Long Lost Pub

Manchester Arms

14 Great Norbury Street

Ann and Bill Stones have passed to me these pictures of the Manchester Arms. They were sent to Bill by his cousin Maureen, who now lives in Market Harborough, and who had this to say about the photo of the Manchester Arms:

"On the back my mother has written who the ladies are, and as far as I can decipher the lady sitting down is my father's grandmother (Elizabeth) and her daughters - Hannah (who lived at 9 Parsonage Street), Eliza and Maria (pronounced Mar eye a)."

She didn't send the original photo, just two photocopies, one of which shows the name of the Manchester Arms clearly but the ladies are a little indistinct, and the second one shows the ladies more clearly but you can't make out the full name of the Manchester Arms. These have been joined together to bring out the best of both.

Paul Taylor's book 'A History Of The Pubs Of Hyde And District' says:

"The first years of the Manchester Arms were dominated by the Bardsley family. The first licensee was William Barsdsley, followed by John in 1878, another William in 1882 and finally Elizabeth in 1888. She left in 1900 to take over the Ring-o-Bells on Stockport Road. "

The is a photo (not a photocopy) about which which she doesn't appear to have any information, but it looks as if it may have been taken at the Manchester Arms.

Why there are white ensigns flying from the windows of the pub I don't know, but assuming that Elizabeth was the landlady at the time of the photograph it puts it between 1888 and 1900, and the most notable causes for public celebration in that period according to The History of Hyde were the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria  on 22nd June 1897 and the relief of Ladysmith in the Boer War on 1st March 1900 when a telegram was received in Hyde at about 10am:

"In a few minutes flags appeared on the public buildings, the mills, the shops of tradesmen, and in the upper windows of almost every house, and streamers and strings of bannerettes were thrown across the streets."

There was a further celebration on 19th May 1900 after news of the relief of Mafeking had been received.

DAVE