Green's Arms, 25 St Helens Road

The top of Adelaide Street as its junction with St Helens Road pictured in May 2014 (Copyright Lost Pubs Of Bolton). The Green's Arms fronted St Helens Road on the corner with Adelaide Street. The road lay-out has been changed to curve the corner at the top of Adelaide Street so that anyone taking a left turn onto the main road is probably driving through at least part of the site of the Greens Arms.

As we’ve seen with the British Oak as Derby Street became more populated the pubs began to open. Some, such as the Pike View, the Albert  and the Farmer’s Arms have closed in living memory. Others, such as the Stanley Arms and the Lord Nelson closed much earlier.

The Green's Arms falls into the latter. Situated on the corner of Adelaide Street and St Helens Road the Green's Arms was owned for much of its early existence by Fairhurst’s Brewery of Wigan. Fairhurst’s was opened by James Fairhurst in 1858 and was passed on to his son Thomas.  But when Thomas died in 1920 his wife sold the brewery and its 11 pubs at auction. Six ended up with Walker Cain Ltd of Warrington, however, five pubs – including the Green's Arms – ended up in the hands of Magee, Marshall & Co whose brewery was situated on Cricket Street less than half a mile away from the pub.

The Green's became a Greenall Whitley house in 1958 when Magee’s was taken over but it is likely that it was still being supplied from Cricket Street until around 1970. That was the year Magee’s closed and, according to Gordon Readyhough, the Greens Arms closed as well. [1]

The whole area fronting St Helens Road from Adelaide Street to Barrier Street was demolished soon after the pub was closed along with Stamford Street, Joseph Street, Barrier Street and Derwent Street. Industrial units were subsequently built on the site.

Greens Arms pictured in the 1960s

[1] Bolton Pubs 1800-2000, by Gordon Readyhough. Published by Neil Richardson (2000).