Newton & Ridley

The Newton and Ridley Brewery (formerly Newton, Ridley and Oakes and The Stag Brewery) was established in Weatherfield in 1781. During the 19th century, Newton and Ridley expanded its operations, moving towards the acquisition and construction of new public houses.

There was also pub crawl called the Weatherfield 7.

History[]

The Stag Brewery: Fairhurst and Oakes[]

In 1781, William Fairhurst formed The Stag Brewery in Weatherfield. Fairhurst had trained as a maltster in a few London breweries and was very experienced. He moved to Manchester, looking for a place to start his own business. In less than a decade, Manchester's population had grown largely and the favourite drink of every man, woman and even the children was beer. The average family spent more on beef than on any household item.

Fairhurst had fascinated local businessman Fairley Oakes in his plans to introduce high quality ale to working men. They built the brewery on Bridgegate Street, (now Albert Road). Whilst working in London, Fairhurst had worked with something called saccharometers, the latest technology at the time for measuring the strength of beer, and he introduced this machine at his own brewery - the first of the brewers to do that. With Oakes' experience in mill work and Fairhurst's knowledge and expertise, the pair made quite a team and The Stag Brewery formed a great reputation for producing high quality beer at reasonable prices.

The Stag Brewery: Oakes[]

Fairhurst died in 1824, leaving his share of the successful brewery to his partner, Fairley Oakes, as he had no family of his own. Oakes, in his late sixties, employed his son Samuel as his new partner and gave him the day-to-day running of the business. The brewery industry was changing dramatically - new systems and machinery massively increased beer production. Also, beer duty was abolished in 1830, giving an extra boost to sales as home brews dropped.

In 1848, The Stag Inn on Bridgegate Street was the very first ale house to be built by the brewery. That same year, Fairley Oakes died and Samuel Oakes took control of the brewery, making his eighteen-year old son Percival his new business partner. Two years later, the brewery expanded and its second house, The Flying Dutchman, (later renamed The Flying Horse), was opened.

The head office of the brewery was situated on Irlam Road in later years.

The Stag Brewery: Newton, Ridley and Oakes[]

Percival Oakes, Aubrey Newton and Leopold Ridley were present on 16th August 1902 when the Rovers Return Inn opened. Lieutenant Philip Ridley led the opening ceremony.

Newton and Ridley[]

To be added

This information is taken from "Life And Times At The Rovers Return" by Daran Little.

Pubs[]

Rovers Return Inn[]

Newton & Ridley acquired the freehold to the newly built public house on Coronation Street in 1902. The pub was named the Rovers Return Inn and is the principal meeting place in the street. Although the house is no longer owned by Newton and Ridley, the brewery's products are still available.

The Flying Horse[]

Newton and Ridley opened "The Flying Dutchman" at the corner of Jubilee Terrace in 1850. The name was changed in 1905 to The Flying Horse for patriotic reasons. Until around 1985, The Flying Horse was the biggest rival pub to the "Rovers Return", with the regulars from both houses clashing in many friendly contests such as a tug-of-war in 1967, mixed football in 1969 and pub Olympics in 1984. The pub, being nearest geographically to the Rovers, was its strongest rival and often took in Rovers' customers who either fancied a change or found themselves barred or boycotting their usual haunt.

Laughing Donkey[]

The Laughing Donkey" can be found on Omdurman Street, overlooking North Cross Park. It was the stronghold of landlady Nellie Harvey, acquaintance and nemesis of Rovers' landlady, Annie Walker.

The Eagle and Child[]

The Eagle and Child was a pub in Palmerston Street that had an expensive refit carried out to it in early 1963 which meant that funds were not available to fulfil Annie Walker's request that the upholstery in the Rovers be upgraded.

The Queens[]

The Queens was built in 1931 and is situated towards the "trendy" Weatherfield Quays to the south of the town. Former Rovers' landlady Liz McDonald was installed as landlady by Newton and Ridley in 1993.

Weatherfield Arms[]

The Weatherfield Arms is located in Westbury Street. Liz McDonald was the manager for a while after losing her job at the Rovers. Other employees included Bev Unwin and Cilla Brown.

White Swan[]

The White Swan on Clarence Street was under Stella Rigby's management at much the same time as Bet Gilroy was landlady of the Rovers. Stella, although a very different character to Annie Walker, had much the same aspirations of class and thought her pub to be very much up-market compared to the Rovers.

Other pubs[]

The Queen Elizabeth
The Man in the Moon
The Cock and Bottle
Dirty Nelly's
The Frog and Bucket
The Red Lion