The Twisted Wheel, Whitworth Street, Manchester

 

This photo, taken in June 2013, shows all that the remains of the world famous Twisted Wheel nightclub on Whitworth Street, Manchester.

During the 1960 this nightclub was one of a number of venues in the north of England that played music that was to become known as 'Northern Soul'. Sadly, the building is now scheduled for demolition after attempts by campaigning groups to save it, failed. It is planned to build a hotel in its place.

The Twisted Wheel nightclub, which was located in this building in Whitworth Street during most of the 1960s, is widely credited with being the 'birthplace' of Northern Soul. Northern Soul is a Northern England musical genre principally influenced by rare soul music, imported from the United States.

The nightclub was perhaps the best known of a number of very popular venues in the North of England playing 'Northern Soul' music during the 1960s. Other Northern Soul venues included The Torch in Stoke-on-Trent and the Wigan Casino, in Wigan.


Twisted Wheel was also a live music venue that would, over the years,  see performances from famous soul music artists such as Edwin Starr, Junior Walker and The All Stars, Ben E King and Arthur Conley amongst many others.

The Twisted Wheel has been described as being as significant to Manchester's rich musical heritage as the Cavern Club was to Liverpool's. However, while the the Cavern Club,  where the Beatles played frequently in their early years, was first demolished and then opened again, it looks unlikely that this will happen to the Twisted Wheel.

If it does, I will let you know.

[Update 16th Aug 2013] Found this interesting video about The Twisted Wheel on You Tube.........

One Angel Square, Manchester

One Angel Square, Manchester, is a new development in Manchester city centre.  The building will eventually be the new home of Manchester based banking to retail group, The Co-operative Group.  The development, which is located to the north of the city centre, is adjacent to The Co-Operative Group's current HQ in Miller Street, Manchester.

One Angel Square has a distinctive and innovative design and has a visually impressive impact on the  local area. The award winning building has achieved an 'Outstanding' BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) rating for sustainability. Construction started in 2010 and was completed in early 2013.

One Angel Square lies at the heart of a proposed wider ranging, mixed-use redevelopment of the surrounding Northern Quarter. The Co-operative Group is managing this redevelopment project which has been branded as NOMA, short for, NOrth MAnchester. The Co-operative Group's plans include developing commercial, retail and residential property, car parks, hotels and restaurants extending over a 20 acre site. Additionally, there are also plans for the redevelopment of the Hanover Building on Corporation Street, an impressive Neo-baroque, Grade-II listed building designed by F. E. L. Harris and completed in 1909.

Overall, the redevelopment will have a significant impact on the area, extending the commercial and retail footprint further north of the city centre. Included below is a virtual walk-through showing the overall strategy for the area.

Statue of Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln Square, Manchester

The statue of US president Abraham Lincoln is located in Lincoln Square, on Brazennose Street (which runs between Deansgate and Albert Square in Manchester City Centre). The statue was designed by American sculptor George Grey Barnard. It is identical to the one located in Lytle Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

The statue was presented to Manchester to mark the support that the people of Manchester gave to President Lincoln in the fight for the abolition of slavery during the American Civil War (1861–1865).  At the time Manchester's economy was highly reliant on cotton, much of which came from the southern states in America. The people of Manchester and the surrounding area suffered horrendously when supplies of cotton were interrupted as a result of the Civil War. Lincoln's government actually sent food aid to help relieve the famine conditions that had been created. Despite the hardships created by the Civil War, at a meeting of cotton workers in Manchester in 1862, it was resolved to support the Union in their fight against slavery.

The original statue was completed in 1916 and exhibited in New York. This particular statue was presented to Manchester by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Phelps Taft of Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1919 and was originally located in Platt Fields Park. It was moved to Lincoln Square in 1986.

Mr Thomas's Chop House, Cross Street, Manchester

Mr Thomas's Chop House is housed in a distinctive and attractive grade II listed building in Manchester city centre. It is one of the oldest pubs in Manchester. It first opened as a public house in 1870 although the actual building itself is more recent.

The current historic building has an attractive facade consisting of terracotta blocks displaying Art Nouveau motifs. Inside, the bar area is decorated with yellow and green ceramic tiling.

The building was designed by architect Robert Walker in 1901 and is an excellent example of Victorian era architecture.

Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square, Manchester

Manchester's Town Hall was designed by the architect Alfred Waterhouse in the Victorian Neo Gothic style and was completed in 1877.

Alfred Waterhouse was responsible for designing a number of important buildings in Manchester and the Greater Manchester area, including:

• Gatehouse, main block and tower, Strangeways Jail, Manchester (1868) 
• The 190-foot (58 m) stone clock tower and spire in Rochdale Town Hall (1888)
• Museum of Wigan Life, designed as the Public Library (1877)
• St Ann’s Church, St Ann’s Square, Manchester was restored by Waterhouse in 1891
• Main Quadrangle, Victoria University of Manchester (1888)

The Town Hall accommodates a number of municipal government departments and some sections of the building are open to members of the public.

Shambles Square, Manchester

Shambles Square, located in Manchester City Centre, was created in 1999 as part of the major redevelopment in the City that followed the 1996 bomb attack.  Both The Old Wellington Inn and Sinclair's Oyster Bar suffered minmal damage during the attack and were dismantled and rebuilt 300 metres towards Manchester Cathedral to form the new Shambles Square.

The square is bounded on one side by the half-timbered public house The Old Wellington Inn. It is the only surviving Tudor building in Manchester City Centre Next to it, at right angles is Sinclair's Oyster Bar (the taller building in the centre of the photo). The Mitre Hotel which dates back to 1815 is located on the third side of the square, on the left, just out of the photo. The building visible behind Sinclair's Oyster bar is the Corn Exchange.

National Football Museum, Manchester

Manchester is home to Britain's National Football Museum.
 
The Museum is located in the Urbis building on Cathedral Gardens in Manchester City Centre, and is the futuristic glass fronted building in the centre of this photo.

On the right is the Printworks, a popular leisure and entertainment complex.   

Chinese Arch, Faulkner Street, Chinatown, Manchester

Manchester's Chinatown is home to an impressive Ming Dynasty Imperial Chinese Arch which is located in Faulkner Street in Chinatown in Manchester City Centre. Manchester's Chinatown is the second largest in the UK, the largest being in London.

The arch was built in 1987 using materials imported from China. It is a 15 meters high structure and is decorated in red, gold and green with traditional chinese characters and artwork. When it was built it was the largest arch in the country. Although Liverpool's Chinese Arch, built in 2000, is larger.

The John Rylands Library, Deansgate, Manchester

The John Rylands Library was built in 1900. It is located on Deansgate, Manchester.

It was designed in the late Victorian neo-Gothic style by architect Basil Champneys.

The library became part of The University of Manchester in 1972.

The John Rylands Library, Deansgate, Manchester

Albert Bridge, Manchester

For my first post I would like to share this photograph of Manchester's Albert Bridge built by Jesse Hartley, in 1844. It was taken in February 2013.

The photograph was taken from the footbridge connecting the Spinningfields area with the Salford side of the River Irwell, looking 'into' Manchester City Centre.

Beyond the Albert Bridge you can just see the upper part of Trinity Bridge which was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrva. It is a footbridge and was completed in 1995.

Albert Bridge. Manchester