Stagger - Fallowfield and Ladybarn
Fallowfield and Ladybarn
Friday 20 February 2026
We start tonight in Ladybarn which, on the old map (right) of around 1800, consisted of a straggle of houses (plus I assume a barn) on Ladybarn Lane. The name "Ladybarn" refers to a barn, especially a "tithe barn", associated with Our Lady. It has been suggested that this refers to an abbey of Our Lady holding land in the area. The Abbey of St Mary-in-the-Marsh at Cockersand (Lancashire) is recorded to have held land in the Withington area. The barn may instead be associated with Ladyday - a day traditionally of significance in agricultural communities.
Our first destination is the Ladybarn Social Club or as older readers may remember it, the White Swan, a former Robinsons pub. Originally built by Kays, and their name can be seen on the photo. The Social Club was looking for new premises at the time that Robinsons had decided to dispose of the White Swan. Sorted! Much evidence remains to remind you of its former pub status, comprising etched glass, period ceramic tiling plus note the historic Off-Sales sign etched in the glass outside, whilst for the male visitor, the 1920s urinals are worth a look-see. The Social Club has continued the supply of quality real ale, being the first winner of Stockport &South Manchester's Club of the Year and went on to be runner up in the Greater Manchester competition. The club has extended a warm and friendly welcome to us so that we can sample one of their two varying cask ales.
Having dabbled on and off with real ale over the last few years, the Brewers Arms now has abandoned ship altogether and closed as a pub.
Depending on the route followed tonight, we may catch a glimpse of one of Manchester's lost rivers the Black/Cringle/Red Lion Brook. This rises in Heaton Chapel in the vicinity of the former Ash Hotel/current fire station and is here known as Black Brook. It can be seen clearly for the first time as it flows under Halesden Road. It continues flowing north but is hidden by gardens until a glimpse is seen beside the McDonalds opposite McVities. It at last becomes a "proper" stream as it crosses Cringle Fields before vanishing again. There are a few short above ground lengths, all hidden behind gardens. It next sees daylight after passing under Kingsway (and the railway) where it can be seen running between Beverly Road and Edgeworth Drive. It then vanishes yet again, but this time its re-appearance is speculative. The most likely candidate is the stream flowing across Hough End Playing Fields, and here known as the Red Lion Brook.
Next up at 310 Wilmslow Road, having gone through many name changes, is the current named Nest (formerly Cubo; Koh Tao; Waehlbar; Bar 43; Gin Club; Karma). Real ale has not been seen in this establishment, in this, or an of its previous guises, so ever onwards.
A few doors down the road at 320 Wilmslow Road lies Swankys, based in a converted former hairdressing premises. The conversion didn't run as far as real ale, so we will not be entering for that reason, but you may want to enter for a haircut as the hairdresser still operates from the basement.
Onwards to our 8:30pm meeting point in what looks like a 19th century mill owners home, the Friendship Inn. This does not appear to be either the original building, nor its original location. The photo left is described as "Friendship Inn, between Portwood Grove and Sherwood Street on the west (ie opposite) side of road in 1939" from the Manchester image library. If you look carefully, the spire of Holy Innocents church on Wilbraham Road can be seen in the background. The photo right is the more familiar view. Hydes gave it a thorough refurbishment in 2011, and the large horseshoe shaped bar serves all areas of what used to be a multi-roomed house in one go. If joining us at 8:30 be aware that the Friendship has a variety of areas "around the back" plus a swath of outside drinking, so keep looking. Though in the heart of student-land, the majority of the clientele are non-students. On the beer front the Friendship usually offers three beers from the Hydes range, something from Beer Studio (Hydes' micro brewery) and a guest or two, along with various ciders, so something to tempt every palate.
Leaving the Friendship we should now turn north along Wilmslow Road in the Manchester direction and in passing take note of a former venue on this stagger, the business on the right of the vehicle access to Sainsbury's car park. This used to be Remedy and before that it was Fallowfield Rail Station. The station was opened on 1 October 1891 by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway {known at the time as the Money Sunk and Lost Railway because it rarely paid dividends} which, after expansion, became the Great Central Railway {or Gone Completely}. The station is on the Fallowfield loop which stretched from Chorlton to Fairfield/Openshaw and thus allowed trains from Manchester Central to use the Woodhead line to reach Sheffield and thence London. In fact, had the Great Central chairman at the time of the London extension (Sir Edward Watkins) had his way, Fallowfield could have seen the Edwardian equivalent of Eurostar trains thundering through as his ambition was to build a Channel Tunnel! Fallowfield station closed to passenger services on 7 July 1958 but express services out of Manchester Central continued to use the line until that terminus was closed in 1969 following the Beeching cuts. The trackbed has now been converted into the Fallowfield Loop, a walking and cycleway all the way from Hough End (Chorlton) to Abbey Hey/Fairfield.
Crossing Wilmslow Road and continuing towards Manchester we soon reach our most northerly point at HandleBar, previously Fallowfield and before that Font. After opening it was a keg-only establishment (don't these students know what good beer is?) then in January 2013 real ale appeared on the bar. Only two handpumps served a variety of guest ales, but with RedWillow, Hawkshead, and Magic Rock being favourites. A little bit like the Tardis, this apparently small pub was much bigger inside!!! Again, despite the proximity of all the student accommodation, the clientele was surprisingly mixed. Not tonight however!
Turning South, we soon come across Haus, again unfortunately no real ale, so this allows me to tell you a bit more about Fallowfield. Assuming the name is derived from the medieval three field system of crop rotation, this district could have ended up being called Wheatfield or Ryefield or if named after the third crop it could have been Legumefield (Peafield, Lentilfield or even Beanfield). The first mention of Fallowfield is in a deed of 1317 (as "Fallafeld"). During the 14th century at least part of the land in Fallowfield was held by Jordan de Fallafeld. In 1530 it was mentioned as "Falowfelde". There was a period of building houses by members of the prosperous middle class in the 1850s, hence the proliferation of "mansions" which have been converted into new uses. A good example is Ashburne Hall, a house donated by the Behrens family to become an early hall of residence for the Victoria University of Manchester (as it then was). Back in its day Fallowfield was in the forefront of new technology, with a flight into Fallowfield being made in 1912, not 10 years after Orville Wright's pioneered powered flight. The pilot was a Mr Yoxall who flew the Avro 50 biplane from Trafford Park Aerodrome into a temporary air strip (possibly in Platt Fields Park?).
Back to the stagger and continuing south we come to another former venue on the stagger, Studio Bar (formally Beer Studio Bar & Grill). This former church annex is now a three room pub in a comfy style, mixing rustic features with masses of beer ephemera. Take note of the northern gable featuring a lovely original leaded-glass window thanks to the ecclesiastical connection. This building appears to have had a mixed history, being described as "Rusholme, Wilmslow Road west side 82, Fallowfield C of E Secondary Technical School for Girls" in the caption to the historic photo right. As a pub it was originally the Cheshire Cat, before being acquired by Hydes in April 2011 and re-named the Sir Joseph Whitworth, then a further re-branding took place in early 2015 to give Beer Studio Bar & Grill and currently Studio Bar. Although a Hydes pub there is no real ale on offer!
Remember the previous name of Studio Bar, namely the Sir Joseph Whitworth. "Who was he? " I hear you cry. Sir Joseph Whitworth, 1st Baronet, was an English engineer, entrepreneur, inventor and philanthropist most famous for devising the British Standard Whitworth system for screw threads. Before this every manufacturer made their own screw thread (sometimes unique to a job) so nuts and bolts were not interchangeable. Whitworth is less well known for the Whitworth rifle, often called the "sharpshooter" because of its accuracy and considered one of the earliest examples of a sniper rifle. Because of his renown in precision engineering Whitworth even helped with the manufacture of Charles Babbage's calculating machine, the Difference Engine. Sir Joseph was a local lad made good, being born in Stockport (there is a blue plaque on the rear of the Magistrates Court celebrating his birth place). When he made his fortune he built a home, called the Firs, which is behind the student accommodation and gave its name to the Universities sports complex.
So what is this famous British Standard Whitworth thread?
<Geeky bit coming up >
The form of a Whitworth thread is based on a fundamental triangle with an angle of 55 °at each peak and valley. The sides are at a flank angle of T = 27.5 °to the perpendicular to the axis. Thus, if the thread pitch is p, the height of the fundamental triangle is H = p/(2 tan θ) = 0.96049106p. However, the top and bottom 1/6 of each of these triangles is cut off, so the actual depth of thread (the difference between major and minor diameters) is 2/3 of that value, or h = p/(3 tan θ) = 0.64032738p. The peaks are further reduced by rounding them with a 2x(90 °- θ) = 180 °- 55 °= 125 °circular arc. This arc has a height of e = H sin θ/6 = 0.073917569p (leaving a straight flank depth of h - 2e = 0.49249224p) and a radius of r = e/(1 - sin θ) = 0.13732908p
<end of geeky bit > For even more information visit the Whitworth Society.
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Ladybarn and Fallowfield |
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| Timing | Pub Name | Address | Bus & Rail | Notes |
| 7.30pm Start point: | Ladybarn Social Club | 13 Green Street M14 6TL | Map Mauldeth Road |
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| Then at | Brewers Arms | 149-151 Ladybarn Lane M14 6RQ | Map Mauldeth Road |
No Real Ale - Closed |
| Nest | 310 Wilmslow Road M14 6XQ | Map | No Real Ale | |
| Swankys | 320 Wilmslow Road M14 6XQ | Map | No Real Ale | |
| 8.30pm Mid point: | Friendship | 353 Wilmslow Road M14 6XS | Map | |
| Followed by | HandleBar | 236 Wilmslow Road M14 6LE | Map | No Real Ale |
| Haus | 2a Landcross Road M14 6NA | Map | No Real Ale | |
| 256 Wilmslow Road | 256 Wilmslow Road M14 6LB | Map | No Real Ale | |
| Studio Bar | 256 Wilmslow Road M14 6LB | Map | No Real Ale | |
| Finishing at: | Great Central | 306 Wilmslow Road M14 6NL | Map | |
View the Fallowfield and Ladybarn Stagger in a larger map
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