The original three cottages which form the front part of the pub reportedly date back to 1512. Their first use when they became ‘connected’ was as a school, with the premises becoming an inn and coach house in the early 1800s. The name derives from the horse racing which used to take place in nearby Chorlton Park.

Around the time the building first became a pub, The Green was a location for bull baiting, which was introduced to Britain in the early 13th Century. Having previously been famed for bear baiting contests, the Bull Ring was situated in the centre of The Green, near where the lamp now stands. A large stone was sunk into the ground, at the top of which a ring was fixed with a chain attached to the bulls, which were hired by landlords of the Horse and Jockey until the so-called sport was made illegal in 1835. One landlord around this time, George Whitelegg, was a Poor Law Guardian, which meant he was responsible for the administration of the local workhouse, hated and feared through out the nineteenth century.

The original features of the pub are now concealed within a mock Tudor façade which was erected in 1907 as part of a Victorian redevelopment of the site that saw the introduction of a brewery on the premises. The brewing equipment and machinery remains housed in the outbuildings still seen today.

The Horse and Jockey is rumoured to have its own ghost, and many previous landlords, staff and residents of the pub will confirm this, some with rather tall Scooby Doo style tales, others with much more convincing stories. We don’t believe in ghosts ourselves, but whose are those footsteps upstairs we can hear right now as we write this?!

• Help! Although we’re learning fast, we are keen to know more about the history of the pub and the Chorlton Green area in general. Anything of interest is useful to us! Please EMAIL US get in touch via the CONTACT US page