Didsbury South

Friday 20 September 2024

Tonight's stagger is a pleasant sojourn around one of the more cosmopolitan areas within our branch. Starting next to Fletcher Moss Botanical Gardens and the original centre of Didsbury village (the village church is located here) and ending in the current bustling heart of the modern Didsbury. It is also noticeable how many of tonights establishments are also thriving food outlets, so if you miss your dinner there are plenty of opportunities to catch a bite.

Before you start tonight's stagger, travel some 100m towards Stockport along Wilmslow Road and cast your eyes south and espy the Grade II* listed building the Towers. Constructed in the period 1868-72 for an estimated cost of £50,000, but now eclipsed by the modern Towers Business Park alongside. The Towers was designed by Thomas Worthington, for the editor and proprietor of the Manchester Guardian, John Edward Taylor. It then became the home of notable engineer Daniel Adamson - whose idea for the canalisation of the Rivers Irwell and Mersey resulted in the creation of the Manchester Ship Canal project which allowed sea-going ships to navigate into Manchester (almost - actually only got as far as Salford). Next, the Shirley Institute was established here in 1920 at a further cost of £10,000 to accommodate the newly formed British Cotton Industry Research Association. It was the Shirley Institute that developed the tog as an easy-to-follow measure of the thermal resistance of textiles as an alternative to the SI unit of mK/W. Apparently the locals know the Towers as Calendar House as it has 12 Towers, 52 rooms and 365 windows. You're welcome to count them — but not tonight.

As we approach the first gate leading into Fletcher Moss Gardens (more shortly) keep an eye open for a milestone. This was originally situated at the Parrs Wood turnpike toll bar (sited approximately in the triangular garden opposite Tesco). I wonder how they adjusted the mileage to account for it being nearer to Manchester, especially as it was probably measured from Manchester's Market Cross (somewhere near the Cathedral) rather than the Town Hall as it would be now.

Next of note along this bit of Wilmslow Road is Fletcher Moss Park and Parsonage Gardens (I would say take a look around, but in November the sun will have set some hours ago - Still one for another day). The main part of the gardens is a walled rock garden which was laid out by the botanist Robert Wood Williamson on a south-facing slope. Williamson sold the gardens and rockery along with his house, called The Croft, to Alderman Fletcher Moss, in 1912. The gardens have greenhouses where orchids are grown and, on the lawns are a great variety of interesting small trees including a very rare, yet unremarkable, specimen of an early bio-engineered tree that still survives today and goes un-noticed by most passers-by. Fletcher Moss (picture right), born in July 1843, was a philanthropist who led many public works in Manchester; in 1915 he persuaded the American industrialist Andrew Carnegie to fund the construction of a public library in Didsbury.

In 1919 Fletcher gave the gardens to the people of Manchester providing, "he could retain the use of it for his life".
Interestingly Robert Williamson's old house, the Croft, was the location of the first meeting of the organisation later to become known as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. In 1889, Emily Williamson née Bateson (Robert's wife) formed a group called the 'Plumage League' to protest against the breeding of birds for plumage to be used in women's hats, a highly fashionable practice at the time. The group gained popularity and eventually amalgamated with the 'Fur and Feather League' in Croydon, and formed the RSPB.

After that historic interlude on to our first establishment the Didsbury (formally The Ring O' Bells). Though it is part of Chef and Brewer eatery chain of pubs, it still caters for real ales drinkers, plus people only there to drink are not made to feel like lepers. There is both a spacious, well appointed, interior as well as a pleasant outdoor area to the front, both of which are used for drinking and eating (though probably not in November!) If you are meeting us here keep a weather eye out for us as we may be hard to find in this large establishment.

To enter the Ye Olde Cock (originally called simply The Cock, probably because cock fighting used to take place in the upper rooms) we cross what some people will refer to as a cobbled street, when in fact it is paved with setts. "What is the difference?" you ask. Cobbles are the rounded stones, typically the size of an orange, found in the bed of a river, whereas a sett is a quarried stone which has been squared off, and if well laid the surface will be flat. Now back to the stagger. The Olde Cock has had periods when cask ale was not available but Greene King, the current owners, have restored real ale. I suspect many of its clientele are there for the food which is served daily until 10pm, but a snug at the front affords a more intimate drinking experience. The current range of six ales may be increased, so keep your eyes open for interesting newcomers on the bar. Occasional beer festivals are becoming a feature. Just to show nothing is new under the sun, in times gone by, a Post Office/store was incorporated into the pub, so Pub as the Hub wasn't thought up by Prince Charles.

There is now a short trek down into the current centre of Didsbury, so the less agile may care to catch a bus, otherwise it is a brisk 10 minute walk.

Our next port of call and the 8:30pm mid-stagger meeting point is The Famous Crown a busy house which has sold real ale for many a year now. Internally it has several nooks and crannies which give the impression of there being several separate bars. Friday night tend to be very crowded and raucous but still enjoyable. And not one mention of food.

Next door now to the Expo Lounge, a café style bar with tables spilling out onto the pavement. Real ale used to be available, but is reported as being absent now, so in we will go to check this out.

Moving towards the traffic lights and just around the corner on Barlow Moor Road and the Nelson, a traditional local's pub which caters for TV and live sport - okay the live sport is only the darts team. As you enter it takes no Sherlock Holmes to work out that it was originally two rooms but is now converted into one continuous drinking area. On selected evenings a DJ playing Folk or Mowtown may be resident to entertain you. The beer available can vary, but whaterver it will be good value for money here in Didsbury, on one occasion having been £1 cheaper, for the same ale, than in another local outlet. We must move on.

Crossing the road and backtracking slightly, we can enter the Royal Oak. A Marston' house which takes advantage of the guest ales available within the group, four guest beers per month are served, as well as selling an excellent pint from the Banks/Marston range. Built around 1850, this multi-roomed pub has a large central horseshoe-shaped bar which displays an impressive collection of old porcelain spirit vats that thankfully were saved from a serious fire in the pub in the 1990s. WARNING - FOOD ALERT. The pub is famous for its award-winning cheese and pate lunches (served Mon-Fri) which many have tried to copy but none have been able to surpass for choice or value. Homemade pies and other dishes are also served at lunchtimes, whilst roasts make an appearance on Sundays.

For the first time we deviate more than 10 yards/metres from Wilmslow Road and go down Albert Hill Street to reach William Street and the Fletcher Moss. Currently named after the Alderman who donated the nearby botanical gardens to the city (see paragraph above). Previously it was known as the Albert, was this after Queen Victoria's husband or Albert Hill who the street is named after. Discuss. Inside it is a pub of two halves, with the front encompassing two traditional style snugs, full of Hydes memorabilia, before opening up into a large bright conservatory area at the rear. A convivial atmosphere is maintained throughout by drinkers as mixed in age as they are in their drinking tastes, with real ale, red wine and champagne drinkers alike engaged in lively discourse without having to compete with piped music. As you walk round you may notice an assortment of porcelain tea-pots, this is part of the landlady's 100 piece collection.

This should be the last pub of the evening, but if a smart pace has been set there are several other establishments in easy reach for that last pint before making your way home.

Below, clicking on Map will call up a Google travel map with that location automatically set as the destination. Insert your current location (post code?) as the start and choose a travel mode (public, car, cycle or foot) and discover your travel options. Following THIS LINK will take you to the Transport for Greater Manchester website for current travel information.
 

Didsbury Village South
Timing	Pub Name	Address	Bus/Metro/Rail	Notes
7.30pm Start point:	Didsbury	852 Wilmslow Road M20 2SG	Map Didsbury Village/ East Didsbury (Metro) East Didsbury (rail)
Followed by:	Ye Olde Cock	848 Wilmslow Road M20 2RN	Map Didsbury Village/ East Didsbury (Metro) East Didsbury (rail)
8.30pm Mid point:	The Famous Crown	770 Wilmslow Road M20 2DR	Map Didsbury Village (Metro)
Then	Expo Lounge	766 Wilmslow Road M20 2RN	Map Didsbury Village (Metro)	No real ale
	Nelson	3 Barlow Moor Road M20 6TN	Map Didsbury Village (Metro)
	Royal Oak	729 Wilmslow Road M20 6WF	Map Didsbury Village (Metro)
Finishing at:	Fletcher Moss	1 William Street M20 6RQ	Map Didsbury Village (Metro)

View the Didsbury South stagger in a larger map.

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Updated August 2024

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