History

The story of the Star Inn began on the 24th March 1835 when the Reverend John Clowes, landowner and Lord of the Manor of Broughton, released and leased a large plot of land between Hope Street and Back Hope Street to a Mr Thomas Agnew. At the start of the 19th century Higher Broughton was a very different place to what it is today.

Broughton was a separate township to the cities of Manchester and Salford and comprised of open countryside, fields, farms and meadows dotted with the occasional large villa or mansion. At its centre was Broughton Park which occupied the entire area from Singleton Road to Broom Lane with Broughton Old Hall, the residence of the Lord of the Manor, at its heart.

The Clowes family had become Lords of the Manor following the marriage of Samuel Clowes to Mary Chetham, sister and co-heiress of Edward Chetham. The Chethams were one of the largest landowning families in the area and on the death of Edward Chetham in 1772 Mary inherited Broughton Old Hall and 1000 of the 1048 acres that made up the township of Broughton. The Reverend John Clowes, Samuel Clowes’s grandson, became Lord of the Manor in 1811. With the rapidly expanding populations of Manchester and Salford he was keen to exploit the value of his large landholding.

He was determined, however, to strictly control the release and sale of his lands to builders and others and ensure that Broughton was developed as a high class suburb. To this end, covenants were included in deeds of sale which stipulated the minimum size and rentable value of any buildings constructed and how far back they had to be set from any highway. He also inserted covenants restricting the use to which any building could be put.

The indenture of lease and release for the land on which the Star Inn was ultimately built included the covenant:

… shall not nor will at any time hereafter erect or make or use follow exercise or carry on or suffer to be erected on the said land or any part thereof or in or at any edifice or building already or hereafter to be erected thereupon any steam or fire engine, vitriol work, glass work, copper work, iron foundry, dye house, bowking house, stove printing works, cotton or other mill or factory or the trade or business of a melter of fat, pipe maker, tallow chandler, soap boiler, or any manufacturory trade business or employment whatsoever which is or can be deemed a public nuisance or private inconvenience …

John Clowes died in 1846 and was succeeded by his brother Col William Clowes. Col Clowes was suspicious of the effects the demon drink may have on those of lesser breeding than himself and was keen to keep Broughton, particularly north of Broughton Lane, “good class”. To this end for land sales after 1847 the Clowes family added the following to the above list of no-nos:

… any inn, tavern or public house … or the trade or business of a publican, victualler, or retailer of malt, spirituous or fermented liquors …

The Clowes family were not slow in taking anyone breaching this covenant to court. As a result, by 1887 there were only eight licensed houses in the whole of Broughton which by that time had a population of 37,000. There were only 18 beerhouses, none of which could sell spirits, and only four of these were north of Broughton Lane (the Star and the Horseshoe being two of them). Higher Broughton was certainly not the place to live if you fancied a drink!

Fortunately for all concerned the “no pubs” covenant was inserted into land conveyances after the release in 1835 of the land on which the Star Inn was built. However the catch all “anything deemed a public nuisance or private inconvenience” probably prevented the Star Inn becoming anything more than a beerhouse throughout the 1800’s and into the 1900’s.

Richard Banks and the early years – 1835 to 1856

Following his 1835 acquisition of land between Hope Street and Back Hope Street from the Reverend John Clowes, in 1838 Thomas Agnew sold it on to William Higgins; a machine maker and “Gentleman of Broughton, Lancashire”. With reference to the above map, in 1846 William Higgins leased a 294sq.yd plot of the land which bounded onto Back Hope Street to a local builder, Richard Banks.

The indentures covering this transaction refer to two dwelling houses previously built on the land by Richard Banks. These buildings would become 2 Back Hope Street (the Star Inn) and 1 Back Hope Street (a residential cottage which stood on what is now the outside beer garden). The ordinance survey map of the area published in 1848 shows the land as an open field, the only building standing on Back Hope Street being a private dwelling house on the opposite side of the road known as Hope Cottage.

Although published in 1848, the survey on which the map was based was undertaken in 1844/45. This means that Richard Banks will have built the Star Inn in late 1845/early 1846. Paradise Cottages was the original name of the two dwelling houses built by Richard Banks. In 1851 he was living in one of them with his wife and five children. The two youngest children were probably born on the premises. The 1851 census records his occupation as a “joiner and builder employing 3 men”. The other cottage was occupied by Alex McMillan, a grocer, and his wife Hannah.

William Higgins died in 1853 and the trustees of his estate set about divesting themselves of his landholdings. In 1856, Richard Banks obtained outright ownership of the land and the two cottages, buying out his lease for £200. He promptly sold everything on for £305 to Henry Isherwood, a coachman from Ramsbottom living on Bury Old Road at the time. It is not known exactly when Richard Banks moved out but by 1856 Henry Isherwood and his wife Martha were living in what was to become the Star Inn.

Henry and Martha Isherwood – 1856 to 1893

Henry Isherwood became the first licensee of what was to become the Star Inn. Slaters Directory of Manchester and Salford for 1856 records him as being a beer retailer. The 1861 census records him living there with his wife Martha and a ten year old general servant girl, Patience Farnsworth. His occupation is given as a “retailer of beer and local provisions dealer”. Opposite at 1 Back Hope Street a Mr James Smith, a master gardener, with his wife, 5 children and brother were living in its four rooms.

In around 1862 the Isherwoods found that they had a bit of competition when Hope Cottage on the other side of Back Hope Street converted from a private dwelling house into a beerhouse. The Horseshoe Inn had opened its doors for the first time.

During the 1860s two further small cottages were built adjoining 1 Back Hope Street forming a terrace facing the Star Inn. Each of the new cottages contained three rooms and were numbered 3 & 5 Back Hope Street. In 1871 there were four people living in each.

Local directories record the Isherwoods as beer retailers living at 2 Back Hope Street until 1868. For whatever reason they then moved to Hulme to manage a beerhouse at 147/149 Lower Moss Lane. It is possible that they could have leased out the Star Inn to any one of the eighty or so breweries that existed in Salford at the time. In any event by 1871 the licensee was David Wynn, living on the premises with his wife, his daughter, a lodger and a sixteen year old servant girl Alice Davenport. His occupation is recorded as a “Beerhouse Keeper”. This is the first time any of the directories or censuses has referred to a “Beerhouse Keeper” rather than a “Beer Retailer” though of course the terms 3 could be synonymous. David Wynn did not last long and by 1873 the licensee was a Mrs Elizabeth Watkinson. By 1874, however, the Isherwoods were back at the helm.

Henry Isherwood died on the 14th November 1875 and his wife Martha inherited the Star Inn and the three terraced cottages. She carried on as licensee until around 1879 when she retired. She was replaced as licensee by Thomas Graham. Thomas was the son of John Graham, a “farmer of 24 acres”, then living at 18 Rigby Street. The 1881 census records Thomas Graham as living at the Star Inn with his wife Margaret. His occupation is given as beer seller. It is not known for sure when the beerhouse at 2 Back Hope Street was first known as the Star Inn. The 1881 census is the first time that it is recorded as such.

On retirement Martha Isherwood moved across the way to 1 Back Hope Street. Now 74 years old, she lived there with her 14 year old niece Mary Berry who probably acted as carer. In 1882 she leased the Star Inn to Groves & Whitnall Brewery of Regent Road. The lease was for 10 years at an annual rent of £30. Thomas Graham remained licensee and the Star Inn became a tied house, a situation that would remain in one way or another for the next 127 years.

Martha Isherwood died on the 14th May 1889. The Isherwoods had been childless and the chief beneficiary of Martha Isherwood’s will was the young niece who had tended to her in old age, Mary Berry. Mary inherited the Star Inn and the three cottages. In 1893, following expiry of Groves & Whitnall’s lease, Mary sold the properties to James Kay the owner of Kays Atlas Brewery and moved to Pendle. A new chapter in the history of the Star Inn had begun.

Kays Atlas Brewery – 1893 to 1929

James Kay acquired the Star Inn and Nos 1,3 & 5 Back Hope Street from Mary Berry for £1500 in 1893. James Kay was the owner of Kays Atlas Brewery Ltd of 225 Stockport Road, Ardwick. In 1897 he sold the properties on to his own company for £1800. Nice work if you can get it! Although now a Kays tied house, Thomas Graham remained the licensee.

In 1908 Thomas Graham, now 58 years old, left the Star Inn and moved to Prestwich and set up as a gardener. He had been licensee of the Star Inn for 28 years. He was replaced as licensee by his niece, 33 year old Edith Clara Handrinos nee Johnson from Higher Broughton. Edith had been living at the Star Inn for a number of years previously. Edith’s husband was George Handrinos, a Greek national. The 1911 census records Edith’s occupation as a “beerhouse keeper” and her husbands as a “shop assistant in the wine and spirits trade”. It’s highly likely that the Star’s customers were being plied with some under the counter wines and spirits and a good time was probably had by all. George Handrinos died in 1912 aged 46. In 1913 Edith married William Shaw. The 1921 census records Edith as being a widow so it is possible that her second husband, William, died on active service in the First World War.

In 1913 Kays made some major alterations to the premises. Up until that time the Star Inn had consisted of six rooms; a vault, smoke room and parlour downstairs and for the living quarters upstairs a sitting room and two bedrooms. Kays demolished the two smaller cottages, 3 & 5 Back Hope Street, and some outbuildings and built an extension onto the back end of the main pub building. The extension comprised, in part, two stories with a kitchen and a scullery downstairs (now the back room and ladies toilets) and bathroom and toilet upstairs. A private yard for the licensee was also provided. The work may also have included knocking the smoke room and parlour downstairs in to one room (the main room as it is now) however this may have been done at a later date.

Robinsons Brewery – 1929 to 2009

In 1929, Frederick Robinsons Unicorn Brewery of Stockport gobbled up Kays Atlas Brewery and the Star Inn became a Robinsons tied house. In 1936 they closed Kays Brewery and all brewing ceased at their brewery in Ardwick. Edith Shaw was replaced as licensee by Bernard Sandon. He died in 1931 and his wife Sarah took over the reigns. She remained licensee until 1934 when she was replaced by James and Ada Hill. The Hills didn’t last long either and by 1936 they had left and been replaced by Francis Preston and his wife Rose.

Francis Preston remained licensee until his death in 1959. Rose took over the licence and was assisted by her daughter Margaret and son-in-law George Frost who also lived on the premises. Rose remained licensee until 1968. Between them Francis and Rose Preston had been licensees for 32 years, the longest serving tenants in the history of the Star Inn.

Since Robinsons took over, there have been a number of changes to the Star Inn. These included the building of an outhouse/storeroom on the licensees private yard, the provision of outside ladies toilets and the conversion of the kitchen and scullery into a separate kitchen and dining room. In the mid 1960’s the remaining cottage facing the Star Inn, 1 Back Hope Street, was demolished and the area on which it stood became an outside drinking area/beer garden.

In 1968 Sydney and Agnes Allsop took over the tenancy and remained licensees until 1971 when they were replaced by Wally Marshall. Wally moved into the Star Inn with his wife Joan, sons Paul and Steven and daughter Maxine. At this time a pint of Robinsons Best Bitter was 2s 8d, soon to become 13.5 new pence. Sunday nights featured entertainment by a pianist with a strong resemblance to Nat King Cole, called Wilfred. He smoked thin cigars which along with the dim light created something of a night club atmosphere.

Despite Wally Marshall having something of a reputation for being surly and bad tempered the 1970s proved something of a boom time for the Star Inn. In 1967 Salford University had received its charter and many of the large decaying houses in Higher Broughton were converted into student flats (not the outcome the Reverend Clowes would have had in mind in the 1840s!).

This new influx of people into the area provided the Star Inn with many new customers. By the mid-seventies the pub was regularly packed out with Wally turning people away at the door. To cope with the increased custom Wally added the dining room at the back of the building, which had been part of the tenants living quarters since it was built in 1913, to the public area of the pub as a pool room. This is now the back room.

In January 1976 the Star Inn Folk Club met for the first time. Established by Martin Gittins, the club met every Wednesday night for the next 21 Wally Marshall years. In its heyday the likes of Mike Harding and Bob Williamson appeared as guest performers. The original folk club met for the last time in January 1997. Following the purchase of the Star Inn by its customers Martin re-established the folk club and it now meets monthly on the first Wednesday of each month, all players welcome. Today the folk club is managed by Mick Smith, a regular player and supporter since its original inception.

In the mid 1990s Wally Marshall retired and the tenancy was taken over by his daughter Maxine. In around 1997 a pub quiz was held on a Sunday night for the first time. This became very popular and was a regular event until the Covid lockdown in 2020.

Maxine left the Star Inn in 2001, and regular customers James and Catherine Crank became the new tenants. Throughout the noughties the Star Inn suffered serious neglect from its owners, Robinsons. Despite repeated promises that repairs and maintenance work to the building would be undertaken, very little happened. In June 2009 James and Catherine regretfully decided to move on and handed in their notice to Robinsons. As they started their six month notice period the Star’s customers sat, drank their drinks and wondered what would happen next.

The co-operative – 2009 to date

Towards the end of September Robinsons announced that they were going to sell the Star Inn at auction. The auction was to take place in three weeks time on the 15th October. A customers meeting was quickly held and a proposition was discussed to club together and make a bid at the auction.

Over the next two weeks enough money was pledged to meet the auction guide price with enough left over to stock the pub and carry out the most urgent repairs to the premises. Initially Robinsons were approached with an offer to buy the pub for the auction guide price however they refused to meet or even discuss the offer. On the day before the auction a company limited by guarantee, Starcliff Ltd, was registered at Companies House to enable the customers to bid.

James and Catherine held their farewell do on Saturday 10th October and their last Sunday night quiz the next day. On the 14th October the Star Inn closed. Above all expectations, the Star Inn’s customers were successful at the auction the next day, buying the pub freehold for the auction guide price of £80,000. Somewhat stunned by their success the customers set about necessary renovations and improvements to the premises to enable it to re-open.

Both the public areas downstairs and the living quarters upstairs were decorated. Electrical wiring and plumbing was updated. The downstairs kitchen was converted into an indoor ladies toilet and a disabled toilet and one of the rooms in the upstairs living quarters converted to a kitchen. Work continued throughout November and into December with local tradesman donating their services for free or for “mates rates”.

The pub was restocked and Rick Houghton taken on as manger. The Star Inn reopened as a freehouse at mid-day on the 19th December with long time regular Eileen Barratt cutting the ribbon. The “house beer”, specially brewed for the Star Inn, was supplied by a small local micro brewery, Bazens, from a hundred yards or so away on Knoll Street.

Starcliff Ltd had been set up as a matter of expedience to enable a bid to be made at auction. Moves were put in hand to convert Starcliff into an Industrial and Provident Society. With valuable guidance and assistance from Co-operatives UK Starcliff formally converted into a co-operative on the 19th April 2010. The Star Inn became the first urban co-operatively owned community pub.

Throughout the summer of 2010 further repairs and improvements were carried out to the premises including a complete re-roof. The outside ladies toilets were demolished and the outhouse/storeroom renovated. In November 2010 Bazens Brewery relocated from their premises on Knoll Street to the Star Inn and renamed as the Star Inn Brewery.

In July 2010 Richard Houghton resigned as manager and was replaced by Vicki Hughes.

In 2011 Jack Dixon, a music student at Salford University and member of the co-operative, organised a free night of entertainment showcasing young musicians. Further events followed and the evenings became known as “Stacoustic”. Until the Covid lockdown in March 2020 “Stacoustic” gigs have taken place once a month and the performers regularly play to a packed pub. Since its inception “Stacoustic” has delivered a great standard of music from a succession of highly talented musicians, singers and songwriters. A CD showcasing some of the talent that “Stacoustic” has had through the Star Inn’s doors was also produced.

Unfortunately in January 2015 the Star Inn Brewery had to close. A few months later its owner, Richard Bazen, sold it to Lee Renforth who re-opened the brewery and recommenced brewing in April. Following a disagreement between Lee and the Co-operative over money (what else!) he closed the Brewery and relocated to Newcastle. As things stand at the moment there is no on-site brewery at the Star Inn, a situation that it is hoped to rectify at some time in the future.

Since the Star Inn became a co-operative in 2009 it had been managed by a directly employed manager. In 2016 a decision was taken to change the management model from a directly employed manager on set hours and a wage to a self-employed manager who’s remuneration would be directly linked to turnover.

The new position was to be something of a half-way house between a manger and a tenant. The decision was taken with a view to incentivise the manager’s position and encourage new methods and ideas. Vicki Hughes decided not to be considered for the new post and left the Star Inn. Following a selection process a new self-employed manager was appointed in December 2016, Paul McVay.

Paul hit the ground running and amongst other things installed a juke box in the pub, held regular competitions and raffles, established a “gin bar”, took a barista course and began providing coffee. A brass band carol concert was held annually in December which proved very popular. The accounts for the financial year in 2019 showed the highest turnover for the Star Inn since it became a co-operative. Things were looking rosy … but along came the Covid pandemic.

On the 20th March the government instructed all pubs to close. The Star in was forced to close for a total of 9 months over the next year or so opening again on the 15th April 2021. During this time Paul McVay decided to leave for pastures new and was replaced as manager by one of his team Marie Touhy, ably assisted by her daughter Natasha. Although taking a severe economic hit as a result of the pandemic, since re-opening the Star Inn is running as a going concern once again.

In October 2023, Marie left as manager and was succeeded by Cath Ellis who is the current manager at time of writing.

Today the co-operative has 103 members. Since being bought by its customers, under Rick, Vicki, Paul, Marie and now Cath, the Star Inn has successfully bucked the trend for pub closures and remains an important part of the community. Hopefully it still has a long history ahead of it!

Footnote

If anyone has any further information or details as to the history of the Star Inn (including any landmarks, events, scandals etc.) or any old photos, we would be pleased to hear from you so that we can add them to these pages. Please forward anything you may think would be of interest to secretary@staronthecliff.co.uk.