Hardy's Well

Hardy's Well
Hardy's Well, Manchester
Interactive map of the Hardy's Well area
Former names	Birch Villa
General information
Status	Demolished
Type	Public house
Location	Rusholme, 257 Wilmslow Road, Manchester, United Kingdom
Coordinates	53°27′07″N2°13′19″W / 53.45183°N 2.22192°W / 53.45183; -2.22192
Estimated completion	1837
Closed	2016
Destroyed	2023
Owner	Hardy's Brewery;Enterprise Inns
Technical details
Material	Red brick

Hardy's Well was a public house in Rusholme, south Manchester, England. It opened around 1837 as Birch Villa and was later known as the Birch Villa Hotel. The pub was renamed Hardy's Well in the late 20th century after Hardy's Brewery. In 2016, the pub closed and lay derelict until it was destroyed by fire in 2023 following an arson attack and demolished.

History

Hardy's Well was a public house located at 257 Wilmslow Road on the corner of Dickenson Road in Rusholme, south Manchester, near to Platt Fields Park and the Curry Mile. ^{[1] [2]} The building was named after Hardy's Brewery, and was formerly known as Birch Villa, ^[1] later the Birch Villa Hotel, ^[3] which existed on the site since 1837.

It was a popular venue for University of Manchester students, and of Manchester City F.C. fans when the club was based at Maine Road. ^[1]

The pub was owned by Enterprise Inns and was listed as an asset of community value in 2015 as a result of an application by the Rusholme & Fallowfield Civic Society. The pub closed in July 2016, ^[1] and was at risk of being demolished. ^[4] A planning application by Eamar Development to turn it into flats and shops was submitted in 2018, which would have seen the shell of the pub incorporated into a larger building, with the poem on the wall as part of the inside of the foyer as well as being replicated on the new building's outside wall. The new building would have been six storeys tall, ^[5] and contained 62 flats ^[3] with shops on the ground floor. ^[5]

Destruction

On 25 May 2023, following an arson attack and fire on the site, Manchester City Council condemned the building on the grounds of the structure being unstable with risks to pedestrians and the local area. An emergency demolition notice was issued to the building owner and contractors were instructed to demolish the pub. Demolition took place on 26 May 2023. ^{[6] [7]}

Architecture

Hardy's Well was a red brick building, two storeys high with three bays. The building was topped with a parapet on three sides which had been decorated with blue and gold mosaic tiled signage which bore the name "Birch Villa" and the Hardy's Brewery name. When the pub was renamed Hardy's Well in the later 20th century, the "Birch Villa" inscription was obscured with paint, so only the Hardy's name was visible. ^{[2] [3]}

In 1994, the landlord & landlady Andy Pye and Melanie Pemberton made an agreement with poet Lemn Sissay to have his poem "Hardy's Well" painted on the exterior south gable wall of the building as a piece of public art. ^{[8] [1]}

Lemn Sissay's poem on the side of the pub

References

1. "Hardy's Well pub is shut down". Manchester Evening News. 8 August 2016.
2. "Hardy's Well, Rusholme". What Pub. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
3. "119100FO2018 - Former Hardys Well Public House 257 Wilmslow Road Manchester M14 5LN" (PDF). Manchester City Council. 21 May 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 January 2026. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
4. "Hardys Well and The Condemned Poem". Lemn Sissay. 7 August 2016.
5. Hall, Dan (20 March 2018). "Hardy's Well pub could be transformed into a block of flats". Manchester Evening News.
6. Wootton-Cane, Nicole (26 May 2023). "Landmark Manchester pub is being demolished today after blaze ripped through building". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
7. "Hardy's Well fire: Pub featuring Lemn Sissay poem on wall demolished". BBC News. Manchester. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
8. "Hardy's Well". Lemn Sissay Landmarks. Retrieved 8 August 2016.