Withington history
Public houses
Here are some pictures of public houses in the Withington area, with historical notes. For fuller details of the history of those in Withington village, see the Village history.

Click on pictures to expand the images, which may be then further magnified.

 
The Red Lion, Withington, Manchester

The Red Lion. This is the oldest building in Withington. The present building is believed to be at least 200 years old and the site possibly older. It was the location for the Withington Court Leet until 1841, and the meeting place for the Trustees of the Turnpike Trust for (what is now) Wilmslow Road. The Red Lion also used to be the focus of the Rush Cart procession on St. Oswald's Day - see the note below. [2010]

 
Red Lion bowling green, Withington

The bowling green at the Red Lion. [2012]
 
The Orion public house, Withington

There are a number of small Victorian public houses in the area. This is The Orion, taking its name from a nineteenth-century HMS Orion. [2010]

 
The Albert public house, Withington.

The Albert and the adjoining shop are the oldest buildings in the centre of Withington. The buildings were originally cottages, built c1824. [2011]
 
The Victoria public house, Withington

The Victoria in the village centre.

 
The Victoria public house, Withington

Another view of the Victoria.
 
White Lion public house, Withington

The White Lion (sometimes called the Withington Ale House) underwent renovation in 2010 and the ground floor is now a mini-supermarket. This is at least the second "White Lion" to occupy the site on the corner of Wilmslow Road and Burton Road. The basement of the building contains a well, and in the interior there is some splendid original stained glass. At one time, it was the custom for the White Lion to present May Day prizes to villagers (see the account below). The present building has a date plaque on the north wall of 1880. [2010]

 
Old House at Home, Burton Road, Withington

The "Old House at Home" public house on Burton Road was developed from a row of five cottages. [2010] It has now been
demolished and replaced by a housing
development. [2019]
 
The Cotton Tree public house, Cotton Lane, Withington

Cotton Lane - an old thoroughfare to the south of the village centre. The Cotton Tree public house, shown here, was demolished in 2011. The area, east of Wilmslow Road, was once called Cotton Tree Field, or Cotton Field. See the Village history for more details. [2010]
 
The Turnpike, Withington

A recently installed sign on The Turnpike public house, Wilmslow Road, depicting the milestone on the opposite side of the road. The name of the pub is a reminder that Wilmslow Road was once a turnpike road. See the Village history for more details. 
[July 2013]

 
Ladybarn Social Club, Manchester

Ladybarn Social Club on Green Street. Formerly the White Swan (a Robinson's pub), the Social Club moved here from Beverly Road in 2013. [2014]

 
The Mauldeth Hotel, Ladybarn

The Mauldeth Hotel at the corner of Kingsway and Mauldeth Road, Ladybarn. 
[May, 2014]
 
Brewer's Arms, Ladybarn

The Brewer's Arms, Ladybarn Lane. 
[April, 2014]
 
Former Derby Arms, Ladybarn

The sign for the former Derby Arms on 
Ladybarn Lane. The former public house 
itself is on Exbury Street, behind this
building. It was closed c2004 and
converted into residential use. [2014]


The Rush Cart Procession

The Rush Cart procession is recounted in Kenneth Whitaker's A History of Withington: "This took place on St. Oswald's day, the fifth of August. The rushes, which Withington provided to strew on the floor of the Parish Church at Didsbury, were piled onto a large waggon and escorted with mime and dancing. The procession was held for over six hundred years, surviving well into the nineteenth century. In later years the rush cart was made up at Mee's Farm, at the rear of the 'White Lion'. Sometimes the date 1603 was designed in marigolds on the cart. Fletcher Moss suggested that this date indicated when a cart was first used to carry the rushes. Before it, men or pack horses would have been used."