High Bank Inn 138 Ogden Lane, Openshaw, Manchester, M11 2LZ.
Years ago, I came by here on the bus, the 169 or 170 on my way from Ashton to Belle Vue – seeking the thrills and spills of the Speedway or the wayward, way-out musical fare at The Stoneground on Birch Street Gorton, former Corona Cinema, turned loopy left-field hang out.
The area was always a busy mix of industry, housing, shops, markets – and pubs.
Forty five on Ashton Old Road alone.
There are now only a handful – the High Bank sadly, is no longer amongst them.
Upheavals in the fortunes of East Manchester mean that the familiar hustle and bustle of densely populated streets and industrious industry, are now the stuff of memory.
It closed in 2015, had been sold on and seems unlikely to reemerge as a pub. Once a well used Boddington’s house, the cream of Manchester has well and truly soured.
On my recent visit mother nature had already begun to take over, and the tinkers had taken the waney lap fence.
Photograph Matt Wilkinson Flickr
So if you’re passing, tip your cap, raise an imaginary glass and a smile – here’s to high times at the High Bank Inn.
Manchester's Estate Pubs 
It’s a sad state of affairs and Openshaw is not alone. I worked in Openshaw in the 80’s and Ashton Old Rd had a pub every few hundred yards. All over Manchester pubs have closed at a ridiculous rate. I said when the smoking ban came in that it will kills pubs, few listened. I first noticed something wasn’t sight about six months after the ban when I drove into Manchester around 10.30 pm to collect my wife and daughter from the theatre. On the way through the city centre, I noticed bar after bar that was almost deserted at a time when they should have been quite full. Then, a few months later, I had to meet a friend down Oldham Road, where like Ashton Old Rd, there was a pub every few hundred yards. I couldn’t believe that so many were closed or boarded up. The smoking ban didn’t help, but the main reason is that today’s 18 -35 year olds, just don’t visit pubs as often as I did when I was their age. Instead they prefer to have a few at home, play a few games and then hit the club at 12.00am.
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