Pleasant Street Harpurhey – Manchester

Pleasant Street  Harpurhey M9 5XZ 

Walking along Rochdale Road yesterday, I was suddenly arrested by the Pleasant Street street sign.

Having already been suddenly arrested last week, by the Bland Close street sign.

With my expectations defined by the above definition, I ventured along the street in search of happy satisfaction.

Coincidentally – The 18th century entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood pioneered many of the marketing strategies used today, including the satisfaction or you money back guarantee, on the entire range of his pottery products. The money-back guarantee was also a major tool of early US mail order sales pioneers in the United States such as Richard Sears and Powel Crosley Jr. to win the confidence of consumers.

It is also a top tune by Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes!

In 1958 the street looked just like this:

Photo – L Kaye

Whilst ten tears later it looked just like this:

Photos – LH Price

Manchester Local Image Collection

However at someone between 1968 and 2024 the housing had been cleared away – also missing in action is the Golden Lion pub adjoining Pleasant Street on Rochdale Road.

The Golden Lion was a proper old pub on the very busy rochdale road in the Harpurhey area of Manchester. Once inside there was a decent lounge and a basic bar i had a drink in the lounge and this was quite a comfy room.


This pub was a Whitbread tied house and there were two real ales on the bar I had a drink of Chesters bitter and this was a nice drink the other beer was Chesters mild. I thought this was quite a nice pub but sadly this pub has now been pulled down in the name of progress.

Alan Winfield – 1992

So here we are here today – yesterday has long gone and tomorrow never knows no how.

What’s left to see?

Manchester Hand Car Wash

Manchester Tyres

Pleasant Street Allotments

The allotments have had issues with fly tipping back in 2021.

There is now a lockable barrier in place on the cobbled cul-de-sac.

Photo – Howard Bristol

It is understood that the heaps of rubbish, including bin bags full of waste and unwanted wood and cardboard, have been growing in recent weeks.

Howard Bristol, the Secretary of the Pleasant Street allotments committee, said the situation has been ongoing for some time but has worsened since the removal of nearby CCTV cameras.

He told the Evening News that the road has been – piling high with rubbish, and that the area also had issues with the woodland behind the allotments being used for drug dealing during summer.

Pat Karney, councillor for Harpurhey tweeted about the flytipping on Sunday, calling it – unbelievable and disgraceful.

He added that those responsible should be – locked up in Strangeways for a long time, before adding that the council will – get it cleared.

Manchester Evening News

How pleasant is/was Pleasant Street?

Google says wait until there are trees are in leaf and the sun shines in the bright blue sky.

The Ark Royal – Harpurhey

Lathbury Road Harpurhey M9 5SY

Looks to me as though the pub was launched in the 1960’s along with the surrounding houses and shops.

In 1910 Lathbury Road looked like this.

In 1968 the area was part of the Manchester slum clearance programme.

Photo: Tommy Brooks

The real Ark Royal was built by Cammel Laird at Birkenhead, completed in November 1938.

Torpedoed and subsequently sunk on 10th November 1941.

The pub closed in 2007 – here it is in 1992.

Photo: Alan Winfield

Another great looking estate pub that was on the same estate as the Hipp which it was also fairly close to.


There was the usual two rooms inside, I had a drink in the bar room which was quite busy on my Friday afternoon visit, there was also a more comfortable lounge.


The pub was a Robinsons tied house, there were two real ales on, I had a drink of Robinsons Bitter which was a nice drink, there was also Robinsons Mild on.


Another pub that was was well pleased to do.

Never Ending Pub Crawl

Here its is in 2007.

Photo: Mikey

The pub currently trades as the Pathfinder Church.

We are committed to the growth and development of individual, our local and international communities. In the interim may I use this medium to invite you to be part of the move of God in our church, the Pathfinder.

The Lord bless your richly as you navigate through in Jesus name.