Manchester: Rusholme, Moss Side & Hulme crawl, 30th July 1992

This was a crawl of some of the areas of South Manchester that I was really looking forward to doing. It was an early start from Nottingham on the Trans Peak bus, then off at Chorlton Street bus station and a bus down to Rusholme for the start of my crawl, which was done on a Thursday as it was a factory close down week.

Rusholme

1: Birch Villa

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

A large and decent looking Bass tied house which still had its old Hardy's sign at the top of the frontage. The pub had a couple of rooms inside, and I went in the smart lounge and had a drink of Worthington bitter which was on handpump. The Birch Villas was renamed Hardy's Well, and has just closed down in summer 2016.

A good start for the crawl, but the best was yet to come. A short walk along the very busy Wilmslow Road and I was in my next pub.

2: Huntsman Inn 

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was another Bass tied house that still its old Hardy's signage up. The pub had two separate rooms, and I had drink in a fairly basic bar. There were no real ales on here, so I had a drink of  keg Worthington bitter which was very poor. I was quite disappointed with this pub, which closed down a few years ago.

I now went off the main Wilmslow Road and into the side streets, heading for Moss Side.

3: Osbourne House Inn

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was a really nice looking Hydes tied house with a nice brown tiled lower frontage. The pub had two small rooms, and I had a drink in the bar which was smart and comfortable. There were two Hydes real ales on the bar, I had a Hydes Bitter which was a decent enough drink, and there was also Hydes Mild on. This was a very pleasant pub to have a drink in, and it's a great shame that it has now closed down, probably for good as it's owned by the next door mosque.

Moss Side

I was now back down Claremont Road and I passed some pubs I would do a little later (the Gardeners, the Lord Lyon and the Sherwood).

4: The Parkside

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was a very large and grand looking pub that was the closest pub to Manchester City's Maine Road ground. The pub had a few different rooms inside, and I had a drink in the comfortable lounge which seemed to be the largest room and the most popular. The pub was a Whitbread tied house with one real ale on which was Whitbread Trophey, and this was a decent drink. This is another pub that has now sadly closed down and has been turned into flats.

I retraced my steps to my next pub along Claremont Road.

5: Claremont Hotel

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was a pub I really wanted to do, a massive Joseph Holts tied house that was close to Maine Road. The pub had such a bad reputation at the time I did it. The Claremont had a couple of rooms, and I had a drink in the bar which had a pretty rough edge to it. There were two real ales on the bar, where I had a drink of Holts Bitter which went down very well, and there was also Holts Mild on. I was well pleased in doing this pub.

6: The Beehive

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

The Beehive was a Hydes tied house that was just up Claremont Road from the Claremont Hotel and on the opposite side of the road. The pub was quite modern despite being in the old part of Moss Side. There were two separate rooms, and I had a drink in the bar which was quite smart but with a rough edge to it, while the lounge looked quite smart. There were two real ales on, so I had a drink of Hydes Bitter which was a decent drink, and there was also Hydes Mild on. This is yet another pub to have closed down.

I was now going to walk into the new part of Moss Side where the new estate was built across Princess Road, and this area would throw up a few surprises.

7: Talbot

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

A large old looking pub that looked pretty grim from the outside. The pub was a Whitbread tied house and I had a drink of Chesters Bitter. The pub seemed quite intimidating so I was pleased to get out in one piece. I was pretty surprised to see an old pub in this area of Moss Side, although it's since been demolished. 

8: The Great Western

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was quite a smart looking pub and another old one. I was expecting to find some proper estate pubs in this area of Moss Side! The pub seemed decent enough  inside and there were two real ales on. I had a drink of Wilsons Bitter which was a decent enough drink, and there was also Websters Yorkshire Bitter on. This was another pub that had a rough edge to it, and sadly it has now closed down.

It was time to walk through the estate to head for Hulme, which was the main aim of the crawl, but there were pubs to do along the way.

9: The Whalley

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was a large Whitbread tied house that was next to the new Moss Side estate and at the top end of the Whalley Range area of Manchester. This was quite a smart and comfortable pub inside, where there were two real ales on. I had a drink of Chesters Mild which was a fine drink, while there was also Chesters Bitter on. This pub has now closed down which is a shame.

After a short walk I was in my next pub.

10: Little Alex

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was a small pub that was in the Moss Side area but quite close to Hulme. This was originally a Wilsons tied house but it had become a Vaux house when I got round to doing it. The pub had two separate rooms, and I had a drink in the bar which seemed nice enough. There were two real ales on, I had a drink of Vaux Bitter which was nice, and there was also Vaux Samson on. I thought this was a pretty friendly pub to have a drink in, but sadly this pub has been pulled down.

After another short walk I was on the edge of Hulme, an area I really wanted to do pubs in.

Hulme

11: Junction Hotel

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was a really nice looking Hydes tied house that was on the edge of the notorious Hulme estate and looked slightly odd in being an old pub in an area of 1960s built buildings. The pub was just as nice inside with a couple of rooms. I had a drink in the bar, where there were two real ales on. I had a drink of Hydes bitter which was a decent drink, and there was also Hydes Mild on. I think this pub is still open but not an Hydes tied house anymore.

I was now in the Hulme estate proper and my next pub had a great backdrop of the Hulme Crescents.

12: Sir Henry Royce

This was a typical Hulme estate pub that looked pretty grim from the outside. The pub had the usual two room estate pub layout, and I had a drink in the bar which had a bit of a rough edge to it. This was a Whitbread tied house but there were no real ales on. I had a drink of keg Chesters bitter which was poor, but I was still well pleased in doing this pub. Sadly I forgot to take a photo of the Sir Henry Royce, and it is now long gone.

After a short walk I was probably in the most grotty part of Hulme.

13: Iron Duke

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

You will have to go a long way to find a pub that looks as bad as this, so I could not wait to go in and see what it was like. The pub was a Bass tied house, and I had a drink in the front room which was the bar. This was a pretty basic room and it had a very rough edge to it. There were no real ales on, so I had a drink of Bass Special which was pretty poor. However, I was well pleased in doing this pub.

I did more walking round the estate which I really enjoyed while looking for more pubs to do.

14: Grants Arms

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was a decent looking old pub that was on the edge of the Hulme estate. This was a Boddingtons tied house with a couple of rooms. I had a  drink in the bar which was a decent enough room, and although there was only one real ale on, Boddingtons Bitter, it was a decent drink.

I now walked back into the estate to find more pubs.

15: The Falstaff

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

Another grim looking estate pub so I was well pleased. The front entrance was not open but I got in through the rear door. The pub was a Wilsons tied house. The pub had a couple of rooms and I had a  drink in the bar which was busy. There were two real ales on, and I had a drink of Wilsons Bitter which was a decent drink, while there was also Wilsons Mild on. I was well pleased to get another grim estate pub done. This pub, like most others in Hulme, have now long gone as the whole area as been redeveloped.

After more walking through the estate I found my next pub.

16: Grey Parrot

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was an estate pub that looked well looked after from the outside. The pub had the usual two room layout and it was a Greenalls tied house when I did it. There were no real ales on, so I had a drink of keg Greenalls Bitter which was pretty bland.

17: The Mancunian

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was another Hulme estate pub but it looked a bit smarter than others on the estate. This was a Marstons tied house, and the pub had the usual two room layout with a bar that was smart enough and a smarter lounge. I had a drink in the bar. There were two real ales on here, and I had a drink of Marstons Bitter which was a decent pint. This pub, like the Grey Parrot, has now sadly now gone for good.

A short walk from the City Road and I found my next pub.

18: The Unicorn

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was an unusual looking pub that had a tall pointed front entrance like a unicorn's head. This was a fairly smart pub inside and was a Whitbread tied house. There was one real ale on which was Whitbread Trophy, and this was a decent beer. This is another pub that has now gone for good.

I was now walking off the estate to get to the busy Cornbrook Road where there were a few more pubs to do.

19: Pomona Palace

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was a smart looking Marstons tied house that had two rooms inside. I had a drink in the bar which was a decent room, and there were two real ales on. I had a drink of Marstons Bitter which was decent. I thought this was a decent pub to have a drink in, but it was knocked down a few years ago.

I had three more pubs to do on this short stretch of road.

20: The Railway

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was a smart looking Bass tied house that was just off Chester road. I had a drink in the bar, but there were other rooms. There were no real ales on here, so i had a drink of Bass Special which was a very poor drink. A shame as this was a decent pub. Sadly this is another pub to have bitten the dust, with only its ruins still remaining.

21: Hope Inn

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This was a small corner pub that was an Hydes tied house with a couple of rooms. When I first got in here I was told the pub had stopped serving for the afternoon, but when I said I had travelled a long way to do it the friendly landlady served me with a decent half of Hydes Bitter. I drunk this very quickly as the pub was closing only to be told you can have another drink if you want. This was a lovely old pub that has now sadly gone for good, what a shame.

22: Star Inn

(c) Photo Taken by Alan Winfield

This pub was situated on a back street off the Chester Road. The pub looked a bit different to most pubs I have been in. The pub was a Scottish & Newcastle tied house with Wm Youngers Ales signage outside. I went into a fairly large and smart room that was carpeted and had comfy bench seating. There were two real ales on here, and I had a drink of Youngers No 3 which went down well. Sadly this pub has been pulled down.

This was a great pub crawl picking up some of Moss Side's and Hulme's best boozers, but there were more to do in both areas. The Hulme area has altered beyond recognition since I did the pubs there, with all of the Crescents being pulled down. It was pretty hard going as I only knew about a few pubs and had to ask in each pub if there were any other pubs nearby. This was in the days before looking on the Internet to plan a crawl. 

Next pub crawl will be a more up to date one.