SleuthSleuth is a sideways glance at the city every week, it's the truth, but Sleuth's truth. He's several people all at once. We give £25 for every story/rumour and piece of absurdity you find for us to publish. Sleuth sometimes even gets serious. We ask for the money back if any legal action follows. Follow Sleuth on twitter @mcrsleuth
Mystery Restaurant
There's much gossip and rumour over which operator will take the flagship unit in One St Peter's Square when it's finished. Will it be a prominent upmarket Italian venue or a big name incomer from the capital starting something new and fresh and very grand in the city? Sleuth will let you know, but it's getting exciting.
One St Peter's Square in the background - who's going to occupy the key unit?
Coronation Street Tour Re-opening
Sleuth has more details following the consultation on the re-opening of the Coronation Street set - a story Confidential broke this week (click here). Continuum, the event company, are saying visits will be pre-booked and by guided tour for forty people a time lasting around an hour and a half - with some free time on 'The Street'.
Sleuth recalls taking one group of Middlesborough ladies around Granada Studios Tour back in the day. One lady walked all the way down 'The Street' and then back again and took her shoes off, put them in her bag and put on a fresh pair. Sleuth gave her a funny look.
"They're for the mantlepiece," said the fanatic Corrie-lover about the shoes in the bag. "They're the ones that walked down Coronation Street."
Lucha Libre Opens
Lucha Libre Party MaskMexican food and drink has descended on the city - along with two coach loads of Scousers - as the Liverpool-based company opened its Manchester outlet to friends and family on Thursday - it will open to the public on Saturday 16 November from 2pm. Sleuth will be in later today with his favourite lucha libre (Spanish for free-fighting) mask for the launch party this evening.
Maybe he should have washed the mask though. His friend borrowed the mask the other week for party. "What type of party was it?" asked Sleuth when the mask was returned. "A suburban party with a twist?" said the friend. "And what was that?" asked Sleuth, worried. "We wore nothing except the masks," came the disturbing reply. Wilmslow can be very odd, thought Sleuth.
Lucha Libre opens Saturday
Sleuth's Sensible Suggestion Of The Week
"Bring down the fences at Pride," said one ranter on this story about the problems at Pride. The comments on the story show how upset people are about the mess involving The Village's premier event. But Sleuth is with the 'fence' ranter. Those ugly 'Glastonbury' fences have no place in a city centre. Knock them down says Sleuth. Return Pride to the people. Maybe have one fenced event area for ticketed events but the rest should be a celebration on The Village streets, donations in charity buckets and so on. Easy-going fun. Police walking around looking after things. Simplify it and celebrate says Sleuth.
Sleuth And Manchester Town Hall Clock Tower Tours
Sleuth is pleased to see that Manchester Guided Tours are running tours up the Clock Tower again this Christmas. Tourists around the world in cities around the world love a vista from a historic tall structure. You can book on the tours here. Confidential will be running its own tour for readers up the tower as well. If you like to feel a beautiful bell shaking your insides as it rings the hour after skipping up a gorgeous tower, this is for you.
Big Abel, the hour bell in the Town Hall
Sleuth And A Spot Of Religion
BindiOne of the Manchester tourist guides is Sue McCarthy who attended a professional guide development course in Preston this week. For some reason the course tutors took the guides to a Hindu temple where Sue received a bindi, that engaging little spot placed between the eyes. She then came back on the train to Manchester for other meetings at Marketing Manchester. It was all very official. After the meeting she caught her reflection in a Market Street shop. She was still sporting the bindi and had been doing so on the train journey back and throughout her meeting. "People know me well at Marketing Manchester. They must have thought I'd had a life-changing experience," she said.
Sleuth's Vague Promise Of The Week
Sleuth loved the press release from Transport for Greater Manchester this week about tram-trains on heavy rail routes in Manchester. He particularly loved the last quote: “At this point however, tram-train very much remains a long-term project for Greater Manchester, making it difficult to identify potential implementation dates or funding.”
Sleuth loves a vague promise. In the future Sleuth on World Beer and Cheese Day - always 28 July - will give out free beer and cheese to every passerby on Deansgate. Of course this remains a long-term project making it difficult to identify potential implementation dates or funding.
Sexy Witches
Sleuth has been amused by the new Witch Way logo - Witch Way is the express bus service to East Lancashire from the city centre. It used to be a threatening old crone of a witch in silhouette. Now it's a sexy decolletage enchantress showing lots of leg. "A sexy witch?" said a Sleuth friend, "Has anybody ever felt sexy while on a bus?"
New logo - phoaar!
Old logo
Sleuth And The Fun Lovin' Criminals
Sleuth was taken round Manchester Cathedral on Tuesday by Anthony O'Connor, boss of marketing, events and much else at the venerable old building. The Cathedral has been closed for months as a new floor has been inserted. "We can't wait to get back in," said Anthony, " we've got lots of plans. We re-open to the public at the end of the first week of December so people can have a look around then. We have our first gig here with the Fun Lovin' Criminals on 15 January. What a way to start eh?" Sleuth agrees that a hip hop rock act is exactly what the ancient house of God needs.
Just perfect for the Cathedral
Squatters Rights
Every seven days or so Sleuth is stopped in the street by policemen, concierges, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Sexy Witches, clock towers and all the Mexican wrestlers in Eccles and asked: "Where can we find two men squatting who've done something excellent this week?"
"Why," says Sleuth, "that would be in Salford and Manchester with chef, Robert Owen Brown and stonemason, Mark Walker. The first is chef at the Mark Addy on the River Irwell and has just produced a lovely book, Crispy Squirrel and Vimto Trifle - the launch of which you can attend if you visit here. The second is completing the relaying of the Cathedral floor and is a stonemason. Sleuth doesn't quite know why but he feels there aren't enough stonemasons in the world. That's a proper job."
And to prove this he showed the policemen, concierges, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Sexy Witches, clock towers and all the Mexican wrestlers in Eccles, these pictures.
Robert Owen Brown squats down in some Salford bushes
Mark Walker squats over his handiwork
Cathedral
