The Arndale Centre, like most of the rest of Manchester city centre, is in a state of renovation; but Next is Open As Usual, so those of us passing can be reassured that living that lifestyle is still possible.
Definitely the most important Directorate of the University at this point in time. It is almost impossible to take a photograph anywhere in Manchester city centre without hitting some kind of building site at the moment (as I have observed numerous times recently); the University is certainly doing its bit for this architectural movement of 2017.
I’m still on holiday, so I’m not here. You haven’t seen me. (Taken from inside the Urbis/National Football Museum building, though you can’t prove that.)
The twice-yearly graduation ceremonies give us the chance to dress up in our finery and enjoy some pomp and circumstance. Opportunities to do that are getting fewer in the world so let’s embrace them while they still exist. And as ever, congratulations to all the students as well.
It’s that time of year again. It crossed my mind today that it’s now twenty years since I first graduated, in July 1997. Gosh…
I did a survey today and established there are presently ten building sites somehow or other getting in the way of my walk from Manchester Victoria to my office, as follows:
1) right outside the station; 2) the northern corner of the Arndale Centre is being redone; 3) on the corner of Chapel Walks and Cheapside 4) the corner of Mosley Street and Nicholas Street (the one pictured); 5) the building opposite the Chinese Arch that burned down last year; 6) big development blocking Abingdon Street at Major Street 7) the old BBC site, which has spread out to block the cycle path under the Mancunian Way at Brook Street; 8) the Engineering Campus Development at university; 9) the Brunswick Street ‘landscaping’ at same; 10) the Students’ Union redevelopment at same.
Manchester!! give this creative destruction a rest please!
It is approaching 12 years since I started work in Manchester. In that time I have only rarely been in the city every day of a five day working week (indicated by the fact that there has only been one five-day run of Manchester pictures on here, which happened to be in March 2014). I have managed four this week, however. Anyway — the city might not be photographed as often as it could be, but this shot marks a nice round number — the 400th Manchester picture to appear on here.
Incidentally the blue plaque to the top left marks the founding of the Northern Rugby Football Union, later the Rugby League, in a hotel that once stood at this spot.
So scabbed has my walk to work become by various building sites of one form or another that each day I go into Manchester I find myself driven down further obscure corners of the urban architecture. And who is Gurn? Who knows what claims are made here?
How many generations of students have spent their time waiting around in corridors, until the time they are called into the room? It doesn’t change. Did I get the job? Not this time.
Now that’s a big…. large concrete thing. Actually I have no idea what function this could serve. It just continues the trend for Manchester city centre to be devoured by increasingly voracious machines. It’s like The Terminator meets War of the Worlds sometimes — which is where I came in with this shot.
