Stagger - East Manchester

Saturday 29 October 2022

We are trying a little experiment with today's stagger and holding it on a Saturday, rather than the traditional Friday night. "Why?" you may well ask. Because the pubs are well spread out, and public transport is sparse of an evening, so we thought a sunny(?) Saturday afternoon was a better option.

The stagger is a ghost of its former self. When Openshaw and Clayton were the centre of an extensive industrial area there was 'a pub on every corner'. When the branch was formed, Openshaw [essentially Ashton Old Road] warranted three separate staggers, with Clayton and Bradford each requiring their own, five in total. Sadly, how have the mighty fallen.

We start in Clayton at the Grove, a solidly built Holts house of many years. As you enter, take note of the cabinet housing a variety of historic artefacts from around the area. Left takes you into the original vault, with the newer extension to the right. As you sup your pint, take note of the war memorial which is now located on the wall near where the door by which you entered. Being the nearest real ale outlet to the Etihad Stadium, the Grove gets very busy on match dates, but worry not – City are not in residence today.

As we leave the Grove, take time out to glance at, and potentially visit, a rare piece of medieval architecture across the road. Clayton Hall is a Grade 2* listed building and a rare example of a moated (currently water-free) medieval site. Originally built in the 12th Century for the Clayton family, it later passed into the hands of the Byron family (of which the poet Lord Byron was a member). It was then sold to George and Humphrey Chetham, the latter being famous for founding Chethams School and Library in the centre of Manchester. Though now clad in brick, with only part being 'traditional' black and white architecture, most of the interior is still timber-framed and wood-panelled. Should you want to look around the Hall, it is open, 11am to 4pm, on 5 and 19 November. If you do take a perambulation around the park, take note of the bridge over the moat which is thought to be 17th Century, and is itself Grade 2 listed.

Back to the Stagger. We can either walk up Ashton New Road and turn right, down Crabtree Lane, but a more interesting approach is to get on to the Ashton Canal towpath via the bridge on Clayton Lane.

Whichever approach is adopted, the Strawberry Duck, or Crabtree Inn as it was previously known, is our next destination. Though now belying its age, the interior having been modernised and extended, the picture shows it in days gone by. Previously a Wilsons pub, the Strawberry Duck is now independent. If the weather is sunny(!!) the outside drinking area is an excellent place to sit and watch passing canal boats and the view is now a lot less grim compared with the photo on the right. Though originally a through street, via the quaint vehicle swing bridge, Crabtree Lane is now decidedly divided as the bridge has been removed. I wonder how many sat navs have lead people astray?

The easiest route to approach our next outlet is to continue along the canal until just before Lock 18, originally the Ashton Canal's only double lock. Turning left we find our way, via a cunning ginnel, passing through the Fairfield Moravian Settlement, built as a model village (it was out in the countryside then) by the Moravian Church in 1785. The late Georgian architecture, simple yet elegant, is the work of the renowned architect Benjamin Henry la Trobe, who also worked on the Capitol building in Washington DC, USA. When passing through the settlement, take note of the street surface; these are cobbles, as opposed to what is usually described as such. As we exit, take note of the stone 'fence' lining the right of the pathway. Though not common around here, this method of building walls/fences is common around Rochdale and Bacup (where they had an ample supply of giant flagstones).

Crossing Ashton Old Road, we enter the Railway on Manshaw Road. Originally, the Railway stood on Station Road – no it hasn't been moved. Fairfield Station was originally built in 1841 by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (known at the time as the Money, Sunk and Lost as it never made a profit!) at the end of the road. When the Midland Railway built its line to Central Station via Fallowfield and Chorlton, the junction was a short distance to the East, so the station was relocated in 1894. Back to the Railway, take note of the grand Victorian(?) lamp poised above the door, and visible on the photo on the right. The interior still retains its multi-room layout, though the doors have been removed to make it feel more open. Sadly, this deprives you of seeing the panel with 'Officers Mess' etched into the glass. Apparently, there was an Army Camp across the road in days gone by, and the 'men' couldn't be seen associating with officers.

We will now make our way back towards the centre of Openshaw, checking on a few outlets in passing. Our first objective is the Grove (not the one we started at) to see if the door is even open. After passing the Crown (demolished), Gransmoor (other use), Albion (demolished), Concert (demolished), Halfway House (demolished) and Forresters Arms (other use), we come to the Lord Nelson. Real ale has been served here, but the current situation is unknown, hence the reason for staggers. Around the corner, the Oddfellows falls into the same category - it has served real ale but its current availability is unconfirmed.

We are now going to take advantage of one of those rare commodities, a bus route which cross the usual radial service and thus avoid travel via a hub. Shock and disbelief! There is not one, but two bus services we could use to travel between here and Gorton. Depending whether we use the 7 / 7A / 7B, we will pass near to the Hare & Hounds (no real ale), Hamlet (other use), Abbey Hey (demolished), Prince of Wales (no real ale), Garibaldi (closed), Royal Oak (no real ale) and Cotton Tree (no real ale) or, using the 171/172, we pass the Royal Oak (other use?), High Bank (other use), Napoleon (other use?) and Railway (other use). I told you there were many pubs in days gone by, and that isn't even including Ashton Old Road. For a fuller listing, you can consult our Lost Pubs page on the branch website here: http://www.ssmcamra.co.uk/LostPubsPub.htm.

Finally, we will reach the Plough at the junction of Wellington Street and Hyde Road in Gorton. The availability of real ale has been intermittent recently, with the author always having been rewarded with such, but other correspondents being unsuccessful. Heading South, we will pop into the Lord Nelson to confirm the lack of real ale before arriving at our penultimate location.

The Waggon and Horses, a large Holts pub standing at the junction with Far Lane, is not multi-roomed but multi-areas. The large lounge has access to the vault, games room, back room and through here a beer patio (garden would be a stretch of the term!). Being a Holts house, we can guarantee bitter will always be available. This is occasionally joined by one other from the Holts stable.

Exiting the Waggon, and peering through the trees opposite (possible today as they will have lost their leaves), we espy the Vale Cottage. Cross the very busy road with care, or make use of the crossing some 100m to the right. Passing through the Gore Brook valley (a more interesting route from the crossing can be made via Tan Yard Brow) we feel like we are in the countryside. This, along with being the result of combining several cottages, with different levels and geometries, gives the establishment the feeling of a country pub – in fact, this is the Vale Cottage's moniker. There is always a cosy feel to the pub as you walk in, helped at dinnertime and early evening by the home-cooked meals on offer. Three ales are on the bar; Taylor's Landlord is permanent. The second pump usually carries an ale from Moorhouses on a semi-permanent basis, changing after two or three months, while a third handpump usually changes weekly. Various clubs and groups meet here, and the quiz nights (Tuesday - general knowledge, Thursday - Music) are a challenge. To further enhance the country pub feel, the beer garden to the rear has been given a makeover and is already inviting and, given a year or two's growth of the planting, it could become a wildlife haven.  

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.  

East Manchester

Suggested Timing	Pub Name	Address	Bus & Rail	Notes
12:30pm Start point	Grove	652 Ashton New Road, Clayton M11 4SQ	Map Clayton Hall
	Bridge Inn	273 Clayton Lane, Clayton M11 4SS	Map Edge Lane	No real ale
1:15pm	Strawberry Duck	76 Crabtree Lane, Clayton M11 4GU	Map Edge Lane
2:15pm	Railway	2 Manshaw Road, Openshaw M11 1HS	Map Fairfield
	Lord Raglan	1290 Ashton Old Road, Openshaw M11 1JJ	Map Gorton	No real ale
	Oddfellows Arms	14 Abbey Hey Lane, Openshaw M11 1LD	Map Gorton
	Hare and Hounds	187 Abbey Hey Lane, Abbey Hey M18 8TN	Map Gorton	No real ale
	Prince of Wales	410 Abbey Hey Lane, Abbey Hey M18 8RQ	Map Gorton	No real ale
	Royal Oak	114 Cross Lane, Gorton M18 8NZ	Map Gorton	No real ale
	Cotton Tree	79 Cross Lane, Gorton M18 8NY	Map Gorton	No real ale
3:30pm	Plough	927 Hyde Road, Gorton M18 7FB	Map Ryder Brow
	Lord Nelson	3 Fox Fold, Gorton M18 7FA	Map Ryder Brow	No real ale
4:00pm	Waggon and Horses	736 Hyde Road, Gorton M18 7EF	Map Ryder Brow
	Friendship Tavern	786-788 Hyde Road, Gorton M18 7JD	Map Ryder Brow	No real ale
4:30pm	Vale Cottage	Kirk Street, Gorton M18 8UE	Map Ryder Brow

On the map below, the nominal route of this extended stagger is shown in blue. Parts will be undertaken using the bus to reduce the amount of walking involved, and as a back-up in case of bad weather. As well as showing the still-existing pubs (with those not selling real ale in red), those a short distance from the route but which are now no longer open as pubs are also included.

 

View East Manchester Stagger in a larger map

Images on this page are thumbnails from various sources and no right is claimed. If you own copyright and wish either removal or acknowledgement please advise me and I'll promptly follow your wishes.

Updated August 2022

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