The Kippax

BlueMoonRisin’ said:
No mate. Maybe the Gardners I'm thinking of ?
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@mancityvstoke has (i think) solved the mystery pub by sending me a link to old Manchester pubs. Thanks mate, much appreciated: )

The Red Lion stood on the corner of Claremont road and Jay street.

manchester_m14_redlion.jpg
I'm still not fully convinced though.

C'mon you FOCs. It stood at the back of the kippax carpark to the left of the school. Some of you will know for sure.
 
My wife’s first ever City game was on the Kippax. Had to make the pilgrimage from the States to meet my parents and hopefully get the nod from them. They were well pleased and we arranged a trip to Maine Road to see us play Villa!

Made sure we got there in good time so I could show her the sights, like where my Gran used to live at 173 Horton Road, the Croft where we played, the shops at Platt Lane where I used to go shopping with my Gran and buy our Lions Wine Gums, the ice cream truck depot where I got caught on the roof and almost crippled myself jumping off trying to get away, and even taught her how to dance through the ginnels dodging dog shit!

Got inside, pointed out the different stands, where I used to sit, the Dave Watson Gap, you name it! Full immersion day!

We stood towards the front of the Kippax on the side we were kicking towards (Platt Lane End), then did the walk towards the North Stand at HT.

She seemed like she was enjoying it, soaking it in, and liked her new sky blue & white scarf.

Then during the Second Half something happened that made me know she was The One…

She was fairly quiet, reserved to the point of social anxiety at times, yet equally as anxious to fit in.

She is from a fairly well heeled family outside Chicago, went to Catholic School as a kid, and was taught from an early age to mind her n’s and o’s never mind her p’s and q’s! She was the kind of young lady who thought “damn” was swearing!

So, it brought a smile to my face and almost a tear to my eye as, midway through the Second Half, the Kippax rose in a chant of “Fuck Off, Villa! Fuck Off, Villa!” and I look to my right and my future bride is engaged in the most full-throated rendition of that classic, with double-fisted V’s included for good measure!

We had been seeing each other for 3 years and I had never heard her say the F word before, yet here she was, on the steps of the Kippax, going hoarse shouting it at the top of her lungs, at Villa fans she didn’t even know she was supposed to hate an hour or two earlier!

I could only beam with pride then laugh, realizing I was about to engage in the ride of a lifetime with an Honorary Manc and newly minted Blue.

A new, yet now true, Blue, born on the Kippax, not in Manchester Royal!
 
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percypawpaw said:
After today my thoughts went back to the Kippax, could you imagine Leicester comming to Maine Road and taking the piss like today, no, whats happened to us.
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“Is this a library?” Met with silence
“Your support is fucking shit” Met with silence
“Ssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” Met with silence
“Your support is fucking shit” Met with silence
“4-0 up and you still don’t sing” Met with silence
“Your support is fucking shit” Met with silence

That definitely wouldn’t have happened in the old Kippax or North Stand at Maine Road, nor the CoMS South Stand pre-takeover or the Kippax Corner up to about 5 years ago.
 
BlueMoonRisin’ said:
@mancityvstoke has (i think) solved the mystery pub by sending me a link to old Manchester pubs. Thanks mate, much appreciated: )

The Red Lion stood on the corner of Claremont road and Jay street.

View attachment 32750
I'm still not fully convinced though.

C'mon you FOCs. It stood at the back of the kippax carpark to the left of the school. Some of you will know for sure.
Click to expand...
Was it on Yew Tree Lane of Thornton Road? They are the only roads whose backs face on to the car park. Going down Claremont towards Wilmsle Road there was the Sherwood on the left opposite St Edwards school just a bit further down on the right was the Lord Lyon, later Lord Nelson which had a curved frontage.

Further down that road was the Gardeners and on the right the best of the lot the Osborne. 3 pubs in about 150 yards in a side street. Happy days.
 
ChicagoBlue said:
My wife’s first ever City game was on the Kippax. Had to make the pilgrimage from the States to meet my parents and hopefully get the nod from them. They were well pleased and we arranged a trip to Maine Road to see us play Villa!

Made sure we got there in good time so I could show her the sights, like where my Gran used to live at 173 Horton Road, the Croft where we played, the shops at Platt Lane where I used to go shopping with my Gran and buy our Lions Wine Gumd, the ice cream truck depot where I got caught on the roof and almost crippled myself jumping off trying to get away, and even taught her how to dance through the ginnels dodging dog shit!

Got inside, pointed out the different stands, where I used to sit, the Dave Watson Gap, you name it! Full immersion day!

We stood towards the front of the Kippax on the side we were kicking towards (Platt Lane End), then did the walk towards the North Stand at HT.

She seemed like she was enjoying it, soaking it in, and liked her new sky blue & white scarf.

Then during the Second Half something happened that made me know she was The One…

She was fairly quiet, reserved to the point of social anxiety at times, yet equally as anxious to fit in.

She is from a fairly well heeled family outside Chicago, went to Catholic School as a kid, and was taught from an early age to mind her n’s and o’s never mind her p’s and q’s! She was the kind of young lady who thought “damn” was swearing!

So, it brought a smile to my face and almost a tear to my eye as, midway through the Second Half, the Kippax rose in a chant of “Fuck Off, Villa! Fuck Off, Villa!” and I look to my right and my future bride is engaged in the most full-throated rendition of that classic, with double-fisted V’s included for good measure!

I could only beam with pride then laugh, realizing I was about to engage in the ride of a lifetime with an Honorary Manc and newly minted Blue.

We had been seeing each other for 3 years and I had never heard her say the F word before, yet here she was, on the steps of the Kippax, going hoarse shouting it at the top of her lungs, at Villa fans she didn’t even know she was supposed to hate an hour or two earlier!

A new, yet now true, Blue, born on the Kippax, not in Manchester Royal!
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Fantastic story mate thanks for sharing.
 
denislawsbackheel said:
My first house was 186 Horton Road.
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Grew up playing football and cricket on that street, and against the houses at the end of the terrace. As I remember, the kerbs were really high on that street, too!

Did it have the big round ball on the entry to the tiny front yard by the front door?

Front door opened and it had a narrow entryway that led to STEEP STAIRS, and lots of them! Bathroom right at the top of the stairs, with smaller back bedroom to the left, then from there a long landing leading to a BIG front bedroom overlooking the street.

Downstairs, nice little front room looking out onto the street, bigger back room. Remember the big notch where the stairs were, because it was about the only place a table could go and a big window looking into back yard (complete with bomb shelter/coal shed), and a narrow little kitchen big enough for one person, two if you’re slender, and the back door.

Lovely little houses! 173 was a terrace end with a ginnel and my Gran’s sister lived next door, so noise was never an issue, but I assume it could be an issue with a less accommodating neighbor?!

Was where we left for the games after some butties and a bag of sweets, and where we returned to after the game. Saturday nights we’d be allowed to watch Doctor Who and stay up for MOTD and maybe even Parky afterwards. However, if there was a decent horror film on Saturday night, we’d watch that instead!

Happy days!
 
Big Joe Corrigan said:
The Gardners was on Victory Street, off Claremont Road.
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Round the corner from the Lord Lyon. Had a few beers around there after a match but have never been in(still probably got a pint in my hand from the Sherwood). Since heard it was a bit of a stop off for bands at the time. Remember the Osborne also at the top of the rd, me Mam used to chuck darts in there, both houses now. Oh and that working mens club across from the Osborne? Can't remember the name. Going back to the Kippax. Anyone remember some demo we were gonna do with candles? Would have been a Swales demo. We got the fire hazard chucked at us so it never went ahead. Kevin and his hair gel dodged a bullet that night ;)
 
ChicagoBlue said:
Grew up playing football and cricket on that street, and against the houses at the end of the terrace. As I remember, the kerbs were really high on that street, too!

Did it have the big round ball on the entry to the tiny front yard by the front door?

Front door opened and it had a narrow entryway that led to STEEP STAIRS, and lots of them! Bathroom right at the top of the stairs, with smaller back bedroom to the left, then from there a long landing leading to a BIG front bedroom overlooking the street.

Downstairs, nice little front room looking out onto the street, bigger back room. Remember the big notch where the stairs were, because it was about the only place a table could go and a big window looking into back yard (complete with bomb shelter/coal shed), and a narrow little kitchen big enough for one person, two if you’re slender, and the back door.

Lovely little houses! 173 was a terrace end with a ginnel and my Gran’s sister lived next door, so noise was never an issue, but I assume it could be an issue with a less accommodating neighbor?!

Was where we left for the games after some butties and a bag of sweets, and where we returned to after the game. Saturday nights we’d be allowed to watch Doctor Who and stay up for MOTD and maybe even Parky afterwards. However, if there was a decent horror film on Saturday night, we’d watch that instead!

Happy days!
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Exactly as described except ours had been knocked through downstairs. The kitchen out the back was tiny. The bomb shelter coal hole had gone and it was tarmacced with a few flower tubs. No central heating just a gas fire downstairs and a paraffin heater in the hall to heat upstairs.
I used to leg it home after some games, scum, Chelsea, Liverpool, etc and stand at the gate as the away fans were escorted down Horton Road by plod.
If you had a car you didn’t dare go out anywhere on match day cos your space would have gone when you returned. Eventually they introduced residents only parking to stop that.
They were cracking starter homes for people.
£7000 it cost us and we could barely afford the mortgage then!
 
Bonzo Nododo said:
Was it on Yew Tree Lane of Thornton Road? They are the only roads whose backs face on to the car park. Going down Claremont towards Wilmsle Road there was the Sherwood on the left opposite St Edwards school just a bit further down on the right was the Lord Lyon, later Lord Nelson which had a curved frontage.

Further down that road was the Gardeners and on the right the best of the lot the Osborne. 3 pubs in about 150 yards in a side street. Happy days.
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Always found the Lord Lyon a weird pub never seemed very welcoming after the match. May have been a bit of a rag stronghold, unlikely with its location but never felt relaxed in there.
 
Spurs quarter 69 said:
Always found the Lord Lyon a weird pub never seemed very welcoming after the match. May have been a bit of a rag stronghold, unlikely with its location but never felt relaxed in there.
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For a long time the landlord was a big blue called Henry Smith. He moved to the Kingsway, so don't know what happened after he left.
 
BlueSkinz said:
Round the corner from the Lord Lyon. Had a few beers around there after a match but have never been in(still probably got a pint in my hand from the Sherwood). Since heard it was a bit of a stop off for bands at the time. Remember the Osborne also at the top of the rd, me Mam used to chuck darts in there, both houses now. Oh and that working mens club across from the Osborne? Can't remember the name. Going back to the Kippax. Anyone remember some demo we were gonna do with candles? Would have been a Swales demo. We got the fire hazard chucked at us so it never went ahead. Kevin and his hair gel dodged a bullet that night ;)
Click to expand...
It was just called Rusholme WMC. Remember all those on Victory Street. Took me a few years of attending to discover them though.

pubs-of-manchester.blogspot.com

Rusholme Working Mens Social Club, Victory Street

Former location of Rusholme Working Mens Social Club, Victory Street. (c) googlemaps. Unlike its neighbour, the Gardeners Arms , the ...
pubs-of-manchester.blogspot.com pubs-of-manchester.blogspot.com
 
never heard it called the popular side. Main stand, Platt Lane, Scoreboard and the Kippax. The Mainstand was a never-ending twinkle of matches/lighters and clouds of smoke billowing up and out, when viewed from the Kippax.
Night matches queueing for the turnstiles at the back of the Kippax, being "herded" by the mounted police , 'kin yooj" horses with sparks flying from their hooves. Thousands of bikes stored in the back-yards. Still in the queue when the teams came out, mighty roar and the excitement levels notched up. The Kippax and scoreboard were rammed at the back but the further you squeezed down the more room, the hard bit was getting down there. A few "surges" and it settled down. The stink from the back wall was as bad as the pig farm on Yewtree road. After a match against the "loadsamoney chavs", walking home and being chased, ran out of breath and prepared for a shoeing, luckily they ran past, as they were being chased by City lads.....
 
Pig farm? Top of Cooper St in Withington (now Copson St)? Or was there another?
 
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