On a rainy April evening we had our first Manchester WHA event. The Old Wellington pub next to the Cathedral was a good choice of venue and gave us a cheerful welcome. We quickly identified each other: what is it about Wills alumni that means you know them on sight? Perhaps that should be a rhetorical question.
The attendees (see photo below) represented different decades of Wills: from the 1950s to the 1990s, but we were struck by how many memories of Wills we shared. One of our number remembered “gates” at 10:30pm and all of us laughed at the story of a sound sleeper whose bed was moved by “friends” to the middle of old quad. He awoke the next morning and had the presence of mind to cover himself in bed sheets and make it back to the safety of his staircase.
On a side note, the Old Wellington itself underwent a significant move in the 1990s. Built in 1552 next to the Shambles area, the pub was damaged in the 1996 Manchester bombing, and together with its neighbour Sinclair’s Oyster Bar, was rebuilt 300 metres from its original site, reopening in 1999.
It was an enjoyable evening, and we hope the start of many more events. It was great to see everyone, and Malcolm Sterratt gets a special mention for travelling over from the Skipton area.
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