On the green circa 1898

It’s a picture I have shown before, but is well worth a second look.

The caption suggests a date around 1898, arguing that this “Prince of Wales Horse bus at the Green.  Probably about 1898 before the Corporation took over the Carriage and Tramways Company, but maybe slightly later.”*

The Manchester Carriage and Tramways Company had been formed in 1865 from a merger of the two bus companies serving the city and neighbouring townships.

The larger was owned by the Greenwood Company and brought over 500 horses and 33 omnibuses to the merger, while what had been McEwen’s City Omnibus Company contributed the routes to Bell Vue, Rusholme, Longsight and Didsbury.

And at the end of the 19th was taken over by the City Council.

But what intrigues me is not so much the horse drawn bus but the surrounding buildings.
To the extreme right is the Travellers Rest which had been a beer shop since the 1830s and for most of that century had been run by the Nixon family and next to it the Beech Inn.

To the left is the Horse and Jockey which back then consists just of the middle building.  Beyond the outhouse jutting out towards the green was the tall cottage of Miss Wilton who had died the year before in 1897.

And it was her death which brought our village green back into common usage. From sometime earlier in the century till 1897 this had been the private garden of the Wilton family, surrounded and made secluded by tall hedges, but with her death the land reverted to the Egerton estate who in turn opened it to the public.

And tucked away in the corner was the  little cottage once the home of the Malloy family and later the sweet shop of Miss Gertrude Green.

Location; Chorlton



Picture; from the Lloyd collection

Rare pictures of the Horse and Jockey and a mysterious historian of Chorlton

This is one of three photographs that I doubt very few people have seen.

It is the Horse and Jockey in 1933 and appears in a Short History of Chorlton-cum-Hardy published privately in that year.

There are plenty of pictures of the pub from the very early years of the 20th century and lots from the 1950s onwards but so far I have only come across a couple which date to the 30s and 40s.

So this is an interesting one and shows the original before it expanded into the cottages on the left of the front door.

To our right beyond the fence had been the home of the Wilton family who lived there for most of the 19th century.  It was Samuel Wilton who around 1818 enclosed the green for his own personal garden with tall hedges and an allotment.  The space only returned to public use with the death of his daughter.

The remaining two photographs are of the parish church and Hough End Hall and all three were taken by F. Blyth who also printed the book at the College of Technology in Manchester while on his second year course.

But the text is by a J.D. Blythe and is as far as I know the first new account of Chorlton’s history since the twenty-six articles written by Thomas Ellwood during 1885-86.

Mr Blyth drew heavily on those articles and in places follows the earlier history word for word.  Not that this is to rubbish the book, particularly as I doubt it was meant as a serious rival to Ellwood’s work.  It may have just been a vehicle for F Blyth to complete a course at the college demonstrating his skill at photography and printing.

Now there is very little on either man.  J.D. Blythe was here on Claude Road between 1922 and 1929 and  is listed in the telephone directory but without trawling the street directories for the period we have no knowing when he went to live in Chorltonville and when he left.

There is a record of a J.D Blyth leaving for South Africa in 1919 with the stated purpose of settling in the Natal, but he returns just four months later in February 1920, and so far that is about it.

Location; Chorlton-cum-Hardy

Picture; the Horse & Jockey in 1933, F Blyth from A Short History of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, by J.D.Blyth, 1933

When the Horse and Jockey had a football team

Now I have to say that I was a little intrigued when a story on the blog of the Horse and Jockey in the early 1970s was sent on its way across the social media under the caption of “before the pub became trendy.”

It was an interesting take on how the place has changed.

I rather liked the makeover when it was bought from the brewery some years ago and given the addition of a restaurant and micro brewery.

Of course not everyone likes change and I do have some reservations about the way it has gone since it became part of another brewery chain.

But for those few years after it became “the inn on the green” I did enjoy going in there not least because it was possible to think it back to something like it had been during the middle years of the 19th century when it was a much smaller place and doubled up for inquests.

All that said here is another picture from the collection of Bob Jones.

It dates from the 1970s and shows the pub football team and I am equally intrigued by Bob's comment that "one of the barman we called chopper, his son is on this picture and I would be interested to see if any come up with other names."

After all after his story on "Chippy Madge" we had "Blind Bob the barber", and "Bob the cobbler."

So I await the stories, memories and follow up photographs, which point to the fact that history can be about any time,, any event and just plain fun.

And Bob who lent me the photograph has followed it up with the names of some of the team including another of those wonderful nicknames.
"Rod Hudson right of the cup Malc Dawes bottom row right, fag in hand.

Bob Jones E and F DAWES Insurance Agents & Companies. 35 Liverpool Road m/c The above was run by Farther and Malc and Paul sons for many years , at football.

Malc’s  nick name was the Mars Bar kid as he always had one in his mouth, they lived in Chorlton
Bob Jones Terry Tynan Ralf Darlinton Barry Brunton."

Keep the pictures coming Bob and thank you.

Picture; the Horse and Jockey football team sometime in the 1970s, from the collection of Bob Jones

A 'gang' of 'teenagers' ........... just before the War outside the Horse and Jockey

Now I like the way that people continue to be generous with both their family pictures and the memories.

So I was very pleased when this one was sent to me by Yvonne.

The Horse and Jockey will always be special to me, not only because as one of our oldest pubs it featured in my first book and was the venue for its launch but also because as the “Pub on the Green” it has been at the centre of much of Chorlton's history.*

But rather than ramble on I will share Yvonne’s description of the picture.

"Hello Andrew!  I enjoy reading your post on the Chorlton Blog.  

I was born there - leaving when I was 8.  I have a photo of my mother and sister with their 'gang' from about 1936 outside the Horse and Jockey.  

It’s of a 'gang' of 'teenagers' just before the War outside the Horse and Jockey. 

My mum Dilys on the left, her sister Gwen on the right. She used to tell us all their names but the only one I can remember is Joe Rook!”

And that is a pretty good start.

Yvonne hopes it will “stir some memories up” and so do I.



All of which just leaves me to thank Yvonne.
Location; Chorlton

Picture; A 'gang' of 'teenagers' outside the Horse and Jockey circa 1936 courtesy of Yvonne Richardson

*The Story of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, 

On Chorlton Green with Derrick A Lea in 1957

We are on the green sometime between 1955 and 1958 outside the Horse and Jockey.

Now I know this because the artist who drew the scene completed a series of pictures of Chorlton during this period.

He was Derrick A Lea and he is one of those local artist who has slipped out of our history.

He lived here during the 1950s through to the ‘70s, and that is about it.  So for now it is his pictures that will have to speak for him.

And today it is this one of the pub on the green.

It is a picture which I like partly because the style reminds me of so many that I grew up with in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Often they were the sort which appeared as adverts in magazines or in prints that were displayed in railway carriages on the trains of the Southern Region.

Most were of the countryside and most showed southern England in full summer.

So this one is somewhat different and what draws me in is not just the wintry scene but the way Mr Lea captures the brisk movement of the couple on the right.  It’s partly their stride as they follow the dog but also the way the woman’s coat spills out covering as it would an equally expansive dress underneath.

This was that period when in direct contrast to the fashions of the war everything was bigger and more showy, as if to say “we are done with rationing and making do.”

And the historian in me is fascinated by the picture of the pub itself which is almost the one we know today but not quite.

In the 1950s it had not extended into the building to right of the entrance below the sign.

This was still a private residence and so had not yet been given the wooden beam effect.  Nor had the top floor of what had once been Miss Wilton’s home been taken down.

But not all in the picture is completely accurate for what looks like a pond in front of the trees is  an invention of Mr Lea’s imagination.

There were village ponds but sadly not here.  There was one further to the south by the Bowling Green Hotel and another on Beech Road stretching from Acres Road up to Chequers Road but not outside the Horse and Jockey.

Not that I am over bothered by the deliberate error.

It remains a pretty neat picture of a moment in the mid 1950s which will be one most of us never knew, and I do like his depiction of the pub and the green on a wintery snowy night.

So it just remains to close by repeating  the image he drew.

Location; Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester








Picture; the Horse and Jockey, Chorlton Green, by Derrick A Lea taken from a greetings card in the possession of my old friend Margaret.

The story that is 232 years old …… the Horse & Jockey reopens

I for one am keen to see the new Horse & Jockey which reopens on October 20th.

Summer 2022

The pub dates back to 1793, in a building which was already old when Henry V111 walked up the aisle with Anne Boleyn.

I have been going in for over half a century, and have written about   it on and off for the last two decades.*

The Jockey Gang, 1938

It also featured in the book I wrote with Peter Topping on Chorlton pubs, and because of his historic significance was the first in a new series on our pubs and bars.**

It was the venue for inquests, was the scene of an historic arrest and once had its own bowling green.

In 1793 it was just one of four cottages and the eastern end was until the early 1890s the home of the family who stole Chorlton Green and turned it into their own private garden.

All of which you can read on the blog.

Leaving me just to say the full report on the refurbished Jockey can be read by following the link to yesterday's Manchester Evening News.***

 Pictures; The Jockey 2022 from the collection of Andrew Simpson and A 'gang' of 'teenagers' outside the Horse and Jockey circa 1936 courtesy of Yvonne Richardson

*The Horse and Jockey, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Horse%20and%20Jockey

**The  book is available at www.pubbooks.co.uk or the old-fashioned way on 07521 557888 or from Chorlton Bookshop, and costs £4.99.

***Historic Greater Manchester pub to reopen its doors as opening date revealed, Jenna Campbell, Manchester Evening News, October 14th, 2025, https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/historic-greater-manchester-pub-reopen-32672167

Summer days in south Manchester No 6 late morning on Chorlton Green in 1912

Chorlton Green was always a favourite of the travelling commercial photographer, and this one turns up again and again.

What makes it more fascinating is the detail.

Just behind the woman and pram is an advert for the Pavilion which was on the corner of Wilbraham and Buckingham Roads.

It was our first cinema and opened in 1904, and despite stiff completion from the two purposes built picture houses on Barlow Moor Road and Manchester Road limped into the 1920s before closing down.

But I am also drawn to Mrs Gertrude Green sweet shop at number 5 Chorlton Green and the delivery cart for Camwal which may have been unloading mineral water and soft drinks to her shop.

The firm had begun in 1878 as the Chemists' Aerated and Mineral Waters Association Limited and by 1895 had factories in London, Bristol, Harrogate and Mitcham.

It can’t be sure but it is likely that around 1901 they changed their name to Camwal or were taken over. Those wooden heavy crates would still be used well into the middle of the century for transporting various soft drinks and beers.

Now number 5 looks small and in 1911 it consisted of just three rooms. Fine for Mrs Green who was a widow and lived alone but two decades earlier it had been the home of the plumber James Moloy his wife and four children.

Today the house is bigger but looking again at our picture back then some of number 7 appears to run behind it but just how the internal geography of the two works has yet to be revealed.
Having said that our picture has not yet given up all there is to learn.

Until late in the 19th century the pub was just the space either side of the entrance at number 9 and as late as the 1891 census there were families in numbers 11, and 13. And you might think that when the picture was taken this was still the case.

The fence extends along the rest of the row and separates these properties from the pub. But by 1901 all three were described as the Horse and Jockey which may have happened soon after the death of Miss Wilton who had lived at number 13 and died in 1896.

I would still like to know who owned the horse and cart in front of the Camel delivery vehicle, and whether the woman pushing the pram was the child’s mother or one of the many servants who were employed here in the years before the Great War.

Location; Chorlton Green, 

Picture; from the Lloyd collection, undated

The lost Chorlton Bowling Green ..... Joseph Miller and the Lloyd Terrace ........Whitelow Road gives up its secrets ……….

It was a chance conversation outside the Horse Jockey.

Lloyd Street, 1854 marked in red

I was talking about the history of the pub when l was drawn into a conversation about Whitelow Road.

To be exact the question ran What do l know about Whitelow Road?

The short answer was not a lot other than part of it was once called Lloyd Street.*

This was in 1854 and instantly challenges that tired and well rehersed observation that "there are no streets in Chorlton".

Now, Lloyd owned a big chunk of Chorlton cum Hardy having bought into the township in the 18th century.

Back then Lloyd Street was a far more modest stretch terminating just beyond the Beech Inn where it ran into the 2 acre field called Row Acre which was owned by the Lloyd estate and farmed by Mary White.  In total she rented 77 acres stretched out across Chorlton and she lived at the southern end of Chorlton Green.

Whitelow Road, 2022

So back to the question because my new friend lives in one of the houses directly opposite the Beech and to stamp a bit more authenticity into the story high up in the wall is one of those stone inscription which usually offers up the name of the terrace and sometimes even a date.

Alas there is no date but the name Lloyd Terrace which is a nice connection to Mr. Lloyd.

In1891 my friend's house was occupied by a Joseph Miller who was 23 married to Emma and shared the house with three children, two brothers and a lodger.  

He was from Didsbury, she was from West Gorton and their eldest son, aged 5 had been born in Cheadle.  Within the year after he was born they moved to Chorlton and took up residence in the property by 1889.

Lloyd Terrace, 2022

Mr. Miller gave his as “coach man and domestic groom”  as were his brothers and the lodger.  At which point it is easy to speculate on who they worked for and whether all were employed by the same family. 

What is striking is the variety of birth places.  Along with Didsbury, West Gorton, and Cheadle, we can add three different parts of Shropshire as well as Chorlton.

I haven’t as yet got a date for when the terrace was built but a Frederick Fuller occupied another one of the houses in 1886 and by 1893 Whitelow Road extended all the  way to Wilbraham Road and all the buildings we now know and a few more had all been constructed.

So that just leaves a search of the rate books to push back to the moment when our terrace was built.  

All the evidence would suggest a date after 1881, when the land upon which the terraced is situated is shown up as Bowling Green.  

This must be the lost Bowling Green which had been connected to the Horse and Jockey where according to the historian Thomas Ellwood was “a number of gentlemen used to play bowls on the green then adjoining the Horse and Jockey.  For exclusive use of the green was reserved one afternoon in each week, in return for a small annual subscription, and the players generally partook of tea afterwards, and spent the evening together over a friendly game of cards."***

The lost bowling green 1881

In the 1840s the plot was owned by John Brundrett who rented it out to Thomas Cookson.

It was two acres in size which is roughly the same as the Rec on Beech Road. to and listed as "Garden"

The gentleman later decamped to Edge Lane where they formed a much grander club which limped on till 1950.

This may have precipitated the bowling green's change of use into residential because by 1885  Frederick Fuller was renting from the Brundrett estate in Lloyd Terrace.

As for those with a wider interest in Whitelow Road, it would appear that the stretch from High Lane had also not been cut by 1881, instead much of it is marked as a wooded area held by the Methodists.

So, from being a mystery road, Whitelow has started to give up its secrets.

Picture; map showing Lloyd Street from the OS map of Lancashire 1841-53, courtesy of Digital Archives,  http://www.digitalarchives.co.uk/ Whitelow Road, 2022, courtesy of Google Mapsthe  map of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Withington Health Board, 1881, courtesy of Trafford Local Studies

* It was still Lloyd Street in 1871

**Ellwood, Thomas Bowling Greens, History of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, number 26, South Manchester Gazette, May 15, 1886

Ordering that pint in the Horse and Jockey ……. back in 1793

The Inn on the Green looks the part, its low ceilings, small windows and half-timbered exterior could fool anyone into thinking this was a pub half as old as time.

It offered up its first pints some time in 1793 and is part of a building which dates back to the early 16th century.  

So, for those of a romantic but a tad less historical mind, the building was already into its second decade when Henry V111 walked up the aisle with Ann Boleyn, while two centuries on  some of its customers might well have shared horror stories about the Reign of Terror across the Channel which was consuming French aristocrats as well as Revolutionaries and heaps of innocent people.

It is a pub I often come back to,* partly because I like it but also because it features in much of our history, from being the place in 1848 where Samuel Warburton was arrested for participating in an illegal prize fight to a series of public inquests which shocked the Township and the subject of popular film,** as well as of course the home of many happy memories.

That said the half-timbered effect was only added at the start of the 20th century and for almost its entire existence the pub was confined to just the two rooms either side of the front door and the two above.

But on a fine summer’s day with its view across the green, I doubt many will be over bothered about it’s past ……….. even the fact that it was here that my first book, The Story of Chorlton-cum-Hardy was launched, accompanied by a large group of friends, interested historians and a folk group.***

Not that I shall elaborate, as that might be construed as outrageous self promotion.

Location; Chorlton Green

Pictures; the Horse & Jockey on an August morning, 2022, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

 

*The Horse & Jockey, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Horse%20and%20Jockey

**Bella’s Birthday, Frank Randle, 1949, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search?q=Bella%27s+Birthday 

***The Story of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20new%20book%20for%20Chorlton

The secret of the Narnia Lamppost ……. the string quartet .......and four pubs

 The History talk and walk is back.

On December 15th we will be exploring tales of the odd, the scandalous and the bizarre taking in some local historic landmarks, more than a few interesting people, and of course our four local pubs.

The Narnia Lamppost, 2020

In the course of which we will look for the missing plaque to a murdered policeman in the Bowling Green, wonder why the Methodists were cheated of their Sunday school on the site of the Beech Inn, and ask who was Trevor at the Trevor Arms?  

Snow on the green, 1984

And we will end inside the Horse and Jockey who will be our hosts as we round off with tales of suspected murder, the arrest of a prize fighter and the man who stole the village green.

In between there will be that string quartet, the Narnia lamppost and myths of tunnels under the green from the Jockey to the church and on to the Bolwer

So meet on the village green by the Narnia Lamppost at 12.30 pm on December 15th and finish in the Horse and Jockey.

Tales in the Horse and Jockey, 2024

A free history talk and walk.

All welcome

Location Chorlton Green

Pictures, The Narnia lamppost, 2022, and inside the Horse and Jockey, 2024, from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and Chorlton Green in the snow, courtesy of Tony Walker, 1984

  

Snaps of Chorlton ............ nu 13 the Horse and Jockey

An occasional series featuring private and personal photographs of Chorlton.

Now along with churches pubs must be one of the most popular topics for the snapper.

Sadly the exercise rarely extends to the inside so while there are plenty of the outside of our pubs inns and hotels few of the interior have survived if they were ever taken at all.

So here is another pub exterior.

In this case of the Horse and Jockey sometime in the 1960s 0r 70s.

The pub sent me the picture and I often wonder who took it.

Picture; the Horse & Jockey circa 1960s-70 courtesy of the Horse and Jockey

When history is fun …. free ….. and just a short trip away

We are entering that special time of year when along side all the festive preparations to come, there is chance to take a bit of time off and let someone else do the entertaining.

Chorlton Green in the snow, circa 1984

So, with that in mind Simpson and Topping are offering up a walk on the village green, a mention of their third History Wall and the launch of their new series of books on  "The History of Greater Manchester by Tram", all of which we commend you your diary.

Working backwards, on December 15th, at 12.30 meet us on the village green for “The secret of the Narnia Lamppost ……. the story of the string quartet and the history of four pubs”.

The plan is simple.  Andrew and Peter will explore tales of the odd, the scandalous and the bizarre taking in some local historic landmarks, more than a few interesting people, and of course our four local pubs.

Tales from the Horse and Jockey, 2024

In the course of which we will look for the missing plaque to a murdered policeman in the Bowling Green, wonder why the Methodists were cheated of their Sunday school on the site of the Beech Inn, and ask who was Trevor at the Trevor Arms?  

The Third History Wall, Manchester Road, 2024

And we will end inside the Horse and Jockey who will be our hosts as we round off with tales of suspected murder, the arrest of a prize fighter and the man who stole the village green.

For those who can’t wait for that event, there is the third Chorlton History Wall which fronts the development on the former swimming baths on Manchester Road.  Across three panels we tell the story of the baths and how the surrounding area went from being a small hamlet called Martledge into the busy urban area it is today.

Lastly, we invite you into the city for the launch of the "History of Greater Manchester By Tram", which will tell the story of all 99 stops along the eight routes of the Metrolink tram network.*

So far we have published two in the series, covering Trafford Bar to East Didsbury and Cornbrook to Exchange Square.  They cost jus £4.99 are available from Chorlton Bookshop, Waterstones, and Central Reference Library as well as us at www.pubbooks.co.uk

The launch will take place in the Central Reference Library in St Peter’s Square on November 23rd, starting at 1pm, and lasting till 4pm.

The Lord Mayor of Manchester will be present along with other civic dignitaries.

All of the above are free.

Location, Chorlton, Manchester

Pictures; snow on the village green courtesy of Tony Walker circa 1984, The Third History Wall Manchester, Road, 2024, from Peter Topping, and inside the Horse and Jockey, 2024, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*A new book on the History of Greater Manchester By Tram, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20new%20book%20on%20the%20History%20of%20Greater%20Manchester%20by%20Tram

Be careful what you wish for, .... snow on the green circa 1979

Now I know the old saying, be careful what you wish for, but I couldn’t resist this picture of the green in the snow sometime at the end of the 1970s.

Location; Chorlton


Picture; from the collection of Tony Walker, 1970s

Three meals ….. one pudding….. some history …. and three happy customers

Now, if you can find a pub which offers good food, attentive staff with a large slice of local history than the Horse and Jockey has the lot.

Under Iain’s management the place has returned to being somewhere you want to go for a good meal, excellent drinks and a backstory which will keep your friends impressed.

It opened in the 1790s in a building which was already into its 20th birthday when Henry VIII walked down the aisle with Anne Boleyn

I have been going to the “Inn on Green” for almost 50 years and for a big chunk of that time it was a pretty indifferent place which really stepped up to the mark when it was bought by Peter Dalton who turned it into an excellent place to eat.

After which it rather lost its way but under Iain’s stewardship it has again become a place we like to go. 

Today Tina and her mum had the steak pie, and I had the cheese and onion, all of which came with chips and a pile of green beans with just a hint of garlic.

And when Tina wondered about which red wine to choose, Iain came over with a selection to try and with that sorted I bored her with stories from the pubs long history, which included when the pub was used for inquests, the morning a notorious prize fighter was arrested outside the door and more recently its part in promoting local authors by providing a venue for book launches.

So yep, a good afternoon in the Horse and Jockey.

To which I can add the pub stocks copies of our new book which tells the story of the Horse and Jockey over the centuries.

It will cost you less than a pint and you can order the book at www.pubbooks.co.uk  or the old-fashioned way on 07521 557888 or from Chorlton Bookshop or over the counter in the pub.

Location; the Inn on the green, Chorlton

Pictures; from the collection of Andrew Simpson

An armchair …..a glass of something and stories of a pub

On a wet and cool August day, why not treat yourself a glass of something nice, in an armchair with the book on the history of the Horse and Jockey.

It will cost you less than a pint.

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

Location; The Horse and Jockey

Picture; An armchair …..a glass of something ...... and stories of a pub, 2024, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Sharing the history of the Horse and Jockey ….. with heaps of friends

 So, I can think of no where better to launch a book on a pub than in a pub.

And last night 40 people spent an enjoyable night in the Horse and Jockey to celebrate our new book on the history of the Horse and Jockey.

Our host Iain provided the wine and some nibbles, Peter introduced the book and Andrew talked about the history of the pub, and the old village.

We were joined by the Manchester poet Lindy Newns who read one of her stories and the event finished with a series of questions about the book, Chorlton’s past and that out rageous Sam Wilton who stole the village green.

Leaving me just to thank Iain, his staff,  the brewery and all those who turned up.

The  book is available at www.pubbooks.co.uk or the old-fashioned way on 07521 557888 or from Chorlton Bookshop, and costs £4.99.

Location; the Horse and Jockey on the Green

Pictures; the launch in the pub, 2024, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Stories from the Horse and Jockey ….. tonight in the pub on the Green

When you have a pub that first opened its doors in 1793 in a building which was still new when Henry VIII walked up the aisle with Anne Boleyn there are going to be heaps of stories.

The forgotten pub sign, 2024

And many of those stories feature in our new book on The Horse and Jockey in the series Chorlton Pubs The Stories Behind the Doors.*

The Horse and Jockey circa 1900

It came out earlier this year and today I can announce that the launch of the book will be on Thursday July 25th at 8pm in the pub and coincides with a recent redecoration and refurbishment of the place.

The interior has been repainted and repapered along with bits you don't see, like rewiring, and new pumps which you can see.

For me one of the crowning features is the collection of framed photographs and Peter's paintings which are taken from our book. 

The rediscovered chimney breast, 2024

And it was during the refurb that one of the former pub signs was rediscovered.  

It has quite correctly been reinstalled as a talking point and the manager Iain hopes it will spark a memory of when it stood outside.

Dining in the restaurant, 2024

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.

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 Horse and Jockey, 1936

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  or the old-fashioned way on 07521 557888 or from Chorlton Bookshop

In the dinning room, 2024

All for the price of a pint.

Location; The Horse & Jockey, the Inn on Green, Chorlton

Pictures; cover of Chorlton Pubs The Stories Behind the Doors The Horse & Jockey, designed by Peter Topping, pictures of the newly refurbished Horse & Jockey, 2024, from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and the pub in 1900 courtesy of Carolyn Willitts, and  A 'gang' of 'teenagers' outside the Horse and Jockey circa 1936 courtesy of Yvonne Richardson

* Chorlton Pubs The Stories Behind the Doors, Andrew Simpson, and Peter Topping, 2024

**Every Chorlton pub should have its own book, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2024/02/every-chorlton-pub-should-have-its-own.html