Alexandra, Moss Lane East, Moss Side. (c) Moss Side Durning... Facebook [1].
Known locally as the "Big Alex" (the "Little Alex" was nearby on Alexandra Road), the Alexandra Hotel was on the corner of Princess Road and Moss Lane East, opposite the Royal Brewery [2]. It was demolished in the early 1980s having suffered fire damage as part of the Moss Side riots of 1981 (see the pub, centre-left, below) [3,4].
It is shown in 1958 as a huge, imposing, turreted pub and looked even more impressive in 1906. This one from 1975 is looking past the back of the Alexandra, past the brewery down Denmark Road.
The Big Alex was a Threllfalls / Chesters house, later Whitbread, and has now been replaced by the private Bridgewater Hospital.
Former location of Alexandra, Moss Lane East. (c) Google 2012. View Larger Map.
I remember the Alex pub, opposite the brewery and the library, and a bit further down Princess rd was the Wycliffe cinema, spent many a happy saturday afternoon at the matinee.
ReplyDeleteMoss Side was completely ruined by Manchester City Council. Widespread demolition instead of modernisation (some say corruption at work) disrupted and dispersed the community. The people were ignored for decades and still are.
ReplyDeleteThose that did not live there have no idea.
ReplyDeleteYes rough, yes tough, but if you didn't go looking for trouble, or actively involve yourself in non lawful things. 99% plus of the time it was a great place to live.
There not many places that that can be said about.
Mainly the older more neglected areas where people had to stick together to survive. The destruction of moss side and many other parts of MANCHESTER was nothing less than criminal on its scope and that damage it wrought, I hope those responsible are squirming in there graves.