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
SHLURP CLOSES AFTER THIRTEEN YEARS
After thirteen years Manchester's pioneer 'street food' vendor is to close. This is Shlurp, the soup-kitchen snack provider that broke away from the classic butty-lunch in 2002. The building on Brazennose Street they occupy in a tiny way is to be dropped. Lucy, the owner, is now going to concentrate on wholesale and outdoor catering soup provision - click here. Sleuth wishes her luck and says thanks for the superlative soup and...er... some stirring memories.
Lucy - stirs up memories
THE ABERGELDIE TO CLOSE, DULLNESS TO FOLLOW
Sleuth hears the Abergeldie cafe at the junction of Thomas Street and Shudehill in the Northern Quarter is to close. Nations weep, empires fall. This dogged centre of greasy experimentation, this 1970s internally half-timbered wood-chipped old fashioned transport cafe is motoring away to its lardy heaven. The cafe's finest moment was when it sported an A-board which stated in a marvellously uncorroborated manner, 'As recommended by Terry Wogan'. Sleuth hears the chains are gathering for a Northern Quarter onslaught, so in the Abergeldie’s place we’re going to get, it appears, a Subway which means zzzzz (Sleuth fell asleep attempting to write anything about Subway. Ed)
NEW CITY CENTRE CLUB
Hale's hugely popular Suburbia night club is ready to launch their second venue in Manchester city centre this weekend - opposite Grill on the Alley on Ridgefield in the old Avici White night club.
Yes, a club. Remember them? Sleuth does. They're the places people used to go to after bars. Yes after bars. What do you mean there's nothing after bars? No, not the kebab shop. No, not home either. Or even HOME. A club. Somewhere you'd go to after all the bars to shuffle around in a group, stare at girls and maybe (if you're several shandies to the wind and feeling giddy) have a dance. You know, dancing? More shuffling and staring at girls, just a bit more frantic and sweaty. No Mojo is not a club, it's a bar. So is Liars. And Hula and Blackdog... Well ok 42s is but I wouldn't. The Locks? Sling your hook. Venus? Sankeys? You high? No somewhere smart'ish, you know, shoes. Panacea? Help.
SuburbiaTHE ENTRANCE LACKS LEGIBILITY
Sleuth is deeply sad about the loss of Library Walk but can’t help giggling every time when he recalls the Library Walk inquiry last year and one of the statements from an expert witness for the council. This individual had stated the link building between the Town Hall Extension and Central Library was required because Central Library needed a 'more legible entrance'. You can see the Portico entrance from a mile away down Oxford Road. There is no more ‘legible entrance’ in the North. Meanwhile the new link building is so uncertain of itself it has to tell you where the entrance is. It’s all madness.
Central Library's illegible entranceREADY TO MINGLE
Sleuth was at Allied London's latest unveiling of their mind-bogglingly ambitious £1.5bn St John Quarter/Trinity Islands project this week at Old Granada Studios, which included plans for two new fifty storey towers. Chief of Allied London, Mike Ingall ('Mingle The Merciless' - Gordo), was giving a presentation to an invited audience in which he came up with a handful of thoroughly Sleuthable remarks.
Here's two of the best: "We've been working with residents throughout the consultation phase and have made certain changes to the plans following their comments. However, I'm sad to report that St John's will not include a fairground, a beach, or indeed, a zoo."
On being asked about the planned 'Private Members Club' and if it'd bear any resemblance to Hotel Gotham's much-maligned Club Brass private club, he said: "It'll be nothing like that place. I wouldn't spend £10 to go up there, let alone £750. It's undoubtedly one of the most underwhelming experiences of my life." Don't sugar coat it Mr Ingall.
Mike Ingall doesn't pull punchesSPEAKING OF...ST JOHN'S
Confidential editor Jonathan Schofield, wrote about the proposed £78m Factory arts and theatre space for Old Granada Studios, to which Calum McGowan replied: 'I think we need to think big here - a genuinely world famous, modern arts centre. Zaha Hadid?'
Zaha Hadid Architects eh? Calum, Sleuth likes the cut of your jib.
The Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku by Zaha HadidSLEUTH’S REPOST TO SOME DAFT TV PRODUCTION FELLA
Dear Manchester Confidential, I was wondering if you would be able to help me. I am currently producing a 1x60min documentary for Channel 4 about the mysterious canal deaths in Manchester and the story of 'The Pusher'. We are already featuring families that have been directly affected by the story but I was wondering whether you would be able to write about what we are doing in case anyone else would like to come forward. It would be great to hear your thoughts, Darren
'Dear Darren, I think the whole story of 'The Pusher' is absolutely nonsense. I have no desire for Manchester Confidential to be involved with such shallow TV making based on scaremongering and sensationalism. Here's our story. Thanks, The Editor'
INCONSIDERATELY WET CYCLISTS
Sleuth went for a walk on Winter Hill on the wettest Saturday of the year last week. Or rather Sleuth abandoned the walk and went to the pub with his mates, in this case the desperately in need of refurbishment, Black Dog in Belmont. In the large dining room Sleuth and buddies tried the chairs and found them wet. It was not a pleasant Goldilocks moment. Turns out a vast gang of lycra-arsed cyclists had just breezed through, jacksies soaked wet with rain. Apparently while eating lunch their loins had gently steamed which explained the deserted dining room. “Good job they weren’t those ludicrous naked cyclists we had in Manchester the other week. You wouldn’t want to be dining on seats recently occupied by a load of naked wet arses,” said Sleuth. “Not sure sitting if a load of sweaty wet arses covered in lycra is much better,” said a companion. Sleuth and chums didn’t linger.
SLEUTH’S FAVOURITE WEIRD RACE
Whilst sat in the Black Dog at Belmont, north of Bolton, Sleuth engaged, entertained and informed his chums with his favourite crazy race ever held in Greater Manchester. In the 1890s in Belmont ‘a race was arranged between a Yorkshire terrier and a little man with a long body and very short legs, who was known as ‘Wigan Bob.’ Hundreds lined the main street and hundreds of pounds in bets were placed. Wigan Bob won. Beats Sky Sports reckons Sleuth.
"That Wigan Bob takes performing enhancing drugs, you know," says the Tyke Pooch
