Sunday, 5 August 2012

Southern discomfort

Here is a picture taken recently of the now-closed Southern Hotel in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. It’s a monumental 1930s pub in the neo-Classical style. It was originally built by Swales Brewery, notorious for “Swales’s swill”, who were taken over around 1971 by Boddingtons. Yet another example of big, purpose-built inter-wars pubs going to the wall. There’s no shortage of nearby housing, so a lack of potential customers within walking distance can’t be blamed. It appears in its last years to have adopted an Irish theme, with signs advertising “Mammy’s Kitchen”.

on

4 comments:

  1. John Clarke5 August 2012 at 11:38

    I get the impression this place has been in its death throes for some years now so I'm not surprised to learn it's finally turned its toes up (in fact I think it has previously had a period of closure).

    Many of these very big inter-war pubs do seem to be biting the dust - I'm guessing that their running costs must be very high which will tell against many of them.

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  2. Anonymous5 August 2012 at 17:18

    What a shame - it is a beautiful-looking building.

    No doubt it will eventually be bought by developers, knocked down, and replaced by some "iconic" concrete and glass monstrosity.

    Radical Rodent
    8

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  3. Woodsy426 August 2012 at 11:39

    I hope the council list the building, it's superb.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous9 August 2012 at 08:25

    This was open on 30 June 2007, I assume...

    ReplyDelete

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