Brook’s Bar manchester

Brook’s Bar is a forgotten corner of Manchester that lies right across the boundary of The City of Manchester and the Borough of Trafford. It takes its name from the toll bar that used to be in place on the junction in Victorian times. The row of shops here are the oldest left standing in the area, and much older than the shops on Ayers Road, Old Trafford or Withington Road, Whalley Range. Most of the surrounding housing stock was demolished during the slum clearances in the 1960’s. The owner of some of the properties, a South Asian gentleman, chose not to sell up, hence why the row is still standing. There used to be a clothing and knit ware factory in the basement, and a restaurant and convenience store at ground level. In the 1950’s/1960’s the convenience store had a butcher’s counter and this is understood to be the first formal retail halal meat counter in Greater Manchester. A convenience store is still there to this day, and is a testament to the resilience against the opening of a Tesco’s on Upper Chorlton Road. Together with the former Whalley pub and bank (now bookmakers) buildings on the corner of the junction, Brook’s Bar is an important community hub for the local people of Old Trafford; Moss Side; and Whalley Range. It has grown to become the most diverse part of South Manchester.