a disorderly house".

Location; Salford

Picture; Gore Street, 2016 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*James Joule – Brewer and Man of Science, Brewery History,
http://www.breweryhistory.com/journal/archive/115/bh-115-002.htm

“I was surprised to see the old Waterloo still standing” …… tales of regeneration and a transatlantic voyage

I have to agree with Andy that it is a surprise to see the former pub, the Waterloo still standing, amidst the evidence of regeneration.

2021

He took a trip around Greengate last week and amongst the collection of pictures he sent over is this one along with another he took back in 2014.

According to that excellent pub site, Manchester Pubs past and Present, it  started life as the Duke of Wellington in 1815“though it soon became the Waterloo.  By the early twentieth century, Walkers & Homfrays had the pub then Wilsons took it in the 1950s.

In the 1970s the Waterloo was a cosy but rather seedy pub with two narrow rooms, one was decorated with guns and swords, the other a garish red with fishtank that was popular with the ladies.  Darts, doms and cards were popular with the small band of local gents who supped Wilsons bitter and mild on beer engines.”*

It closed in 1984, and while there was an application to develop the site in2006, but nothing happened and it remains an odd legacy of that older Salford amongst the high rise blocks.**

2014

In time I will delve deep into its history.  For now I know that in 1851 it was run by a Margaret Mellor, and was a beer shop.  

Twenty-five years later the man behind the counter offering up beer and cheer was a Thomas Thorpe. 

The address is listed as 93 Greengate rather than Boond Street and the maps from 1849 and 1894 suggest that the footprint of the pub was enlarged at some point between the two dates suggesting a rebuild.

Leaving me just to introduce Owen Quinn who with his wife Rose was master of the pub in 1911.  I say master, but he described himself as “manager”, and along with his wife was assisted by the 15 years old Gertrude Kendal from Staffordshire, who together rattled round in the 9 roomed pub.

2014

I am drawn to Mr. and Mrs. Quinns, partly because by 1911 they had been married for eleven years had four children, none of whom were listed as living with them, and the mystery of  the journey he took to New York in 1891.  

He was twenty-five, was there for two years and described his occupation as a “machinist”.  

As yet there is no more detail of that journey or stay in the U.S.A., other than that he went out on the Teutonic and returned on the Umbria, which no doubt offered scope for many conversations across the bar on late winter nights.

1980s

So, I will just add this last image, which Lee Hutchings posted after the story was published, in response to my request to use it, adding, "I’ve had it for ages but I can’t remember where from I’m afraid! But yes please use it, I think it’s from the late 80s".

And just to finish off, Phil Gregson offered up a delightful set of memories of the place. 

"I went in once in the 70's. Mainly empty, coal fire in the vault, no juke box or other disturbance. Landlord propping the bar up, and if I remember rightly your typical glass case with pies in. A typical corner local boozer if which there were very, very many. I do hope it's kept, though it may well go the same way as the Legs of Man, which was on the next corner down".

Location; Greengate

Pictures; the Wellington, 2021 & 2014, from the collection of Andy Robertson, and in the 1980s courtesy of Lee Hutchings

*Waterloo, Greengate, Manchester Pubs past and Present, http://pubs-of-manchester.blogspot.com/search/label/028.%20Grey%20Horse%20-%20%20Portland%20Street

* Outline planning application for an eight storey mixed use development comprising 145sq.m retail floorspace at ground floor level and 14 two and three bedroom apartments with car parking for six cars at semi basement level, 06/53565/OUT, 2006, Salford Planning Portal, https://publicaccess.salford.gov.uk/publicaccess/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=J6CR2RNP40000&activeTab=summary

Falling across the Irwell Castle ………….

Now I am not from Salford, and it would be two more years after arrived in Manchester in 1969 that I first crossed the river into Salford.

In my defence back then I was a student, and life pretty much consisted of the route to and from the college, and outside the Oxford Road corridor, and some city centre pubs and record shops that was about it.

But I recognize a former pub when I see one, and Andy’s picture is of the Irwell Castle, which dates back to the 1850’s and opened as the Irwell Inn.

It is located on Great Clowes Street.

At which point I have no intention of appropriating another’s research and so if you want to find out more just follow the link to that excellent site, Manchester Pubs Past  and Present which follow the pub from the middle of the 19th century to its closure in 1992.*

Leaving me to go offer and do my own digging, which so far has offered up that in 1911 it was run by a Mr. James Bradbury.

Watch this spot

Location; Salford

Picture; the Irwell Castle, 2021, from the collection of Andy Robertson

* Irwell Castle, Manchester Pubs Past and Present, http://pubs-of manchester.blogspot.com/search?q=Irwell+Castle

Lost and forgotten streets of Salford ........... nu 24 Greengate and the one they got wrong

Now in the catalogue this is labelled Chapel Street but I am fairly confident we are in fact on Greengate, because this is the Flying Dutchman, a pub I have written about before.

The gap in the buildings is Mallet’s Court and if you were to walk a few yards back past the pub heading to our right you would be on Gorton Street.

There is no date but it must be later than 1900 because in that year Mr Samuel Coulthurst photographed the collection of buildings and included in the picture was a tall house on the extreme left which in this image has been demolished.

Nor can I think it can post date 1910 because by the following year the pub is listed as a boarding house.

The photograph also yields up the name of the brewery supplying the Flying Dutchman which was the Cornbrook Brewery.

It had started up in the 18th century, was registered in 1885 and after modest acquisitions of other breweries was bought up by Carringtons in 1961 and finally closed in 1973.

At the beginning of the 20th century it was on Elsemere Street in Hulme.

I doubt their records have survived but I shall go looking after all it would be intriguing to know why they thought it necessary to take replace the old sign with the name of the pub for one advertising themselves.

All of which just leaves me to thank Alan Jennings who spotted my mistake in calling the pub the Flying Horseman and added a fine piece of extra information.

"Hi Andrew, the pub was called the Flying Dutchman, it was named after the 1849 Derby winner,the pubs name is on the lamp above the door, in 1850 it was a Whip makers shop then two years later it became the pub, in the early 1900's the pub was one of several that the Authorities wanted to close.

The Cornbrook brewery had a lease on the property and in July 1905, they installed a new licensee, Thomas Carney who moved there from the Waterloo Hotel further along Greengate. 

Eight months later the police reported that the place was still being used by thieves and other bad characters and so it was referred for Compensation , the Brewery were awarded £607 and it closed in 1907... this info came from Salford Pubs by Neil Richardson and also another wonderful little book called November Skies..."

Location; Salford

Additional information from Alan Jennings

Picture; Chapel Street, date unknown, W Ellis, M77245, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass

Lost and forgotten streets of Salford nu 14 ...... back with Mallett’s Court, Mrs Parton and the Flying Dutchman

Now I have to say that this bit of Mallet’s Court is all I have in the picture collection.

Mallet's Court & the pub, circa 1900

And will probably be the only photograph to record its existence.

It was off Greengate just four doors up from Gorton Street, contained just three houses and was listed as unoccupied in 1910 and had gone in a redevelopment just three years later.

All of which begs the question of why I should have gone looking for it and to to which the answer as ever is because it was there.

In 1891 there were just the two families living in this narrow alley and they were Mr and Mrs Baxter and Mr and Mrs Driver.

James and Mary Baxter shared a two roomed property with their three daughters, and the Driver’s managed to squeeze themselves, two children and a lodger into their three rooms.

This was hardly luxury living but neither family I suspect scored high on the income level.  Mr Baxter worked as a carder in a cotton mill and Mr Driver described himself as a “hawker”, Margaret his wife as “a fancy box hawker” and their lodger was “gardener.”

And while Mallet’s Court was one of those dark alleyways where the sun failed to brighten its gloom or a gentle wind lift the staleness of the place it was wider than its neighbour which was Prestons Court which despite its few houses was really a narrow passage linking Greengate with Dawson Street and a brewery.

Mallett's Court, 1849

So Mallets’ Court was not the sort of place which many would want linger in or indeed knew much about unless of course you used the Flying Dutchman which was on the corner which dates from the 1850s and lasted into the 20th century.

From 1891 it was run by Lucy Parton who took over the place from her husband John A Parton.  The couple had married in 1865 and as ever there is a little mystery.

Mr Parton is listed at the Flying Dutchman in 1886, but five years later there is another licesnsee who in turn has been replaced by Mrs Parton by 1895.

In time I will find out more about them.  I know that he was born in Manchester in 1842 and was an iron dealer while she was born in Bollington four years later and started work as a servant.

The wedding marks, 1865

So far apart from a few entries on official documents their lives have remained in the shadows and the picture of the pub featuring the name of Mrs Parton is about all we have.

May 8 1865

Although I did find their marriage certificate which reveals that he was living in Pollard Street in Ancoats and was a bayonet maker and she was in Mile Platting.

And of course it is the detail that is the most fascinating because both of them were illiterate along with one of the witnesses, was recorded as leaving their “mark” on the certificate.

Not that this was unusual even in the 1860s but raises questions about how they managed the pub accounts.
And it leads me off into a search of Mr Parton’s father who described himself as a “cattle dealer,” Mr
Whitson, Lucy father who was a beer retailer and the intriguing thought of where the couple met.

But that is for another time.

Location; Salford, Manchester, Bollington.

Pictures; the Flying Dutchman from a picture postcard in the collection of Mrs Bishop, Greengate and Mallet’s Court, 1842 from the OS map of Manchester & Salford, 1842-49, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://digitalarchives.co.uk/ and part of the marriage certificate, 1865, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass

*Mallet's Court, Enu10 56-57, Greengate, Salford, 1891

The lost pubs of Salford ............. 1872

Now one of the things that happen so often in researching old newspapers is you get side tracked.

And so yesterday while continuing to trawl the papers for references to Salford’s children’s charity I happened on this little piece of pub history.*

Now I could begin a search for each but that would draw me away from the work of uncovering the history of the Refuge for the new book, so I won’t.**

Instead I will leave it to others to rummage through their collection of pub books or better still come up with memories of some of those listed in the report.

Location; Salford, 1872





Picture; from the Manchester Weekly Times, January 13 1872


*The Manchester & Salford Boys’ and Girls’ Refuges, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Manchester%20and%20Salford%20Boys%20and%20Girls%20Refuges

**In the midst of plenty ........ two children sleeping rough “one under a Salford Railway arch and the other below an old staircase in a Deansgate entry” https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/in-midst-of-plenty-two-children.html

Rediscovering the Cross Keys is the heart of old Eccles

I like Andy’s picture of the former Cross Keys, flanked on one side by the old parish Church, with the block of flats rising behind.

The pub closed in 2013, and remained empty for three years before plans were submitted for its conversion into apartments.

I won’t be surprising too many people if I say that the Cross Keys had been the oldest pub in Eccles.  

There is a reference to it in 1629, it was extended in the 1820s and according to a Council report from 2016 it “has an interesting design due to its evolution over 400 years, comprising timber framed elements. The larger extended wing of the building (into St Mary’s churchyard) follows the angle of the street and gives a rare impression of the early character of Eccles, with narrow streets”*

The loss of any historic pub which has been at the heart of a community for centuries should not be accepted casually, but even before Covid, the trend was against the traditional public house, with many closing each week.

So a plan that retains the building, renovates the façade and gives it a new lease of life has merit.

And that development was welcomed by Historic England, which welcomed the scheme.

So, that is it.  

For those who knew and frequented the Cross Keys I haven’t broken new ground, but if like me you weren’t born in Eccles and only discovered it quite late in life, Andy’s picture will be interesting.

Location; Eccles

Picture; the former Cross Keys, 2020, from the collection of Andy Robertson

*400-year-old pub is going to be turned into flats - despite the noisy church bells next door, Historic England was welcomed the scheme which will save the building of the oldest pub in Eccles, Neal Keeling, October 7th, 2016, Manchester Evening News, https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/cross-keys-eccles-flats-approved-11991654

Stopping off at Patricroft …… for a drink sometime in 1830 .... and again 170 years later

Nowrecently I featured Andy’s pictures of the Queens Arms in Patricroft, which was built in 1828 and which some have suggested was built in expectation of the arrival of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.

And certainly, it would appear that the place proved a stopping point for passengers in the early years of the railway.

Nor has that popularity abated, because in just a few hours after I posted the pictures and the story it had been seen and read by 986 people, one of whom was my Facebook friend Christianna Franck.

Now, Christianna leaves quite close, and was inspired to cycle down to the pub, and as you do I asked her to take some pictures of the inside, which she did.

Adding, “here are the photos of the central bar serving lounge snug and then separate front room.

Toilet still in the original place. 

Renovated 1997. Original tile floors! 

Met two men who worked for the Bridgewater Estate. They are in every Saturday to do the Times crossword. Both over 80. 

Leaving now-been so worth it, and now a slow ride back ready for my steak and mushrooms and a cheeky red!”

So, thank you Christianna, it was a pity I couldn’t join you.

But no no doubt there will other opportunities.

All of which just leaves me to close with one final picture of the pub, and acknowledge all the comments and pictures posted to the original story.

Location; Patricroft

Pictures; inaugural journey of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway 1830, A.B.Clayton, the Queens Arms, Patricroft, 2020, from the collection of Christianna Franck

The Salford Four ……………….

I suppose if were being strictly accurate, the Four are really just 3½.

Andy captured all Four yesterday on a stroll down Bolton Road adding they are, “the Wagon & Horses, the ex Dog & Partridge, the Wellington, and the Red Lion.

Only a small road and another building separate three of the pubs.

The Wagon and the Wellington are 1970s pubs replacing older pubs of the same name. 

If you love Holts Bitter then this is not a bad place to live!”

Look carefully, and there are still signs of the Dog and Partridge’s of its former existence.

Location; Bolton Road

Pictures; The Salford Four, 2020, from the collection of Andy Robertson

The Lost Salford pubs …… in pictures ….. no. 1 The Waverley Hotel

A short series on the lost pubs of Salford in pictures, but given the number that we have lost in the last few decades,  it may well turn into a long one.

At which point I am not attempting to eclipse that fine site, Pubs of Manchester, Past and Present, which chronicles those that have disappeared.*

But I couldn’t miss an opportunity when Andy sent over a series of then and now former pubs which he has photographed in his travels.

This is the Waverley Hotel ....... just three pictures and a set of memories for those who remember it.

Location; Eccles New Road

Pictures; The Waverley Hotel, then and now from  Andy Robertson

*Pubs of Manchester, Past and Present, https://pubs-of-manchester.blogspot.com/

Pubs with stories …….. just waiting to be told ……

Now, it has been a quiet day in the household of Andy Robertson.

The Dolphin, Broughton Lane

Usually by now he would have sent across a series of pictures from his latest “essential walk”, but “In the absence of an immediate ‘walk’, here are a few photos I took of ex pubs without realising it, thanks "Pubs of Manchester".

Each will have a story and in the fulness of time I will go looking at the history of them all, but for now it will just leave you with the pictures, and direct you to Pubs of Manchester which specialises in telling the story of our lost drinking places.*

The Wellington, Bury New Road

They are, Andy tells me, “the Dolphin, Broughton Lane, Strangeways, the Wellington, Bury New Road, (right of centre)the Punch Bowl, Chapel Street, ) and the Prince of Wales, Oldfield Street, Salford (Chungs Chippy)”

I could of course just steal the research from Pubs of Manchester, but that would be wrong, and anyway where would be the fun in letting people do their own digging, and adding to the blog.

The Punch Bowl, Chapel Street

And I bet as so often happens, there will be people with fond memories of all four pubs.

And one person who indeed has memories, added the comment, "Its not the Prince of Wales, its the Druids on Oldfield road.

The Prince of Wales was further down , corner of Liverpool Street. opposite The Railway".

So back to you Andy who took the pictures and supplied the running order to reply.

Watch this space.

The Prince of Wales, Oldfield Street

Leaving me just to reflect ..... that there remains a lot of controversy in pub names.

And almost quicker than a speedy bullet, Andy got back to me, having done the research and located two more pictures from his "Pubs of the Past" database, adding the following comment.

"I have re-checked "Pubs of Manchester", other sources and 1969 Directory and it seems the info I sent you is correct.

I enclose a photo of ex Druids Arms on Liverpool Street near the corner with Oldfield Street. ( I would have taken them a bit closer up if I realised it was once a pub! )"

The ex-Druid's Arms on Liverpool Street

All of which just shows how hard the team here work at historical veracity.

Location; Manchester & Salford



Pictures; Dolphin, Broughton Lane, Strangeways, Wellington, Bury New  Road, Punch Bowl, Chapel Street, ) Prince of Wales, Oldfield Street, Salford (Chungs Chippy), the 2000s, from the collection of Andy Robertson

And another of the ex Druid's Arms on Liverpool Street

*Pubs of Manchester; https://pubs-of-manchester.blogspot.com/

Back with the two pubs on Liverpool Street …………. and a collection of rare pictures

Yesterday I was exploring the two pubs on Liverpool Street, and the mystery of the two houses which became one beer shop and then separated again, before becoming the Royal Albert which at some stage was joined by the Union Tavern.

I never got to the bottom of the mystery, but the story generated a lot of interest, including a message from Una Denton Mayall, who wrote, “There was also a small cottage in the middle of the Royal Albert and the Union.

A lovely old couple used to live in it, they had a little back yard where they had a little garden and only one door 

On the side of the Royal Albert was a door which which led into the vault and the gents was on the left, behind a partition. 

I lived there from early 60s till early 70s”

Now that “small cottage” will be one of the two separated houses, and adds wonderfully to the story.

But Una also sent over a collection of pictures which are themselves a fascinating glimpse of the Royal Albert, and especially of the inside of the pub.

For reasons I have never fully understood, pictures of the  insides of pubs are quite rare.

So while there are always plenty of the outside, few of the interiors seem to get published.

Perhaps it is just that taking photographs gets in the way of serious drinking and conversing with family and friends, or maybe its just because if you were a regular, why take a picture of somewhere you knew so well?

Added to which until the 1970s cameras were still relatively expensive.

Or maybe its just that pictures of the inside were taken during a family do and so sit in an album and rarely come out into the public gaze.

All of which make’s Una’s pictures quite unique, and I thank her for sharing them.

Leaving me only to add that she points out that “on this last photo, you can see the back gate of the little cottage”.

Location; Salford

Pictures; The Royal Albert; circa 1960s-70s, from the collection of Una Denton Mayall

* The mystery of the two Salford beer shops on Liverpool Street
 https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-mystery-of-two-salford-beer-shops.html

The mystery of the two Salford beer shops on Liverpool Street

I think you will have to have been born before the 1950s, or have access to the historic records to solve the story of the two beer shops at 99 & 101 Liverpool Street.

Now I was drawn into the story after Andy Robertson sent over this picture, with the comment "just discovered the building adjoining the Union Tavern was The Royal Albert which closed about 1961".

And as you do I went looking for the two pubs and quickly discovered that for a big slice of time they were run as one beer shop.

In 1911 they were in the hands of a Mrs. Rosina Cookson who  described herself as a “beer and wine retailer".  Sixteen years earlier the landlord had been Mr. Samuel McFadden.

But sometime before 1886  no.101 was home to the Royal Albert Loan Society, while 99 was in the hands of Mr. Edward Fenner, who sold beer but not wine, and may have done a good trade from those wanting an early drink before visiting the Prince of Wales Theatre which was almost opposite.

I can trace the beer shop back through to 1879 when it was  run by John Bennet and the Loan Society was next door.

Before that, it becomes a bit murky.
In 1863 the two buildings are listed as being occupied by John Knowles “bootmaker”, and in 1850 had yet to be built.

So, the questions fall over themselves to be answered, starting with when exactly were the two properties built, when did they become one beer shop and when did they go their separate ways becoming the Union Tavern and the Royal Albert?

And if these are not enough, there is that other question of what took over the Royal Albert in 1961?

Answers on a beer mat.

But here Andy who took the pictures, has come back with research which helps.

"It seems a bit complicated. From my photo you can see Royal Albert is 101, The Union today is 105.

On the 1905 map they are 2 properties and by 1932 have become 4. So I assume Albert is 101/3 and Union 105/7. Don't know where 99 fits in. Also from 1969 directory it seems the properties come before Cranbourne Street but I think they come after?"

And looking at the photographs very closely which I have to say I didn't first time round, there are the four doorway to what would have been four properties, which became two and reverted to four by 1932, and back again sometime after that.

Added to which at some point the Union Tavern was given an extension at the rear.

So I do think we need someone with a very long memory, or access to the Salford Rate Books and licensing records.

And then the answers on that beer mat please.

Location; Salford

Picture; Liverpool Street, 2020, from the collection of Andy Robertson

Additional research and much help, Andy Roberston