Mundane pictures of the North

[King Biscuit Time]

My checkpoint marshalling a fell race up on Derwent Edge on Friday night. It was over an hour before a soul turned up. Bliss.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

These odd things were dotted around town at the weekend as part of the gardening festival that's going on. Strange, and I don't know what they are actually supposed to be. Flowers perhaps?

But I think they are definitely modelled on the Flying Spaghetti Monster (blessed be His Noodly Appendage).

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Piccadilly Gardens - the ugliness carefully disguised with a picnic as part of the festival, with lots of interesting world food stalls dotted around. Very busy, and smelt lovely with the cooking smells.



What a hideous colour this camper van is!



That's a proper BBQ. I felt sorry for the poor bloke running it as he must have been boiling.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Back alley off St Anne's Square. The flowers were storage for a flower stall in the square.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Boring Arndale Centre, with original 'toilet' office block behind.



This is the very dull corridor between M & S and Selfridges, which they have made exactly no effort to make it look interesting. I like the lifts though.

 

[tufty79]

View attachment 38643

omg want.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Part of the festival in Exchange Square. They've brought in trees to make it more garden-like...



...and then ruin the effect by dumping rubbish on the pavement. This seems to be a habit in the city centre, with piles of bags all over the place, presumably for collection later by the council. But it looks a bloody mess, and inevitably the bags dribble and leave sections of pavement with ominous black stains. Sort it out MCC!

 

[farmerbarleymow]

These are supposed to be the oldest pubs in Manchester, on Exchange Square.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I didn't know you could get fish and chips delivered by bike.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

This is inside the Corn Exchange, a grand old building that after the IRA bomb was done up into an up-market shopping centre which doesn't seem to have worked very well. It was totally dead inside, lots of empty units and barely a soul in there. A shame.

I had the same experience longdog mentioned - I was in there taking pictures for quite a while (about 90 odd in all), and it was only as I was about to leave that a security guard said I'm not allowed to take pictures inside. Erm, a bit late matey! He said it was because of terrorism - despite it being open to the public so hardly a secret location. Probably the owners just being paranoid. He didn't make a big deal of it though, so a good bloke.




And why on earth did they insert this thing in such a nice space! A coffee shop that probably doesn't get that much trade given the number of people inside the shopping centre.

 

[neonwilderness]

These are supposed to be the oldest pubs in Manchester, on Exchange Square.

I've eaten at the one on the right. Can't remember what the food was like, just that it was really really busy

 

[tufty79]

i've been in the black and white one and it was really nice was a fair while ago, tbf.

i have never been to the corn exchange - might have a looksee next time in up taht way.
is affleck's palace still going, btw?

 

[Puddy_Tat]

These are supposed to be the oldest pubs in Manchester, on Exchange Square.

sort of.

although they have been moved (about 300 m according to this) since i visited manchester regularly...

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I've eaten at the one on the right. Can't remember what the food was like, just that it was really really busy

They always seem to be do a good trade but they do have a great location so not surprising. A bit too busy on sunny afternoons though.

i've been in the black and white one and it was really nice was a fair while ago, tbf.

i have never been to the corn exchange - might have a looksee next time in up taht way.
is affleck's palace still going, btw?

Afflecks is still there, recently done up I think after it was saved from closure. Not been in for donkeys so no idea what it's like inside these days.

sort of.

although they have been moved (about 300 m according to this) since i visited manchester regularly...

They've had a bit of an eventful life as buildings don't generally get carted about like that. Glad they've survived though, and they are in the right place now next to the Corn Exchange and Cathedral. That shopping centre they were in before was truly hideous - thank god it had to be demolished after the bomb.

 

[cyberfairy]

Quite pleasing to see shiny upmarket capitalism failing but not for the building or the people who work in it I guess. Really interesting pics. I too remember the old pub being extremely busy (and lacking a decent cider as I recall although it was a good while ago I was there) Prefer the Northern Quarter.
Been on holiday in Shropshire so lots of mundane Midlands pictures but no Northern ones...Have one from the Midlands just to be controversial.

[/quote]

 

[Puddy_Tat]

That shopping centre they were in before was truly hideous - thank god it had to be demolished after the bomb.

indeed. it would have qualified for 'mundane' in a lot of ways.

(not my photo - one lifted from Flickr)

 

[farmerbarleymow]

They were in a centre over Corporation Street from the Arndale (which as you rightly say, was grim before the bomb), in this 'beautiful' building. None of these are my pics.

And this was them part way through this place being built, after they'd been jacked up to reach the right floor level as the then new centre. Leaving after chucking out time looked a bit precarious...

 

[Puddy_Tat]

yes - thought i'd seen the photo of the two pubs in the middle of a building site picture before.

and yuk. i'd forgotten just how uninspiring the old arndale centre was.

my first reaction on finding them in the middle of a crappy concrete shopping centre was along the lines of "wtf?"

 

[farmerbarleymow]

my first reaction on finding them in the middle of a crappy concrete shopping centre was along the lines of "wtf?"

Me too! That the planners thought that they would sit comfortably in such a shitty concrete centre is incomprehensible. They must have been on drugs.

 

[cyberfairy]

I w

They were in a centre over Corporation Street from the Arndale (which as you rightly say, was grim before the bomb), in this 'beautiful' building. None of these are my pics.

And this was them part way through this place being built, after they'd been jacked up to reach the right floor level as the then new centre. Leaving after chucking out time looked a bit precarious...

I would love to have this as a massive framed photo on my wall

 

[longdog]

I had the same experience longdog mentioned - I was in there taking pictures for quite a while (about 90 odd in all), and it was only as I was about to leave that a security guard said I'm not allowed to take pictures inside. Erm, a bit late matey! He said it was because of terrorism - despite it being open to the public so hardly a secret location. Probably the owners just being paranoid. He didn't make a big deal of it though, so a good bloke.

The funny thing was that following the St Stephen's centre logic their own brochure would've been a terrorist's handbook. Maps, photographs, opening hours and so on

Paranoia is a wonderful thing ain't it?

 

[farmerbarleymow]

The funny thing was that following the St Stephen's centre logic their own brochure would've been a terrorist's handbook. Maps, photographs, opening hours and so on

Paranoia is a wonderful thing ain't it?

I know - it seems like a lame reason. Although for the Corn Exchange, the IRA bomb did actually go off about 50 yards away, so they sort of have a basis for the paranoia.

 

[neonwilderness]

Get Carter (the original, not the shite remake) on ITV4 just now. Lots of northern mundaneness there

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Get Carter (the original, not the shite remake) on ITV4 just now. Lots of northern mundaneness there

I'm a luddite who doesn't have a telly.

 

[neonwilderness]

I'm a luddite who doesn't have a telly.

A lot of the locations have been covered here already anyway

 

[longdog]

I'm a luddite who doesn't have a telly.

 

[tufty79]

so am i

 

[Miss Caphat]

View attachment 38531

Technical issues, thats as good as i can be bothered with

wth does "Don't Skid on a Kid" Mean?

 

[Fez909]

wth does "Don't Skid on a Kid" Mean?

It means don't drive over a child in your vehicle

 

[Miss Caphat]

It means don't drive over a child in your vehicle

Wow