The Lord Ashley was one of a myriad of pubs in
Halliwell that sprang up as the area became industrialised but was then
demolished as the old houses that were built as a result of that
industrialisation were knocked down in the post-war era.
It was named after
Lord Anthony Ashley, whose Ten Hour Act of 1833 ensured no child over the age of nine
years of age worked for more than nine hours. Less famously, he was also
responsible for an overhaul of the Lunacy Laws a few years earlier.
The first mention of the Lord Ashley was in 1882 when
licensee John Kay saw his application for a licence blocked at the annual Brewster
Sessions due to previous convictions. [1] But the pub stayed open and
it was run by the Holt family for over 20 years.
John Holt was at the pub in 1891 along with his wife
Rachel and their two children. But by 1901 John was living two doors away at 25
Tyndall Street and working as a carter. He was succeeded by Baxter Holt, who
may or may not have been a relative. Baxter had run a pub before in the Egerton
area, the Church Inn at 120-122 Blackburn Road, but he was also a stockbroker and it was in this latter profession, rather
than pub landlord, that he described himself when his son William married in
1897. [2]
Baxter Holt died in 1903 and the Lord Ashley was taken
over by his wife Ellen. She remained at the pub until she died in May 1920 at
the age of 76.
The Lord Ashley had been bought by Halliwell’s brewery
on Mount Street around the turn of the 20th century. It became a
Magee’s house when Halliwell’s was taken over in 1910 and remained so until it
closed.
In Bolton Pubs 1800-2000, Gordon Readyhough tells us
that the Lord Ashley shut in the 1950s and shows on maps from around 1953-54. However, I am thankful to Tom Blears, a former resident of Tyndall Street who has commented below to suggest the pub was open until at least 1962. It was demolished around 1963 or 1964. Tom's aunt Irene Sharples worked at the pub along with her husband and in his comment Tom recounts the tragic story of the Neary family whose son was killed in a nearby lodge.
The rest of Tyndall Street was demolished at the same time and Kirkhope Drive
built in its place. An August 2015 view of Kirkhope Drive is below (copyright Google Street View).
[1] Manchester Courier, 24 August 1882.
[2] Thanks to Rob Hildyard for identifying Baxter Holt's pub in Egerton.
[2] Thanks to Rob Hildyard for identifying Baxter Holt's pub in Egerton.
I recall the Lord Ashley still being open up to 1962. I lived on Tyndall Street until 1964 and witnessed the demolition of the pub about 1963/64. The whole area was cleared under a slum clearance order.
ReplyDeleteTom Blears formerly of 53 Tyndall Street.
I spoke with my aunt, Irene Surples (Nee Taylor) formerly of 49 Tyndall Street. She worked at the Lord Ashley (late 1950's early 60's) behind the bar and her husband, Brian, waited on tables. At that time the licensee was a man named Neary. He and his wife had two sons, the youngest drowned in the nearby 'pan handle' lodge. The distress is reported to have caused Mr. Neary to die and the rest of the family moved away.
ReplyDeleteThe pub was run by my grandparents. We did move from Bolton in the 1960's to Solihull, W.Midlands.
DeleteLouisa Neary, my grandmother remained in Bolton for most of her life, moving to Solihull in her 80's to be closer to family.
I have fond memories of the Lord Ashley, especially playing in the club room on the first floor with my younger sister.