It has been cited here previously that there were many sections of Manchester in the 1980’s and 1990’s that were still harking back to the Industrial Revolution era. An example of this was the large Spinningfields space located in a square bordered by Bridge Street to the north, Quay Street to the south, Deansgate to the east and River Irwell to the west. It consisted of a suite of grubby back alleys and tenement buildings and even the name was derived from the dark satanic cotton mills heyday.
The Manchester bombing of 1996 resulted in a comprehensive regeneration programme across the city including Spinningfields which went through a £1.5 billion gentrification phase over the next decade and was labelled by the marketeers as the ‘Knightsbridge of the North’. It was loaded up with various bars, restaurants and boutique shops over the 22-acre (89000 square metre) site with 16000 punters employed. The old magistrates court and the Manchester Evening News buildings amongst others were demolished as a result.
Spinningfields. Image Credit Visit Manchester.
So, if you enter via Deansgate your first landmark is the impressive John Rylands Library which is well worth a visit and beyond there are the Australasia, Hawksmoor and the sorrowfully named Sexy Fish restaurants.
Nearby is a posh cocktail bar called Manchester Dear Sailor with three separate menus and drinks called Pecan Mai Tai Yuzu Meringue Martini if either of those delicacies happens to float your boat! Their blurb outlines they are inspired by the premise of 1930 Tokyo speakeasy bars and there are gentle house rules including that gentlemen cannot approach ladies unless they have already made the first move.
One afternoon I happened to be trundling past on my way to the train station after work and the doors were wide open and live music assailed my lugs. I hung around for a spell and caught a portion of the Steel Band Boys set and their Caribbean influenced beats.
Dear Sailor. Image Credit spinningfields.co.uk
As you continue your circuit onto Quay Street you roll past Schofields Bar and the Opera House and then reach No 1 Spinningfields. This structure was built in 2014 and gained a highest new entry placing as the fifth highest building in Manchester and they house various accountancy and law firms and also have a large M&S food hall on the ground floor. At the top of the tower block you would find 20 Stories restaurant.
In the central thoroughfare behind there is the Manchester branch of The Alchemist and The Ivy, the latter which Gill and I attended after her graduation. Further down New Quay Street you reach River Irwell and there is the obligatory branch of Slug and Lettuce.
There is a bridge over the river to the New Bailey estate taking you past the long gone Mark Addy pub and through to Salford Central station. However, the bridge has been closed for a couple of years now whilst awaiting repair thereby making my work commute slightly longer. This is also the location for commencements of tourist boat trips down the River Irwell.
Onto Bridge Street you then alight outside the award winning People History Museum which after several previous homes settled in its current location in 1994. Artefacts there include Peterloo Massacre memorabilia, ex-Spitting Image puppets and Michael Foot’s inimitable donkey jacket. Last year it was included in the city’s art trail with all 48 of the instruments in the guitar trail exhibited there with additional donations from Oasis, Doves and New Order. Our new prime minister Andy Burnham recently chose the venue to deliver his first major speech after announcing his Labour Party leadership bid.
You then pass the Civil Justice Centre which opened in 2007 and is known locally as the ‘filing cabinet’ due to its design shape. It was quite a ground breaking venture as it was the first major court complex built in Britain since 1882. On that main drag there is the grand old freemasons Manchester Hall building and the Indian restaurant Dishoom with their breakfast Bacon Naan Rolls.
The ‘Filing Cabinet’. Image Credit insidehmcts.blog.gov.uk
To the rear of there is Manchester Oast House, which is designed based on a resemblance to an olde-worlde Yorkshire barn and was a brick by brick rebuild of a reclaimed 16th century oast house which was located in Kent, for which its original use was for brewers when roasting hops. It was originally a pop-up temporary location when it opened in 2011 but proved to be so popular it became a permanent venue. I have attended a couple of Christmas do’s there, one in the indoor building and another in the marquees that they install for the winter season.
Oast House. Image Credit morningadvertiser.co.uk
There is a large outdoor seating space with two alfresco bars and a bespoke bandstand for live music, and they hold monthly festivals that are very well attended. I have seen seven acts there, either on post-work drinks or a cheeky Sunday visit on sunny days and they have all been comprised of cover acts.