Nearby to Manchester Victoria station and opposite the Next shop in the Arndale Centre you will find the Printworks complex. The large area was originally the Withy Grove Printing House which was established in 1873 by the Hulton family. It operated as a newspaper printing factory for over a century before finally closing in 1988. In its final days it was bought by Robert Maxwell who true to form then instantly sold it off for a quick profit.
It lay unused for a decade and was in a derelict state before in the late 1990’s it was subject to a £110m transformation as part of the Exchange Square project. It was turned into an urban entertainment centre and was renamed as the Printworks to reflect the heritage of the location and it also retained some of the original features.
Manchester Printworks. Image Credit Visit Manchester
The four storey 33,900 square metre site concentrating primarily on nightlife was officially opened on November 9, 2000, with the special guests including Sir Alex Ferguson and Lionel Richie. In 2024 it underwent a major refurbishment which included the installation of the largest digital ceiling in Britain and its modus operandi is now geared more towards health and digital technology.
It now features a state of the art 20 screen cinema, gym with swimming pool but they still have the unhealthy option of over 20 bars and restaurants and also tenpin bowling and quirky modern pursuits such as Treetop mini golf! It is an area I have only sporadically visited over the years, and I remember visited the O’Neills Irish bar and also one visit to the Seven Stars Wetherspoons prior to a gig at the nearby Arena.
Also contained within this complex is the Manchester Bierkeller, which opened in 2013. It is a large venue over a couple of floors and contains within four individual bars. The first on entry is the Ski Lounge followed by their Around the World Bar serving 100+ beers. There is then the Shooters Sports Bar, which is allegedly the largest sports bar in Manchester.
In November 2015 Uncle George and I made a visit here prior to attending a gig at the much missed Ruby Lounge. We headed to the fourth bar, namely the Bavarian Bierkeller where we had identified before that there was daily live music taking place.
Manchester Bierkeller. Image Credit tagvenue.com
We purchased a stein of ale and grabbed a pew on the bench style seating and on a small stage an indie band from Stockport called The Instigators were playing. They regularly vary their size of their roster and can sometimes go up to eight members where brass is then included in the mix. On this particular day they were pared down to a three piece.
In 2000 Gill and I made our thus far only visit to Italy where we backpacked around the country on their highly efficient trains. We commenced and also finished the trip in Florence and also stayed in Rome for a few days. We also spent a week down in Sorrento where we took the opportunity to visit the enchanting island of Capri and foolishly imbibed a little too much Limoncello prior to a visit to Pompei the next day, a hangover in oppressive heat is not a recommended combination!
Whilst in Sorrento I sampled my favourite ever pizza in a restaurant off the main square. The nearest I have been to replicating that pizza quality within the boundaries of our fair isle is when we visited the Manchester Don Giovanni restaurant on Oxford Road near St Peters Square. It opened in 1984 and is the longest standing independent Italian eatery in Manchester.
Don Giovanni’s. Image Credit dongiovanni.com
It was originally located on the city side of the street located next to the now long gone Dutch Pancake House. It was a small, homely trattoria and that is where we had one of our finest meals. The restaurant then moved across to the Manchester Central side of the road, expanding in the process and also for a short time opening a deli next door. Unfortunately, I personally thought the quality dropped as a result though it just seemed to get busier and is a popular location for post-meals after nearby graduations.
In 2024 they celebrated their 40th anniversary and also dropped Don from their name at the same time. In May 2015 we met up some old friends who Gill had undertaken her nurse training with many moons ago. We booked in the restaurant on the Saturday night, and we were treated to a set from the house pianist Antonio.