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 AND THE FUTURE MAYOR?
Leigh MP and Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham has decided to stand for the post of elected mayor for Greater Manchester in 2017. Burnham is famous for championing the extraordinary action that resulted in an 'unlawful killing' verdict over the Hillsborough disaster. When Sleuth talked to him a while ago he talked at length of his love of Liverpool, where he was born, and Everton football club. So given his associations with the city to our west and the fact there is going to be an elected mayor for Merseyside, why isn't he standing for mayor in that region? "Easy," said Sleuth's political advisor, "he wants the big job."
'Ohhh we hate Shankly, and we hate St John, But most of all we hate Big Ron...'SLEUTH AND THE CLOSING SPOONS
Sleuth sees JD Wetherspoons are continuing to close pubs, and have released details of a further 33 pubs to be sold via CBRE and Savills. The pubs put up for sale include two in Manchester; The Milson Rhodes in Didsbury Village and The Kings Hall in Cheadle Hulme, which follow the closure of the Bollin Fee in Wilmslow. Shame this. No really. Sleuth knows ‘Spoons’ isn’t perfect; yes the food is frozen, yes they things get a little shirty come dusk, and yes that queue outside at 8.55am is discomforting, but they've plenty of decent beer and it's cheap... and anything but another sodding Amber Sizzler Pub.
The Milson Rhodes is up for saleSLEUTH AND JUNK
Sleuth hears the team behind Manchester’s popular Junkyard Golf pop-up crazy golf may have found a new home as their six month stint at the Great Northern Warehouse draws to a close. Now this could be a load of rubbish (either way it’s guaranteed to be a load of rubbish), but Junkyard – a pop-up crazy golf course constructed almost entirely of ‘s**t found at the tip or on eBay’ – might have secured new premises somewhere ‘near Piccadilly’.
Good news then for crazy golf fans, who until Junkyard reopens can always make the most of the city centre's other crazy golf course in Spinningfields. At least there you're guaranteed a quiet round... Sleuth's still yet to see anyone playing.
Have you seen anyone playing crazy golf in Spinningfields? Tweet @mcrsleuth for your chance to win a free round... if you want it.
Can we play through?SLEUTH AND THE TATTOO MAN
Sleuth was in a Joseph Holt pub and got talking to a chap who made a remarkable claim. He said he'd drunk in every one of the 120 pubs owned by the company. "I love Joseph Holt beer and boozers," he said. "Clearly," said Sleuth. "And here's more proof," said our chap turning his back and rolling up his shirt. There, emblazoned across his shoulders, was a representation of Joseph Holt's Derby Street brewery in Cheetham Hill.
OuchSLEUTH AND THE SQUARE RANT
Sleuth hears that landscape architect Martha Schwartz had a rant at the big event on Wednesday commemorating the 1996 IRA bomb and what it had meant for the city. This was called Landscapes of Identity and took place at the National Football Museum. Philadelphia-born Schwartz designed Exchange Square in the aftermath of the explosion and now she doesn't like it. She feels the square has been defiled with the subsequent changes and the encroachment of the Metrolink. Sleuth was in Exchange Square on a recent Saturday when the sun was shining. People were sat on the walls that curve down from Selfridges and hundreds more were sat outside the restaurants of the Corn Exchange. Schwartz is worrying over nothing. Strange people designers, Sleuth reckons. They can be like old people looking at their adult kids and wondering why they had to grow up and stop being all cute and new.
Exchange Square: alive with peopleSLEUTH IS SHOCKED
Sleuth was shocked this week to learn that the National Union of Journalists has issued a letter to the shareholders of Trinity Mirror – the UK publishing group behind The Mirror, Manchester Evening News and the Liverpool Echo – highlighting concern about the quality of journalism. The NUJ stated it was “increasingly concerned at the quality of content that is being presented as journalism”. Now, now, thinks Sleuth, where've they got that idea?
SLEUTH AND COW RIDING
Sleuth visited Chris Salt and, artist, Karen Hayes in a lovely part of Middleton called Alkrington. Salt lives with his family in one half of the fine 1736 Alkrington Hall. The house was the home of Sir Ashton Lever who was famous for his 'museum' and being the foremost 'collector' of the day. In 1772 it's said 'he had upwards of 3,000 glass cases occupying four large rooms ranging across almost the whole front of the building'. After one open day, during which more than 3,000 people traipsed through the house, Lever got fed up and banned anybody coming to look at his museum unless they had ridden to the hall. One local, desperate to see the museum, but who didn't have the money to keep a horse, rode up on a bullock. Lever Street in the Northern Quarter is named after Sir Ashton, and Salt and Hayes want to emulate him at Alkrington. There's an article coming up about their plans for November, but Sleuth can give you hint here.
Alkrington HallCOW SCARES MAN
Meanwhile, at Cocktails in the City this poor chap was paralysed by Bovinophobia...
Stay...very...still
