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Then and Now: Blue Bell, Levenshulme

THEN: The Blue Bell in 1910

While the tale about Turpin may have been fuelled more by myth than hard fact, the Blue Bell Inn is very real, having survived on the same Barlow Road site as its 1910 predecessor.

In fact, the older image of this part of Levenshulme - a rural enclave dating back to the 13th century - shows just how much the industrial revolution took hold of what was essentially a farming community.

NOW: The Blue Bell is due for refurbishment

Levenshulme, about six miles south of the centre of Manchester, was a village in its own right, located on the Manchester to Stockport Road, now known as the A6.

Today, the Blue Bell's imposing neo-Georgian façade commands a lot more space and attention than it once did, and is due for more refurbishment soon to secure its place for many more years to come.

The archive photograph is part of a collection chronicling the changing face of Manchester during the past 250 years on a computer at Manchester Central Library.

Do you have any memories of the Blue Bell?

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