Grand Central Pub
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Grand Central is a rock/metal pub and music venue at 80
It was once used as a meeting place for customers on their way to Jilly's Rockworld (originally named Rafters nightclub) which was situated in St James's Buildings at 65a Oxford Street, but since Rockworld's closing in early 2010[2] there is no longer a widely recognised alternative venue in Manchester.
Every Thursday night the pub works in partnership with Rocksector Records[3] to put live music on. There are usually three or four bands and the pub is strictly free entry.[4]
Grand Central has also hosted the annual Battle For Bloodstock competition.[5] The competition runs on Tuesday nights over a few months early on in the year, where 36 local bands compete over six heats, two semi-finals and a Grand Final. The winners win a slot at the Bloodstock Open Air Festival in Derby, a well-respected British metal festival.
It was refurbished in 2004 and has since been host to Carved Photography's[6] exhibition featuring photos by Sabrina Ramdoyal[7] of bands from Manchester's local rock/metal scene as well as more established bands from all over the world. The pub currently offers a pool table, jukebox and two fruit machines. There used to be a club open downstairs called Subway, however this closed before 2002.[citation needed]
History
The name "Grand Central" is relatively new and was adopted because of the nearness of Oxford Road railway station, alluding to New York's Grand Central Station. Until the renaming the pub was the Beef & Barley and included a separate steak bar, having been modernised in the late 1960s. The beer stocked at that time was Watney/Wilsons from Wilsons Newton Heath Brewery.[8] Earlier still the pub was called the Oxford Bar.[9]
The oldest records found featuring Grand Central suggest that it was originally eight separate residential properties. This is shown in an 1849 map of Oxford Street.
First-hand accounts recall 80 Oxford Street being known as 'The Oxford Wine Bar' in 1953, and later in 1960 as simply 'The Oxford'. In 1970 it became the 'Beef & Barley',[10] a Steak House, and a year later in 1971 'A Schooner Inn' was added to the 'Beef and Barley' pub sign.[11] Between 1977 and 1978 it was known as the 'Cork & Screw' and it became 'The Shady Lady'[12] in the late 1970s.
The Beer Scare of 1900
Peter Bostock was among several licensees in this area of Manchester who were suspected of unknowingly selling adulterated beer in 1900. The poisoned beer resulted in outbreaks of
Ghosts
Most residents of 80 Oxford Street are buried in Manchester's Southern Cemetery. There have only been two deaths recorded at this address; Peter Bostock in 1904 and Hannah Bostock in 1893, and one listed birth; Mabel Lewis in 1910. However, many customers and staff have reported apparent ghost sightings over the years at the pub.[citation needed]
Little Ireland
Grand Central exists on the periphery of what was once known as 'Little Ireland'.
Residents and staff
Resident | Description | Year | Source |
---|---|---|---|
William Derbyshire | Eating Housekeeper | 1855 | 1855 Directory |
Benjamin Heap | Cabinet Maker | 1858 | 1858 Directory |
William Blackburn | Dining Rooms | 1858 | 1858 Directory |
Peter Bostock | Landlord | 1861–1904 | 1861 Census[19] |
Hannah Bostock | Landlady | 1861–1893 | 1861 Census[19] |
Ellen Salisbury | Domestic Servant | 1861 | 1861 Census |
Theodore Kummant | Boarder | 1861 | 1861 Census |
Henry William Herbert Robeson | Clerk | 1872 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
Emily Taylor | Spinster | 1872 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
James Cullen | Clerk | 1872 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
Mary Wrigley | Spinster | 1872 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
Vincent Newton Cowburn | Engineer | 1873 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
John Hoyle | Joiner | 1873 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
Emily Laurie | Widow | 1873 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
Harry Thompson | Engineer | 1874 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
Elizabeth Gilmour | Spinster | 1874 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
Thomas Mellor | Grocer | 1875 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
Julia Ann Woolley | Spinster | 1875 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
George Jones | Gardiner | 1875 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
William Perkins | Plumber | 1875 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
Sarah Ann Thompson | Seamstress | 1875 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
William Wood | Labourer | 1876 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
Esther Hannah Bostock | Servant | 1876 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
Samuel Jones | Painter | 1876 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
Thomas Birks Sharples | Cashier | 1876 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
Elizabeth Fawley | Servant | 1876 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
John Ingham | Joiner | 1876 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
John Crampton Holmes | Clerk | 1877 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
William James Hall | Milkman | 1877 | St Peter's Church Records[20] |
Elizabeth Ann Steen | Domestic Servant | 1881 | 1881 Census[21] |
Hannah Jervis | Domestic Servant | 1881 | 1881 Censuc[21] |
Francis Holt | Servant | 1881 | 1881 Census[22] |
Florrie Oliver | Servant | 1901 | 1901 Census[23] |
Ida Paton | Child | 1901 | 1901 Census[23] |
Fanny Stephenson | Servant | 1901 | 1901 Census[23] |
Dafydd Lewis | Wine and Beer Retailer | 1911–1926 | |
Annie Lewis | Assistant | 1911 | |
Arthur Lewis | Child | 1911 | |
Mabel Lewis | Child | 1911 | |
Margaratta Browne | Servant | 1911 | |
Mrs Margaret Barker | Beer Retailer | 1929 | |
Thomas O'Donaghue | Landlord | Present |
References
- ^ a b Paul Hindle (1988). "Exploring Greater Manchester - a fieldwork guide" (PDF). Manchester Geographical Society.
- ^ Qureshi, Yakub (April 14, 2010). "Music is over at Jilly's Rockworld". Manchester Evening News. M.E.N. Media. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
- ^ Mark Appleton. "Rocksector Records : Homepage". Mwaweb.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
- ^ "Grand Central : homepage". Archived from the original on March 14, 2011.
- ^ "Bloodstock - Metal to the Masses". Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- ^ "Carved Photography". Archived from the original on August 27, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
- ^ "Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography".
- ^ Evans, David G. et al. (1975) The Manchester Pub Guide. Manchester: Manchester Pub Surveys; p. 32
- ^ Ordnance Survey Plan SJ8497: scale 1:2500 or 25.344 inches to 1 mile; edition of 1955
- ^ Beef & Barley
- ^ Schooner Inn
- ^ The Shady Lady
- ^ Clark, Christine. The British Malting Industry Since 1830. The Hambledon Press 1998; p. 77.
- ^ Burnet, John. Plenty and Want: a social history of food in England from 1815 to the present day. Methuen & Co. Ltd. 1985; p. 235.
- ^ The Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 36. 1901; p. 45.
- ISBN 9781849723220
- p. 56.
- ^ "A history of the Irish in Manchester". Prideofmanchester.com. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
- ^ Great British Railway Journeys#Manchester to Chesterfield
- ^ a b Source: RG10; Piece: 4039; Folio: 160; Page: 37; GSU roll: 846332.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerk Project - District of Manchester". Lan-opc.org.uk. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
- ^ a b Source: RG11; Piece: 3990; Folio: 158; Page: 19; GSU roll: 1341952.
- ^ Source : RG12; Piece: 3238; Folio 10; Page 13; GSU roll: 6098348.
- ^ a b c Source: RG13; Piece: 3747; Folio: 8; Page: 7.