Newton & Ridley The Newton and Ridley Brewery ( formerly Newton , Ridley and Oakes ) was established in Weatherfield in 1781 . During the 19th century , Newton and Ridley expanded its operations , moving towards the acquisition and construction of new public houses . There is a pub crawl called the Weatherfield 7 . History . The Stag Brewery : Fairhurst and Oakes . In 1781 , William Fairhurst formed The Stag Brewery in Weatherfield . Fairhurst had trained as a maltster in a few London breweries and was very experienced . He moved to Manchester , looking for a place to start his own business . In less than a decade , Manchester ' s population had grown largely and the favourite drink of every man , woman and even the children was beer . The average family spent more on beef than on any household item . Fairhurst had fascinated local businessman Fairley Oakes in his plans to introduce high quality ale to working men . They built the brewery on Bridgegate Street , ( now Albert Road ) . Whilst working in London , Fairhurst had worked with something called saccharometers , the latest technology at the time for measuring the strength of beer , and he introduced this machine at his own brewery - the first of the brewers to do that . With Oakes ' experience in mill work and Fairhurst ' s knowledge and expertise , the pair made quite a team and The Stag Brewery formed a great reputation for producing high quality beer at reasonable prices . The Stag Brewery : Oakes . Fairhurst died in 1824 , leaving his share of the successful brewery to his partner , Fairley Oakes , as he had no family of his own . Oakes , in his late sixties , employed his son Samuel as his new partner and gave him the day - to - day running of the business . The brewery industry was changing dramatically - new systems and machinery massively increased beer production . Also , beer duty was abolished in 1830 , giving an extra boost to sales as home brews dropped . In 1848 , The Stag Inn on Bridgegate Street was the very first ale house to be built by the brewery . That same year , Fairley Oakes died and Samuel Oakes took control of the brewery , making his 18 - year - old son Percival his new business partner . Two years later the brewery expanded and its second house , The Flying Dutchman , ( later renamed The Flying Horse ) , was opened . In later years the head office of the brewery was situated on Irlam Road . Pubs . The Rovers Return Inn . In 1902 Newton & Ridley acquired the freehold to the newly built public house on Coronation Street . The pub was named " The Rovers Return Inn " and is the principal meeting place in " Coronation Street " . Although the house is no longer owned by Newton and Ridley , the brewery ' s products are still available . The Flying Horse . In 1850 Newton and Ridley opened " The Flying Dutchman " at the corner of Jubilee Terrace . The name was changed in 1905 to " The Flying Horse " for patriotic reasons . Until around 1985 , The Flying Horse was the biggest rival pub to the " Rovers Return " , with the regulars from both houses clashing in many friendly contests such as a tug - of - war in 1967 , mixed football in 1969 and pub Olympics in 1984 . The pub , being nearest geographically to the Rovers , was its strongest rival and often took in Rovers customers who either fancied a change or found themselves barred or boycotting their usual haunt . The pub was reintroduced in 2009 , however it is now filled with dodgy characters . The Laughing Donkey . " The Laughing Donkey " can be found on Omdurman Street , overlooking North Cross Park . It was the stronghold of Nellie Harvey ( Mollie Sugden ) , acquaintance and nemesis of " Rovers Return " landlady , Annie Walker . The Queens . " The Queens " was built in 1931 and its situated towards the ' trendy ' Weatherfield Quays , south of Weatherfield . The pub was introduced to " Coronation Street " in 1993 , seeing current Rovers landlady Liz McDonald installed as landlady by Newton and Ridley . The Weatherfield Arms . Another rival to the Rovers Return , " The Weatherfield Arms " , appeared around 2003 . The location of the pub is unknown . Liz McDonald was the manager for a while here after she lost her job at the Rovers Return . Other Coronation Street residents such as Bev Unwin and Cilla Battersby - Brown have been employed here . The White Swan . Stella Rigby ruled over " The White Swan " at much the same time as Bet Gilroy was landlady of the Rovers . Stella , although a very different character to Annie Walker , had much the same aspirations of class and thought her pub to be very much up - market compared to the Rovers .