Manchester: A Week After the Bomb

This Bank Holiday Monday was exactly one week since the Manchester Arena bomb that killed 22 people and injured many more.

Lady Hughes and myself had arranged to go into town with friends a while back, and this was the first time I had been into Manchester since the bomb. I was curious what the mood would be and I was also keen to visit St Anne’s Square and pay my respects.

Getting off the bus in Piccadilly I was pleased to see that it was business as usual. Children were playing in the fountains, getting soaked and upsetting their parents, who would now have to take them into Primark to buy them some dry clothes – we did the same when our lads were smaller.

The Northern Quarter was still busy and bustling, but there were signs and street art showing their support for the victims and a desire to stand strong.

Walking through the streets, we found the police cordon very much still in force but people and the police were smiling and helpful in directing us around it.

We quickly visited Manchester Cathedral, lit a candle and signed the book of condolences before heading off to St Anne’s Square where all the flowers and messages were laid out.

The atmosphere here was very subdued and respectful, with people slowly shuffling around the square, reading the messages and taking it all in. I felt a bit self-conscious taking pictures, so I didn’t take too many.

There were police with machine guns standing around but they were chatting with people and looked relaxed. The media were still present but were keeping themselves to one end near the church.

It was quite sombre and emotional as you would expect, especially when you read some of the many messages, but still very colourful and vibrant with all the flowers and balloons.

On the way out back we past the entrance to a tattoo parlour where they were doing bee tattoos to raise money for the charity fund. One week later and people were still queuing down the stairs.

Liam Gallagher played a benefit gig in Manchester yesterday and he said, “normal business has been resumed“. Walking round Manchester, I think he might be right. We’re not knocked down, but we not forgetting either.

Chris Hughes

Manchester Macro

I’ve not posted anything for a while, don’t worry, I’m not dead – just getting a few things sorted, unfortunately not the kind of things that make great blog posts

So, to get the ball rolling again, I’ve done a little photography project.

My lovely wife, Lady Hughes, gave me a new macro (close-up) lens for Christmas and I haven’t had chance to try it out properly – until today.

I’ve always wanted to have a go at macro photography so I dropped various hints in the run-up to Christmas and Clare didn’t let me down. Many lenses have a ‘macro’ setting, allowing you to get a bit closer, but they’re not strictly proper macro lenses like this one – Canon EF 50mm macro, for the photographers out there. It’s not a microscope, but it allows you to get very close and still be able to focus.

The challenge I set myself was to go to the Northern Quarter of Manchester, a place I’ve photographed several times before, and try to get a new perspective with the new lens.

What I found was you start looking at the details, the textures, patterns and the abstract. It’s quite interesting walking round a place you already know and just focussing on the small. You also get a few strange looks from passers by, wondering why you’re taking pictures of a bollard from only six inches away.

Going through the photos afterwards, I realised that the wide open aperture I used gave me a very narrow depth of field, which was a bit tight on several shots – but hey, that’s a learning point for next time.

Here’s the rest of the pictures, see if you recognise any of the places, and feel free to give me any (constructive) feedback.

Thanks,

Chris

Autumn Update

I’ve not ‘blogged’ for a while now but don’t worry, that doesn’t mean I’ve given up or stopped having adventures, in fact it’s partly because I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time to write any posts – that’s my excuse anyway and I’m sticking to it.

Anyway, here’s a quick update on the story so far.

Two weeks ago, Lady Hughes and myself had a visit from my Brother Peter and sister Claire, over for the weekend from Dublin. We were really looking forward to this as we always have a great time with them, but it did pose the question of, what makes the perfect weekend in Manchester?

Now the answer will obviously vary, depending on your tastes and interests, but in the end we came up with a Friday night in the Northern Quarter, Saturday morning tram to Media City, Imperial North and the Lowry, then on to Castlefield and lunch at the Wharf. Stroll through Christmas Markets, meet up with both of my sons, Alex (and girlfriend Jade) and Elliott, and then onto Mr Thomas’s Chop House for dinner. Finished at the Molly House in Manchester’s Gay Village. Sunday was gentle (very gentle) recovery and prepare for their flight home.

We had a great time, but I must confess I did get very drunk on the Saturday and made a bit of a fool of myself apparently, so apologies to anyone I may have offended – I didn’t mean it, honest.

No photos I’m afraid (or perhaps, thank god), as we were too busy have a good time.

The week after I was invited by my good friends Mark and Andy to try the famous Ale Trail train. The idea is that you catch the train from Victoria Station to Batley and get off at each stop for a drink as there’s a recommended pub at each one. Lady Hughes decided to come along for moral support.

So we caught the bus into Manchester, and walked to Victoria Station to meet the guys at 3pm.

After a brief scare due to a fire on the track, and a quick warm-up pint at Victoria, we set off and were soon at pub number 1 on the list, the Station Bar in Stalybridge (great pies).

We then progressed onto Greenfield and the Railway Inn, Marsden and the Riverhead Brewery Tap & Dining Room, and finally Slathwaite (pronounced Slowat) and the Commercial.

At this point we all agreed it was time to head home. Due to a cancelled train, it was quicker to go on to Huddersfield and get a direct train back to Piccadilly than to wait for the next scheduled train back to Victoria.

Overall, we had a great time, but the actual pubs weren’t as great as I’d hoped, Stalybridge Station was probably the best. Also, word had obviously got around and there were a lot of people doing the same as us. This meant that when the train got into each station there was a bit of a sprint to each pub and get a drink. That being said, we did meet some great people and it was a bit of an adventure.

Would I do it again? Probably not to be honest, but I’m glad we did it at least once.

What else have I been doing? Well I’m writing a new screenplay, a dark thriller, and I’ve been doing a few more portraits. Here’s one I did a week or so back, Roy Keane:

Lady Hughes and myself have also joined a gym, so we’re ‘sculpting’ our bodies in readiness for next summer – at our age it’s a much longer job than it used to be.

Last week we went to Jon Ronson’s ‘Psychopath Night’ at Home (the venue, not our home, if that makes sense?). Great night and we even got to meet the man himself afterwards.

So, that brings us up to date I think. Next big thing is probably Christmas, so there’s something to look forward to.

Chris

 

 

 

Pub Crawl No 3

Bit late with this one, but here it is anyway – Our third pub crawl round Manchester. Just like the first crawl, I was joined by my old friends Mark Hillyard, and for half the crawl, Andy Morrison.

The rules this time were, all the pubs had to be new to us, we each took it in turns to pick the next one and we each had a veto we could use if we walked into somewhere and instantly hated the place – luckily, this rule was not needed, actually I don’t think we told Andy about that rule, now I come to think about it.

Mark and I met in Piccadilly Gardens at three o’clock and proceeded to ‘Slice’ Pizzeria in the Northern Quarter to lay a foundation of food down in preparation for the beer to come. Great little pizza place this where you could select lots of different quarters, which suited us fine. It was also beer number one, a pint of lager to warm up the liver.

Leaving ‘Slice’ we met up with Andy and walked to Mark’s choice, ‘The Tib Street Tavern’. This pub was nice but busy as it had big screens with the football on. We managed to find a table and did our best to ignore the distraction of the game. This pub had a nice atmosphere, even with though it was busy, it was probably one of the more trendy pubs on our lists and the beer was good (pint number two) but it was still good to get away from the crowds and the football and move onto pub number three – my choice, ‘The Angel’.

‘The Angel’ is on the way to ‘The Marble Arch’ (see crawl No 1) and was recommended to me last year by a Catholic Priest we met at Angel Meadow. With such high praise, it was time to check it out.

Not the smartest pub, but good atmosphere, friendly staff and an open fire. Andy ordered a burger and chips and was pleasantly surprised at how good they were, and the price. I liked this pub, it seemed very genuine – if that makes sense?

Pub (and pint) number four was across Manchester to Deansgate and the ‘Knott Inn’.

It was starting to get dark when we got there and the pub was busy. Great selection of beers here so we took our pick and found a couple of square feet out of the way to stand in. Again, nice atmosphere, but this pub felt like the kind of place you meet up with your friends before going somewhere else. I told a story about travelling through Russia and a lady nearby became very interested – it turns out she was Russian, what are the chances of that happening eh?

It was at this point that we had to say farewell to Andy who had a previous engagement, so, dodging the traffic, we crossed Deansgate and made our way to pub number five, ‘The Cask’ in Castlefield.

We approached the bar and Mark asked if they served food, “no mate, but there’s a chip shop next door. You can bring ’em in but take the fish away with you”. I got the drinks in while Mark went next door to get two fish and chips. Other customers eyed us enviously as we picked our way through the fresh cod and chips with our bare fingers (Mark forgot to get any forks). And soon we noticed more people disappearing before returning with white parcels just like ours.

Pub number six, ‘The Britons Protection’, just near the Bridgewater Hall. Beautiful Pub this, good atmosphere and friendly staff. Slightly strange layout here as you have to leave the bar and go outside momentarily, to get to the rooms at the rear. We managed though, and found a table to enjoy pint number six and contemplate our final destination.

Pub number seven, ‘The Temple’.

‘The Temple’ has had several incarnations. I remember it as a record shop in the eighties, but it was originally built as an underground public convenience, which is ironic because the loos here are the worst we’d seen all day. This is more a bar than a pub, but we were curious so we gave it a go and checked it off the list. Met some nice people, but it’s small, cramped and a little grungy, so we only had a half each and finally climbed the stairs out to catch our bus/train home and recover.

Overall, it was an interesting day exploring, I’m starting to feel now that I’m getting a bit of an overview of the most interesting pubs, and Manchester in general, though I’m sure there’s much more to find. Who knows, maybe I’ll come up with the ideal pub crawl, with all the favourites, etc.

Watch this space.

Chris

Manchester Pub Crawl

Let me just start by saying, I’m not much of a drinker.

I know one or two of my previous posts have included pubs, so I don’t want you to get the wrong idea that I’m some kind of alcoholic. Yes, I’ve had a few dodgy nights over the years, but as I get older I’m definitely getting more boring when it comes to recreational alcohol poisoning.

The idea behind this little adventure is, for my friend Mark and myself, to try and explore  few of the best craft pubs in Manchester – according to the Guardian newspaper.  I think these have been chosen due to the range of local beers and real ales rather than decor, facilities or the whims of fashion, etc.  There’s ten pubs on the list but we decided to limit ourselves to six for safety’s sake.  We also decided to start at 4pm and try to be finished by 7.30pm so we didn’t get caught up with the Saturday night clubbers.

Meeting Mark at Piccadilly Gardens we braved the icy winds and made our way to pub No 1 – the Molly House in the heart of Manchester’s gay village.

Nice pub though a little short on seating.  One pint each and we met a nice couple from Levenshulme who wished us luck on our intrepid quest and took our picture while we were still fairly sensible.

Onto pub No 2 – the Grey Horse on Portland Street, passing a poor woman having a seizure on Chorlton Street while being attended to by an ambulance crew.  Different feel here, a bit cramped as there were a few City supporters warming up before the match, but the landlady Jackie was very welcoming and helpful giving us directions to the rest of the pubs while she held the front door open to let out some of the heat.  Not as trendy as the Molly House, but it had very genuine feel to it as a real Mancunian pub.

Pub No 3 – City Arms.  Managed to get a table in the corner, which was lucky, considering how busy it was.  People were friendly and seemed interested in our adventure.  Mark and I felt it was important to supplement the beer intake with some balanced nutrition at this point to aid our endurance (athlete tip there), so two large bags of crisps were included at this point.

Now we had a bit of a walk across Manchester to get to pub No 4 – the Marble Arch, but that was probably a good idea at this point .

This was probably my favourite pub of the night.  Bit of a struggle to get a seat, but lots of loud coughing seems to help clear people away.  This pub has it’s own micro-brewery so it offers it’s own range of award-winning beers.  Ended up with a lovely couple from Huddersfield, on a day out in Manchester, and another young couple  up from Birmingham with their own list of pubs to complete.

Cheeseboard and a chat, boosted our morale as we set off for pub No 5 – The Fringe Bar.

Very different mood in the Fringe Bar as it was very busy but we could only see about three women so there was a lot of testosterone in the air.  What there wasn’t much of though was hair.  Mark and myself were probably the only blokes that weren’t bald/shaven-headed in there – made us feel positively foppish!

Got talking to a couple of red-faced people next to us who were drinking bright orange cider which they told us was 12% alcohol.  They advised us to avoid the Northern Quarter as it was very expensive, but that was where we were headed for pub No 6 – The Port Street Beer House.

The Northern Quarter of Manchester is renown for being the trendy, fashionable end of the city, with more of a cafe society and the Port Street Beer House fits right in.  The clientele were noticeably younger and cooler, and the range of beers was so large they had a beer menu.  Luckily the bar staff were more than happy to advise you based on your taste and preferences.  I ended up with a strong dark beer with a chocolate/chilli flavour, very nice but I wouldn’t want more than one.

We managed to squeeze into a booth where we were quickly joined by a young couple from Salford University and a group of middle-aged people who had a tray of smaller glasses of beer which turned out to be a taster selection – something we’ll have to try another time.  Great conversation and lovely people.  The young couple came to Manchester as students and are now living the Manchester dream with a city centre apartment and the all the bars and restaurants of the Northern Quarter right on their doorstep.

Officially, that was the tour done, but Mark wanted to show me one more place – the Soup Kitchen.

Walking past the bouncer through a little doorway we entered, what looked like a large student cafeteria.  Long benches fill the room with a bar at one end and a kitchen adjacent.  They offer a wide range of soups and beers and we went for both, but after six pints, I’d reached my limit and left most of my drink to concentrate on the lovely tomato soup in front of me.

The Soup Kitchen is a bit quirky but had a nice feel to it and I’d definitely visit it again.

Walking back into the cold night air we walked back to Piccadilly and off back home.

We finished at about 9pm, so we’d blown our time limit, but it was a great afternoon/evening out.  We saw a fresh perspective on Manchester and met a lot of interesting people.  It does raise the question, though about the last four pubs on the list – it’d be a shame not to leave the list unfinished wouldn’t it?

Here’s the route we followed:

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=z3CcUVP6ptcM.kqWwVe2k0rWM

Chris