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Picture source: David Easton

The Soldier Dick was situated at 154 Buxton Road. This pub opened in 1805. The licence had been transferred from an inn on the Buxton Old Road at Stoneheads; The Posting House. The trade of that hostelry was lost when the new turnpike road through Furness Vale was opened in 1804. The legend of the Soldier Dick from which the pub takes its name concerns a lost soldier found wandering and in ill health on Whaley Moor. He was cared for by an innkeeper, Raphe Turner and nursed back to health. He stayed for two years helping out at the inn but in his second winter, he again fell ill but failed to recover. He died and was buried at Disley Parish Church where the register for June 14th 1621 has the entry “Buried Richard the Souldier” His second name was never known. For many years the Soldier Dick was Lodge House of the “Foundation Stone of Truth Lodge” of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows founded in 1829 when they took over the top floor of the pub. The Oddfellows was a friendly society, founded in Salford. It provided a range of welfare benefits for its members and became one of the largest such organisations in the world. The Furness Vale Lodge quickly grew and by 1929 had 253 members and at its peak this had reached over 400, more than half of the village population. In 1840 the Oddfellows commissioned artist F.W.Riche to paint murals on the walls of their meeting room. These represented the following scenes: English armies in the Civil War English armies at the battle of Crecy English armies in the Napoleonic Wars English armies in the Civil War “Royalists at an inn” Portrait of the innkeeper The room featured a concave domed ceiling 3 to 4 feet across. From this hung a bell which would be rung 4 times a day. The door had a sliding hatch to see who was seeking entry. The Oddfellows continues to this day despite the Welfare State taking over most of their functions in the 1940s. The Furness Vale Lodge moved to the Institute in 1961 and was would up at a later date. These murals were lost when the rooms on the top floor were converted to letting bedrooms in 1993. They may still exist under the wall coverings. The Soldier Dick became a tied house of Gartsides Brewery of Ashton, perhaps in the early 20th century. Gartsides were taken over by Bent’s Brewery of Liverpool in 1939 but retained their identity. They were absorbed by Bass, Mitchell’s and Butler’s in 1969, the Soldier Dick being given a “Bass” identity. The newly formed Punch Taverns acquired the pub in 1997 and an extensive renovation followed. The pub was managed by Maz Shaw between 2005 and 2008. This was followed by three separate periods of management although the pub was sometimes closed in between. By summer 2010, the doors and windows were boarded up with little prospect of re-opening. Eventually Punch Taverns sold the property and the Soldier Dick opened its doors again on 15th October 2011. The Soldier Dick finally closed on 20th November 2022. Planning consent was subsequently obtained to convert the building to residential accommodation which included an extension. Although preparatory work commence, this was abandoned and the building has since twice been offered for auction. No bids were received and the building currently stands abandoned as at January 2025.

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