The White Lion, Stockport’s oldest and one of its most historic pubs has been reborn and is now officially open to the public for the first time in 15 years.
Brought back to life by the team behind Alfredo’s Pizza Social, which opened up just a stone’s throw away on Great Underbank last year, the newly reopened White Lion Coaching House is up there with the borough’s most storied and decadent buildings.
With a fascinating history which harks all the way back as far as the 15th century (when the location was said to have first been given its hostelry license to serve as a pub/inn), the building only became the impressive Edwardian structure we see today back in 1904, but it’s long been sat unutilised.
Now, though, The White Lion has been given a whole new lease of life and is set to serve not only as a bustling town centre boozer but also as a place to grab classic pub grub, book private functions and live sport. Perfect timing for the Euro 2024.
Having operated as a pub and coaching house throughout the Victorian era, The White Lion has served as everything from a post house for horseriders, a labour exchange, an auction house and even a coroner’s court at one point. It was given its distinct mock Tudor facade back in 1823.
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The upper floors of the Grade-II listed building were turned into 11 luxury apartments back in 2020 after being acquired by Stockport Council in partnership with the Trafford Housing Trust (now London & Quadrant) as part of £7m local investment, but now the pub itself has been brought back to life.
In the heart of SK’s historic Underbank district and adjacent to the busy Merseyway Shopping Centre, which is also steadily being redeveloped, the latest iteration of the White Lion has all the character of its rich heritage but with all new fittings and fixtures like plush booth-seating, multiple bars, TVs and more.
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The White Lion is also relaunching with a tried and tasted food menu of British pub classics like fish and chips, burgers; a proper Sunday roast and their soon-to-be signature ‘Lion Wraps’, which elevate the now-beloved Yorkshire puddings street food with pot of gravy for dipping to boot.
The interior has been lovingly refurbished.Tiles and all.
Although the structure itself is made up of four storeys total, the newly opened pub spans across the entire ground floor and the fully converted cellar area, which promises to be perfect for live music, parties, meetings and popular live sporting events.
Being resurrected by industry veterans, Paul Astill and Jon Dootson – who between them have owned and run many Manc institutions including Cord, Centro, Thomas, the old Rampant Lion near Victoria Park and Tib Street Tavern over in the Northern Quarter, there’s plenty of pedigree behind this new opening.
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Commenting on the relaunch, Astill said: “As soon as Jon showed me the building I just fell in love with it and I instantly said I want to be involved. The White Lion has an amazing history and everyone in the community has a story to tell about it.
“It’s taken us over four years to finally open the doors and we’re really proud of the result. It’s a beautiful building but it was an empty shell when we started. We feel like we’ve really achieved something when people comment on us keeping the original features but it’s actually all new with the exception of the entrance.”
The White Lion sits on the corner of the Stockport ‘Old Town’ cultural hub. (Credit: Stockport Council/Supplied)
With the pub already open to the public from 11am-11pm from Sunday to Thursday and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, Stopfordians are buzzing to have this important piece of their local history back open and restored to its former glory.
Paul went on to explain how they’ve “also created the ‘Lion’s Den’ and Boardroom in the cellars, which is a space that has never previously been used.” Lions, dens – get it?…
“It’s kind of a gentleman’s club feel that’s perfect for intimate gigs, parties or private functions”, he continued, adding: “It’ll also host the ‘Lion’s Den Sporting Club’ showing all sports starting with all the Euro games.”
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What about you, Stockport locals – have you popped into the new White Lion yet and, if so, what are your first impressions?
The main pub lounge.The old and the new coming together.The White Lion’s Den Sporting Club and Boardroom.
Featured Images — The White Lion Coaching House (supplied)
Eats
Popular American fast food franchise Shake Shack is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester is getting another big global franchise as Shake Shack is finally set to make its Northern debut.
With so many good burger joints and a million and one great places to grab a good portion of chips in town alone, they’ll have to hit the ground running to fight off the competition.
The well-known transatlantic multinational is nothing short of massive in the States, vying with the likes of In-N-Out Burger, Five Guys, Carl’s Jr. – also eyeing up multiple UK sites over the next few years – Whataburger and Wendy’s, just to name a rather large handful. Oh yeah, and Maccies, of course.
Yanks will debate until the cows come home (pardon the pun) about which is best, and many believe Shake Shack is right up there, so Manchester foodies have every right to be excited. Consider this a belated Thanksgiving contribution.
The New York-founded company already has multiple locations on this side of the pond, such as several in London, which is where we first sampled it for ourselves.
Other venues include Birmingham, Cambridge, Oxford and Cardiff, as well as one inside Gatwick Airport; as for the brand’s first Manchester branch, Shake Shack UK no. 18 will be coming to the borough of Trafford and one of the biggest shopping destinations in the region.
But what sets this burger and milkshake-driven brand apart from the others?
Well, for starters, you could argue they’re not even most famous for their patties, buns or shakes; the first time we ever heard about Shake Shack was regarding their fries – specifically, the crinkle-cut shape and that very American-style cheese sauce.
They have long proved divisive among the masses, but those who love them go NUTS for the stuff, and you’ll find all manner of fakeaway recipes online of people trying to make their best imitation of the side and sauce, specifically.
Put it this way, Colonel’s gravy on KFC chicken is what cheese sauce is on Shake Shack fries. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but fans will stan this scran to no end.
Case and point:
My first time at Shake Shack 👌🏼💚 The cheese fries might be my new hyper fixation 🍟 pic.twitter.com/3HVwAgxRtD
Honestly, you’ll find countless examples of this kind of post on social media…
Richard Franks, Business Director at Shake Shack UK, said: “Manchester’s a city that does things proper; it’s full of heart, graft and great taste. We’re so pumped to be growing Shake Shack across the UK, and to be opening our first Northern Shack at Trafford Centre. We can’t wait to be a part of this city.”
The major mall and North West tourist attraction’s Centre Director, Simon Layton, added: “We’re really excited to welcome Shake Shack’s first Northern restaurant to the Trafford Centre.
“We know our visitors are going to love getting their hands on those iconic ShackBurgers and crinkle-cut fries. It’s a huge moment for the North – and we can’t wait for everyone to experience it with us in 2026.”
Opening in place of the Costa in the Great Hall, the opening of Shake Shack Manchester at the Trafford Centre is scheduled for next March. Exciting times.
Featured Images — bryansjs (via Flickr)/LN9267 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Eats
A new champagne bar, and the UK’s first ‘champagne boutique’, is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new ‘champagne boutique’ is opening in Manchester next week, boasting more than 250 different champagnes to our city.
Portfolio will be a new bar and ‘immersive wine experience’, which will have one of the largest and most diverse champagne collections in the UK.
Mancs will be able to order champagne by the glass from just £12.50, along with plenty of accessible bottles.
To kick things off, Portfolio will open with a bar food offering that includes Welsh charcuterie, British cheeses and accoutrements, created by co-founder Julian Pizer, formerly of Another Hand and the Edinburgh Castle.
But later down the line, there’ll be a run, relaxed tasting menu, ranging from a few bites to a full dining experience, obviously paired with the best champagne list in the country.
Inside Portfolio, you’ll be greeted by a striking champagne wall of 100 different bottles, plus a wall of photos from the team’s trips to Champagne in France.
Every drink will be served in exclusive Lehmann glassware imported from Reims, with more than 10 different glass styles and a strict no flutes policy.
There’ll be an open chef’s pass and sommelier station with bar seating, plus a working champagne cellar that will function as a private dining room and event space.
Julian Pizer has created Portfolio with Cameron Foster, founder of Duex Six which specialises in providing exclusive grower champagnes to the UK.
They’ll be joined by Wayne Baxendale as food and beverage director, who has more than 30 years of global wine experience including from Michelin starred restaurants, and Nikolai Kuklenko as general manager, who previously held a role as Head Sommelier at Mana.
Portfolio will be a wine boutique packed with rare grower bottles and vintage prestige cuvées and hopes to ‘strip away the snobbery and make champagne accessible’.
As well as well known names, guests will be able to enjoy rare and highly sought-after cuvées, including Jacques Selosse, Ulysse Collin, Jérôme Prévost, Cédric Bouchard, Larmandier Bernier and Egly Ouriet.
There will also be vintage prestige cuvées from Cristal, Philipponnat, Pommery, Jacquesson, Pierre Peters and Bollinger, some dating back to the 1990s.
As Cameron Foster explains: “We want to strip back the snobbery of Champagne and make it a wine for everyone, whether that’s a quick glass after work, a special celebration, or discovering grower champagne for the first time.”
Portfolio will open on 9 December at 67 Bridge Street, Manchester, with the full restaurant experience launching in February 2026.
Danny Jones -
19th June 2024 
