Underground Manchester.
Here are a few photos of underground canal and chambers under the Great Northern Goods Warehouse, situated off Deansgate in Manchester city centre.
The Warehouse was completed in August 1899 but operations started in July 1898 when only the ground and first floors were complete such was the demand for the goods station. Inside was a spaghetti junction of rail lines with five platforms and twenty five cranes. To facilitate the movement of goods, wagon turntables were incorporated at the end of the lines to allow wagons to be turned round. The Manchester and Salford Junction canal, constructed in 1939, ran under the Warehouse, passing through a specially-built dock.
Two 40-cwt lifts shafts were used to transport goods to each of the building’s six levels, ready for dispatch to their next destination whether by canal or horse and cart.
During the Second World War, the canal, which had been operational until 1922, served a very different purpose. The canal was drained in order to provide an air raid shelter for the public. The walls built across the canals to stop any blast going right through the tunnels are still there.
The canal was less than a mile long, with 4 locks and a tunnel below the Deansgate area. It was built to let boats get between the Irwell and the Rochdale Canal without having to pass through the Bridgewater Canal’s Hulme link, the tolls for which were high.
here is where you can book online…
Inner city bird fight
There was a lil fight today between the Green Finches and the Coal Tits, the Finches won as they are about twice the size. There were five of them at one point but I was too far away to get the photo, grrrrrrrr. These are the best shots I’ve had so far I think the Green Finches are quite rare as I have never seen one, especially 50cm away.
The bird feeder is now celebrating its 1st year birthday and so far I have Blue Tits, Coal Tits and now a family of Green Finches,,, Whoop , not bad for a 6th floor city dwelling.
One other thing there is now 15% off at delacyonline with promo code >delon15< for a limited time only ….
Marble Arch Pub…. Burger with curry relish?.. No thanks.
Its the end of an era. My beautiful local boozer, with its mosaic tiled sloping floor, glazed tiled walls and arching tiled ceiling. This pub is worth a visit just for that alone, never mind the extensive selection of fine ales, some of which are brewed there! You cant get better really a fine building on your doorstep with fine drinks and warm atmosphere and friendly welcoming staff.
However it would seem the chef has been poached by some one …. The beautiful big chalk board no longer hangs, with it choice of food delights. Instead you are meant to be happy with a poorly laminated menu on each table… Sorry I thought I was in a pub or is it a restaurant now? The famous Marble burger is no more. What we have now is “Hamburger”… for a start that fu**ing wrong its bloody cow not pork. The marble burger was the best burger you have ever tasted, a massive homemade burger a bit like heaven in a bun,, even the chips were a meal in themselves. We used to call them “Space Burgers” coz they would knock you out.
Why change something that is perfect, popular, amazing. I don’t know this new chef thinks he’s a bit of a master, I however think he is far from it. The burger now has a relish, described as tomato, try curry . its the “Curry Mile Burger” on Rochdale road. This is no comparison to the original. Its a shame as the burger itself is the same but the relish clearly doesn’t work is this chef even tasting the food? maybe he’s blind to sending out burnt food….
Me and my friends have had many enjoyable times over the infamous “Marble burger” and some of their fine pints of ale and its a shame now knowing it will never happen again. We have boycotted the food here now and I suggest other people think twice when ordering… all in all a big thumbs down.
Awaiting Input
If you get the chance to, check out the new exhibition of interactive installation art at the manchester city art gallery . the exhibition ” Awaiting your input ” runs til January end 2011. well worth a look and touch as it is free lala,,,,
Highlights of the exhibition include Pulse Room, on show in the UK for the very first time. Premiered in Puebla, Mexico in 2006 and shown to critical acclaim in the Mexican pavilion for the Venice Biennale in 2007, this compelling work is made up of 100 light bulbs which are activated by a sensor to flash at the exact rhythm of particpants’ heart rates. Also, the work People on People (a co-commission by Manchester Art Gallery and Abandon Normal Devices festival), a major new installation inspired by portraiture and shadowplays, which will turn the gallery’s temporary exhibition space into one of the world’s most advanced scanners.
Manchester Art Gallery is the only UK venue for the show so this is an interactive experience.
de Lacy Bag / Celebrity Shoe Auction For M.A.G.
A while ago M.A.G. which stands for Mines Advisory Group contacted me about creating them a bespoke leather bag for a famous peoples shoe auction….
MAG is co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded for its work with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines [www.icbl.org], which culminated in the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty – the international agreement that bans anti-personnel landmines, sometimes referred to as the Ottawa Convention.
MAG’s work is not just about removing landmines, weapons and small arms but about making a significant and positive difference to people living with the remnants of conflict.
so here is the bespoke M.A.G. tote, created using the charity’s cool skull logo and text which is found on most land mines. bidding for the shoes and bag finishes on sunday 1st August so get your bid on… its for charity:) BID ON EBAY HERE
Anyway im really down with this manchester based charity who continue to work very hard to give people caught up in war, a safer environment to live in>>>> so you should defo check out the ebay auction and if you cant afford any of the celeb shoes you can buy some kool cheeky MAG skulls socks here for 3 squid!
top shoe pick yo >>> Johnny Marr’s personalized Classic Cortez Trainers charity auction…
Lux it up …A Satur day / Night Secrets Manchester
Word kids words….
right so first on the day of fun john and I headed for the free illegal picnic organized by G*** , i cannot give their name as it is illegal > for their events you have to phone a premium number an hour before the event starts to find out the location ,, underground baby . the location is the Mancunian way, which is the inner ring road fly over around the city centre near to Hulme. a pretty cool venue gated all around, (which helps stop police vehicles from getting in) and under the fly over which I’m sure helped resonate the sounds far and wide.
we stayed at the illegal picnic til we felt woozy enough to go and get some green stuff off a friend and came across some urban development on the way, 1st is a building abandoned by the recession- I thought it was kinda kool a bit like a multi story car park impossible to drive around- a large concrete sculpture.
next stop roadhouse, a basement venue in Piccadilly, there where some pretty random bands playing there tonight. first up was this hardcore punk band from Manchester called Obsessive Compulsive which i thought were the best band of the night pretty live with energy which is all good in the hood .
The headliners were william control a crazy gay electro outfit which I wasn’t entirely convinced with but the kids seem to go wild for them, a bit like circus meets band.
Inbetween bands we burritoed it up in piccadilly gardens.
Next on the tour da la Saturday is the castle pub on Oldham street on the way there we found hidden nature taking over behind a wall of posters and a lil bit o street art.
From here there was a photo opportunity outside the world famous Matt and Phreds jazz club, a place you usually end up not for the music but because it open for late drinks the music tends to be the bonus…. the picture is taken with this random guy we met at the castle,, he was a pretty cool cat, being all macho with top off for the photo, make what you will of that one.
From here its a quick trip down oldham st and round the corner to the heart of manchester ‘s trendy northern quarter to a bar called the marble, we stop here for a street beer and a posh ham selection from Spain Poland and Italy … yeah we don’t mess about. this place is really cool, an amazing selection of beers some of which are brewed, by them from their flagship pub just up the road called the marble arch. in my opinion the best pub in the north west, tiled from floor to ceiling and dating back a good many years. the food here is fucking good especially the burgers, which we tend to call space burgers as you feel pretty zonked after one.
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