Category: Manchester

Manchester Venue 94 Chorlton – Part 1

My local tram stop about 20 minutes’ walk away is the current line terminus at East Didsbury. There are provisional plans in place to eventually extend this line through to Stockport, which would be an excellent addition but in truth is probably a fair few years from fruition.

On the metro route into town, you can jump off at either Chorlton or St Werberghs Road station which provide different access points into Chorlton-cum-Hardy (though I have never seen the Wheelies!). The Fallowfield Loop cycle and walking route follows the metro line at this juncture and terminates at Wilbraham Road by the tram stop.

Chorlton tram stop. Image Credit philweiland.com

Nearby to there is the Carlton Club at Whalley Range who have periodic gigs and the snooker player Steve Davis’s band has played there a couple of times, but I have never yet graced its doors.

The derivation of the area harks back to 610 AD, when the forest was initially cleared by those cheeky Saxons! Four such hamlets were merged in the 19th century and the name of Chorlton-cum-Hardy was created.  

The ‘quaint’ practice of bullbaiting was introduced in the 13th century and was active on Chorlton Green until it was finally thankfully made illegal in 1835. At this point half of the green was a private garden owned by Samuel Wilton, who lived in a house next to the Horse and Jockey, the pub remains to this day.

The population burgeoned following the introduction of a regular horse drawn service to Manchester city centre in 1864, following this there was also a train station built and an electric tram service opened in 1907. In more contemporary times (2011) the metrolink expansion 3a to the area further enhanced the commutability aspect.      

The River Mersey end of Chorlton route starts initially with the water park and then a path leads you past West Didsbury and Chorlton football club’s ground. I visited the stadium for the first time recently for one of their biggest ever games, but they unfortunately lost their FA Vase quarter final tie on penalties to Ascot United.  

West Didsbury and Chorlton FC during the aforementioned penalty shootout. Image Credit blogspot.com

The recent success of a couple of promotions has presented a conundrum for the football club who are recognised locally and simply as ‘West’. The resultant increase in attendances and attention has exponentially increased the demand for match day parking in an area that already had a dearth of parking areas which has naturally caused friction with the local residents!

Beyond there you then arrive at the leafy suburb of Beech Road with its bars and restaurants. My pal Matty Allen informed me that this street had the most prolific postcode in the country of Guardian readers, which sounds like a discerning crew to me. On the musical heritage front the Bee Gees went to school in Chorlton and performed their first gig in the area.

The other conurbation of bars is situated five minutes’ walk away around Wilbraham Road, one of those establishments is Chorlton Mary and Archies. It was their second branch to open in 2016 following their original site located in West Didsbury which subsequently closed in 2018. It is a cosy little bar with an outdoor space, and they occasionally have acoustic acts and on the one night I visited a lass called Sally was performing.  

Chorlton Mary and Archies. Image Credit confidentialguides.com

There is a swathe of bars near to the tram station and a particular favourite of mine is the Chorlton Tap right across the road. You are also within ten minutes’ walk of the Old Trafford cricket ground, where I have previously seen REM and Pixies perform. I also visited recently in a sporting capacity for a truncated day of Ashes action, the lack of play was a cause and effect of the ever-reliable Manchester rain!  

Manchester Venue 93 – Rose and Monkey

Nearby to Shudehill Bus Station, you will find two fine old-fashioned boozers, The Angel and the Marble Arch, the naming of the latter indicating its linkage to the Marble brewery and the pub also has the added bonus of a sloping floor, evident even before you have imbibed a drop of ale! If you then headed from there over towards Ancoats you would locate the Wing Yip Chinese supermarket where Gill and I used to visit in the 90’s to obtain ingredients for us to be wannabe chefs during the time Gill was undertaking her nurse training further across the city.

Marble Arch pub. Image Credit timeout.com

Back on Swan Street is the food hall Mackie Mayor where you can take your pick from a choice of cuisines and a plethora of craft beers, and I have sampled a couple of wares there, including some tasty pizzas. Mackie seems to have set a trend by inciting other similar establishments to spring up in other suburbs of the city and also at Stockport Market.

Just around the corner is Manchester Rose and Monkey. The building that now houses the pub was built in 1783, the reason for the creation was a reaction to the boom in population resulting from Richard Arkwright building the world’s first ever steam powered mill right outside the front door. Sixty years later it was first recognised as a pub, in fact two, as there was an additional one in the basement! There were many names across the years, The Glasgow Tavern, The Grapes, John O’Groats, Tam O Shanter and then latterly the Burton Arms.  

In the late 19th century, the two local gangs of ‘Angel Meadows’ and ‘Bengal Tigers’ regularly clashed. Around that time the Smithfield Market was built directly behind the pub and the olde world charm of the nearby Smithfield Arms still remains. Music also abounded on the streets with the production via the residents in ‘Little Italy’ of barrel organs and hurdy gurdies and the proximity of the market turned the Burton into a renowned yet somewhat dubious musical establishment.

Manchester Rose and Monkey beer garden. Image Credit mancunianmatters.co.uk

It was a brash Man United football supporters haven in the 90’s before rebadging itself into a real ale pub and a subsequent name change to the Rose and Monkey. It is now a homely establishment, and the small stage is just inside the front door and has hosted events by The Blinders, Goa Express and John Bramwell of I Am Kloot fame who performed in the large beer garden at the rear which contains a fully functioning vegan bar in the summer. There is also a bonny resident pub dog called Django who has somewhat bizarrely been credited on a recent Mysterines album.  

My one musical visit there was during the 2019 Dot to Dot festival. It was the most geographical stretching version of that event I had attended, and we had walked up from somewhere in the Ritz area so were craving a quick sit down. They had closed the front door due to the proximity to the stage, so we gained access via the beer garden.

Upon entering we were met by the sound of a lass who was performing on a piano on the little stage, she had a beautiful voice and was a compelling soothing watch. The artist in question was Megan Dixon Hood from Macclesfield and she has been referenced in the ‘forest pop’ genre and perhaps could be likened to Florence and the Machine and she has recently released her debut album ‘East of the Sun’.   

Megan Dixon Hood. Image Credit bandsintown.com