2 days ago
The Mancunian Way: A grand day out
The idea of visiting a city centre store merely for the glitz and glamour seems alien nowadays. But in the golden age of retail, everyone in Manchester visited the fifth floor of Lewis's at some point.
The department store was known for its outlandish displays - including a mocked-up Venice complete with gondolas and the huge Christmas grotto which saw Father Christmas arrive on a sleigh.
"It was a destination. People would go for the day out. You'd have people who came every week and never spent a penny,' says Desmond Flanagan.
READ MORE: Gangland war erupts in Greater Manchester as gunman opens fire on packed takeaway and family homes
READ MORE: 'If I hear the wheelie bins moving, I'll know it's them'
'It was a social centre as much as a shopping centre."
Desmond spent almost a decade working at Lewis's during its 1960s heyday and fondly remembers his time on the shop floor to Damon Wilkinson, who spoke to him for this lovely feature.
The grand shop on the corner of Market Street and Mosley Street, is now occupied by Primark. But from 1877 until 2001 it was the jewel of the city centre, complete with marble pillars, a glass dome and five storey atrium.
The basement was once flooded to create a miniature Venice-themed attraction, where shoppers could take a trip on gondolas, piloted by shop workers in traditional Venetian costume.
"My grandma could remember going on the gondolas," says Mr Flanagan. "It was probably sometime in the early 1900s.
'The rivers are culverted under the city centre so they had the idea of taking the water from the Medlock and using it to create a 'Trip to Venice' attraction. It probably created the idea of Lewis's as this great attraction. It was a tremendous publicity stunt."
Mr Flanagan's job involved organising displays in the fifth floor exhibition hall, which also doubled up as an occasional ballroom.
"We put on flower shows, fashion shows, brass band concerts, a space exhibition after the Sputnik launches, ballet contests,' he says.
"The Prime Minister Ted Heath once came to visit an exhibition on British tailoring and my job was to escort him up to the fifth floor. He knew there would be photographers there so as we were about to go in he turned to me and said 'Mr Flanagan, have you got a hair comb?'."
You can read the full story here.
'It's social cleansing,' says Linnie, an Ardwick man who isn't keen on the way the area is changing.
'Ardwick has a train station and I think they are trying to build up a population around it.
'This area is going to be like Brixton or Peckham - there are a lot of cultures here. Some people would have been able to buy property when it was an 'undesirable' area. But they can't now.'
Linnie was one of many people who spoke to me at Ardwick Green - a former Victorian park which has been battling an unsavoury reputation for drug use.
Police say the spot - just a stone's throw from Manchester Apollo - became 'plagued' with drug users who would 'descend' from the city centre to buy heroin and crack from local dealers.
After undercover officers busted a drug line which fed into the park, I wanted to find out if locals felt any safer.
What they told me was a mixed bag of concerns and insights into an area on the verge of gentrification.
Reporter James Holt has been looking into those weird online stores - all seemingly based in China - using mass-produced products sold at a high mark-up price.
AI-generated images are used to create entirely false personas for the store's owners - including an elderly couple and sisters who claimed to have run UK-based stores for almost 30 years before closing down. The pages then advertise on the likes of Facebook and Instagram.
James has been speaking to those affected.
Andrew Malkinson - who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit - says his fight to reform the legal system's handling of miscarriages of justice is far from over.
He says his 'life was desolated' by the wrongful conviction and he is determined to change the justice system, starting with the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).
'I haven't finished. I want to change a lot more,' he said. 'It's a good feeling that something so dreadful and tragic is leading to real change.'
You can read more here.
A baby deer has been spotted off the A56 Bury New Road. And our crime reporter John Scheerhout says it's evidence that wildlife is returning to the city centre.
In a rare and wholesome reprieve from breaking news about the city's criminals, John reports that the 'Bambi' like creature was seen on a riverside path, behind Hidden nightclub on Friday evening.
Tom Lightbown was walking along a path beside the River Irwell on his way to the shops when he spotted the fawn.
"It was a very nice experience, seeing a creature like that in the city centre. It was quite surprising. I've seen urban foxes before but I've never seen a deer.'
You can read about further city centre cervine spottings here.
Morrissey arrived on stage at Co-op Live in full Smiths-era splendour - swirling some gladioli, his shirt unbuttoned seductively close to his navel, a large red pendant swinging around his neck.
And he was on top, opinionated form according to Dianne Bourne, who has a full review of the gig here.
Wednesday: Sunny. 25C.
Roads: A572 St Helens Road southbound, Leigh, closed due to roadworks from A578 Twist Lane to Bonnywell Road. Until June 30.
A6 Chapel Street westbound, Salford, closed due to long-term roadworks from A6041 Blackfriars Road to A34 New Bailey Street. Until January 19.
Within half an hour of stepping off the bus in Benidorm, Adam Maidment had been offered countless free shots from bar staff, asked if he wanted to buy some 'good stuff' in the street and invited to join a stag-do as they surprised the groom-to-be with a stripper show.
It's fair to say his expectations of the resort were met. But after spending a couple of days in the area he discovered beautiful beaches, picturesque attractions and an addictive spirit from locals.
You can read about the unseen Benidorn in his lovely feature here.
