fSleuthSleuth 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
Albert's Worsley Opens In The Wrong Place
Sleuth went to Worsley to check out the new Albert's Worsley. This is part of James Ramsbottom's restaurants including Albert's Shed in Castlefield and Albert's Didsbury. Sleuth eventually found Albert's Worsley in Swinton (official address East Lancs Road, Swinton, M27 OAA). So even in the City of Salford there's postcode snobbery. Still, thinks Sleuth, the East Lancs in Swinton is closer to Worsley than James Martin or Jamie Oliver ever manage to get to either of their Manchester city centre restaurants.
Worsley/Swinton Whatever - Looking Good
Geographical shenanigans aside. Albert's Worsleton (or Swinley) looks impressive. It will be good for the area as well, increasing choice in the western half of the city. If the food tastes as good as it looks Sleuth's looking forward to a visit.
Albert's Worsley
Alberts Worsley food
Two New Pubs For The City Centre
Living Ventures (Manchester House, Australasia, Alchemist and so on) are at it again in the city with their New World Trading Company (NWTC). NWTC has the Oast House in the city centre, a Botanist in Alderley Edge and another in Leeds plus the Smugglers Cove in Albert Dock in Liverpool. The 'concept' - there's always a LV concept - revolves around pub restaurants serving everything from real ale to fine Champagnes.
Sleuth hears they want to open five new sites in London, Glasgow, Birmingham and two more in Manchester. The latter locations aren't confirmed yet but Sleuth has a couple of suggestions.
Harpurhey. Openshaw.
Come on, Sleuth says, let's spread the love LV. Cheshire is so last year. Give the inner city the love it deserves and craves.
Chorlton Pub Takes Flight
JW Lees, local brewers, fine folk and good eggs, re-open Lloyds in Chorlton today (Friday 7 February). Sleuth looks forward to visiting the place which includes an Alcock and Brown room. Who, Sleuth hears you ask?
Well, John Alcock was born in Manchester while Brown was born in Glasgow but moved to the city as a young child and lived up the road from Lloyds at 6 Oswald Road.
The pair would team up in later life and become the first people to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean on 14/15 June 1919.
Alcock's glory was shortlived, he was knighted after his Atlantic feat and shared in £10,000 of prize money. He died after the plane he was piloting crashed in Northern France on 18 December 1919.
Down in one so to speak.
He's buried in Southern Cemetery not far from Lloyds which keeps it all in Chorlton if nothing else.
Those noble aviators now with a special place in a Chorlton pub
Sleuth And The Best Place To Keep Meat
Sleuth met Gordo and Lottie Moore (aka Greedychops) at Smoak, the steakhouse restaurant in the Malmaison Hotel. They ate as many steaks as they could get their hands on including the magnificent wing rib. As they were leaving the restaurant, Lottie turned to Gordo and said in a matter of fact tone, "You've still got meat on your face." The Fat One took it in his stride and said, "Have I really?" making no attempt to remove the meat, as though leaving it for a later. A sort of cold meat pudding.
Workers Of The World Urinate
Sleuth was having a tour of the building works of the new multi-function arts venue HOME off Whitworth Street West. He found these signs. He hopes the top one doesn't refer to the bottom sign - although that would reinforce the need for wearing helmets.
Let's hope the two signs aren't related
Sleuth Discovers Their Is Hope For The English Language
Sleuth was pleased to find this sign at the HOME building site. It gave him faith in the universal desire for accurate English - even amongst construction workers.
Correct spelling in those safety signs please
The Legal Pebble
Sleuth was pleased to hear Judge Huskinson saying this in the excellent story from Jill Burdett about No 1 Deansgate and the row over whether one building is attached to another: “I was told there would be a gap between the buildings down which one could notionally drop a pebble so that it fell vertically to the ground.” Sleuth wonders what is the legal pebble size? Is it round, oval, or long, how much does it weigh and was the size set by Parliament. Sleuth thinks we should be told, he might want to carry a legal pebble around with him.
Probably not this big
The legal gap between buildings with Steve Birbeck, resident of No 1 Deansgate
Sleuth And The Belgians
Sleuth took a group of Belgian guests round the city on Monday. They were all football writers and were here to see Manchester City v Chelsea. Sleuth took them for a coffee in the Radisson Edwardian Blu were he knew Chelsea were staying. John Terry, the Chelsea captain, and Nemanja Matic, the new star play, obligingly came wandering past. Sleuth pretended he'd arranged it all of course. There was general agreement over what the final score would be in the evening's game: Manchester City 3, Chelsea 0. Some of the journalists were keen to find a bookies to bet on this. Chelsea won 0-1.
Belgians feeling lucky at Damsons in MediaCityUK
Beautiful New Bridge
Every seven days or so Sleuth is stopped in the street by policemen, concierges, Belgians, pebbles of an indeterminate size, aviators, restaurateurs called Albert, new pubs, construction workers trying to find the toilet and all the meat faced men in the world, and asked: "Where can I find a beautiful new bridge over the River Irwell in Salford by acclaimed designer Tonkin Liu?"
"Why," said Sleuth, "that would be the bridge from The Crescent to The Meadows creating a lovely and slinky link between the city centre and a large green space."
And to prove this he showed all the policemen, concierges, Belgians, pebbles of an indeterminate size, aviators, restaurateurs called Albert, new pubs, construction workers trying to find the toilet and all the meat faced men in the world, this picture.
New bridge with a snag
"But there is a snag," said Sleuth.
"What's that?" asked all the policemen, concierges, Belgians, pebbles of an indeterminate size, aviators, restaurateurs called Albert, new pubs, construction workers trying to find the toilet and all the meat faced men in the world.
"There's no money to build it yet."
"Fuck," said all the policemen, concierges, Belgians, pebbles of an indeterminate size, aviators, restaurateurs called Albert, new pubs, construction workers trying to find the toilet and all the meat faced men in the world.
