Sleuth is a sideways glance at the city every week, it's the truth, but Sleuth's truth. He's several people all at once. Sleuth sometimes even gets serious @mcrsleuth
SLEUTH’S BYE BYE CORRIE
So despite all the cries of outrage over the demolition of the Coronation Street set in the city centre, planning was granted on Thursday to obliterate it. The application went through 7-2. Many people have campaigned long and hard and indeed gathered a petition of over 2,000 signatories to save parts of the site.
“So how were your ideas treated by the planning committee?” asked Sleuth. Beth Rose Hopper, campaigner, said, “I am incredibly annoyed by the insulting, belittling and condescending comments made by some of the Councillors. When we tell our elected representatives that something is important to us, even if they disagree, I do not expect their response to be a smug and terse 'It's not important' and even more so when they have demonstrably not understood, or listened to, what our point is.”
The editor at large tells Sleuth he’s going to write an article soon about this unwelcome attitude of many Manchester city council representatives. They appear utterly to reject the mood of political engagement in the air. Library Walk, Century House, Ordsall Chord and countless other popular campaigns are being batted aside by Town Hallers who seem to find all this public engagement an affront. How bloody dare they says a furious Sleuth.
MOSI’S SURPRISE OBJECTION
Sleuth hears that at the Corrie planning meeting the Museum of Science and Industry objected to the St John’s proposals on various grounds other than Corrie’s destruction. These included concerns that the heights of the buildings might compromise the heritage integrity of their site. Er...right. Unlike, of course, building a big bloody railway, the Ordsall Chord, through the western end of the site and destroying the integrity of the oldest passenger rail system in the world. Maybe the St John’s Quarter people should ‘donate’ £3m to the museum, that seemed to work for Network Rail. MOSI loves big schemes with donations such as those.
"We strongly object to this ruination of our heritage...£3m you say? This is a wonderful scheme..."NEW WIFF-WAFF BAR
Sleuth loves a spot of wiff-waff (eh Boris?), so is chuffed to hear Leeds-based bar and restaurant operator the Jones Bar Group are planning to launch their ping-pong and pool concept, Roxy Ball Room, in Manchester sometime next year. Owners want to launch ten new venues over the next five years before selling-up. Though Sleuth hasn't picked up a paddle since the incident when, in the midst of a hotly contested match in the basement of Northern Quarter bar, he slipped and let loose the bat into some poor chap's boat race, shattering his spectacles...
Roxy Ball Room, LeedsAPPLE TASTES LIKE APPLE
Sleuth's pleased to hear two-Michelin starred chef Michael Wignall of the Latymer in Surrey is to take over the reins of the ABode Hotel's fine-dining arm when Michael Caines departs in spring. Sleuth feels Caines, though a mighty fine Michelin star cook in his own right, fell out of love with ABode sometime ago. Wignall, with two Michelin stars and five AA rosettes, is one of the UK's most decorated chefs and should help the Piccadilly hotel reel the punters back in.
Wignall, taking part in a cook-off at the NRB this year, was also party to what Sleuth remembers as one of the most profound bits of food punditry he's ever witnessed, courtesy of Ryan Giggs. Skip forward to 28mins 30secs... 'Your thoughts Ryan?'
SLEUTH'S WORST PROMO OF THE WEEK:
Three days ago Hong Kong-based Power Charter Living International published this not remotely cheesy promotional video for a conversion of Bracken House on Charles Street, which Sleuth can only presume has been modelled on Minecraft. Now that's 'sincerity for you'.
(thanks to JRB for this one...)
Bracken House Promotional Video from Power Charter on Vimeo.
SLEUTH’S VIEW OF THE WEEK
Sleuth loves breaking free of the heady rush of 21st century life and heading for the bar high above Piccadilly Gardens in the Mercure Hotel. There, armed with a fat Rioja, he contemplates like a pagan god on his mountain the scene below; the busy humanity, the buses, the trams, the moors in the distance, the awful red brick One Piccadilly building, the broken fountain in Piccadilly Gardens, the muddy lawns, the crass concrete wall. It's not long before Sleuth spreads his arms and to the consternation of would-be spectators in the bar, cries loud and long, “Manchester I love you.”
I love you Manchester, now pass me another Rioja
