For almost 30 years, visitors to Rusholme were greeted by the sight of Lemn Sissay's poem Hardy's Well. Written in 10-inch capital letters on the gable end of the pub of the same name, it celebrated the joys of drinking with friends in a good old-fashioned boozer.
Designed as a tongue-twister for literate drinkers to try to recite after a few pints, the vast majority of its 98 words begin with a 'w'. And when it was created in 1994, it was possibly the first major piece of public poetry in the country.
But on Friday the landmark pub and its much-loved poem were demolished, less than 48 hours after a fire tore through the building. The blaze broke out Hardy's Well on the corner of Wilmslow Road and Dickenson Road at around 11.45pm on Wednesday.
