First opened in 1691 on Rochdale’s most dangerous street, rebuilt in 1923 and reopened in 1926 the flying horse hotel is the oldest free house in Rochdale and was once the post office and court house. BY 1819 amenities included a dwelling house, brew house, garden and cottage, all leased to James Whitehead, innkeeper, of Packer Street. In 1823 the committee appointed to gain a Police Act for the town met there, and in 1854 Rochdale’s first Revision Court was held on the premises. For many years the Magistrate’s Court sat at the Flying Horse, until the Police Court transferred to the Commissioner’s Rooms on Smith Street in 1854. Demolition of the old Flying Horse Hotel was recorded in the Rochdale Observer of 26th June, 1923, and noted that with its disappearance went the “last building save one, of all those which in the days of our Great-Grandfather’s formed what was then known as Packer. “
The present building, re-named the Flying Horse after a spell as ‘The Sports,’ opened in the summer of 1926 with landlord James Berry at the pumps. It was three stories high and boasted a smoke room, commercial room, parlour and bar on the ground floor. On the first floor the dining room fronted onto the Town Hall Square and six second floor bedrooms offered all mod cons to its patrons, including electric lights and heating. The ‘Flyer’ is now owned by business partners Ben Boothman and Craig Richardson who bought the business from Sam & Per Bonde back in April 2011. The hotel is managed by Ben, his partner Sarah and their family who have been working at the hotel for over 25 years. Today The Flying Horse Hotel has a growing reputation as Rochdale's number one live entertainment venue. Apart from being the only venue in Rochdale to host live music four nights a week we have also had some of the biggest names in comedy perform on our stage.
'The Flyer' is also the proud sponsor of the Rochdale 'Feel Good festival' which is Rochdale's biggest music event and it happens right on our doorstep every summer. Artists that have played the Feel Good festival include The Fun Loving Criminals, Badly Drawn Boy, The Lightning Seeds, Martha and The Vandellas, The Bluetones, The Beat and many more. In addition to the Feel Good festival The Flyer has also hosted it's fair share of talent. Some of the big names to have played here over the years are Paul Heaton (The Beautiful South), The Animals, TFB, The Irish Rovers and comedians Justin Moorhouse and John Bishop plus many more local and national acts. So if you are looking for some live entertainment in Rochdale this weekend then there is only one option! Get yourself down to The Flying Horse and enjoy the bustling atmosphere created in our traditional pub as you watch the finest live acts around. The Flying Horse Hotel is perfectly situated in the heart of Rochdale town centre, parallel to the historic Town Hall and central to local shops, restaurants, bars and clubs. We are easily accessible by bus or train and we have superb motorway connections with the M62, M60 and M66 all just a 5 minute drive away. The Flying Horse is a modern yet traditional hotel with a lively popular public house and a private function room for up to 200 people. The hotel consists of ten en-suite bedrooms all with new LCD T.V’s, free wi-fi access and tea and coffee facilities. Open daily, our kitchen serves traditional home made meals all produced using the finest locally sourced ingredients along with an additional daily specials board. The Flying Horse has been included in the Good Beer Guide since 2002 and hosts a staggering range of traditional real cask ales and ciders, lagers and bottled ciders served by a team of friendly, professional and enthusiastic staff. The pub recently won Rochdale. Oldham and Bury CAMRA pub of the year.
