Piccadilly Gardens

[Farsight]

I didn't deliberately show an old picture, it's just what came up on Google.

Got a newer one then? From the wall side?

[caw123]

Piccy Gardens recently

[rolybling]

sorry Caw its not your pics but isn't it just a horror show, I absolutely HATE Piccadilly, apart from all the usual suspects ie: plaza, berlin wall etc theres an incredible amount of "street furniture", all sorts of bloody signs and posts and god only knows what else, it really spoils it for me.

[Jerv]

Forgive my ignorance as I havn't been to manchester since September, but how long has that atrocity been there? Yes the 3 storey peice of crap next to somerfield on the first pic? How the fuck did that get planning permission. It's completely out of scale and breaks up the roof lines. Disgraceful.

[Sir Miles Platting]

Originally Posted by Jerv

Forgive my ignorance as I havn't been to manchester since September, but how long has that atrocity been there? Yes the 3 storey peice of crap next to somerfield on the first pic? How the fuck did that get planning permission. It's completely out of scale and breaks up the roof lines. Disgraceful.

Not 100% sure but that is a refurbish of an older building. I seem to remember a 'Moorish' styled restaurant occupying that piece of the block.
Lyons Coffee House or summat. It was miles more aesthetic than the present effort.

[The Longford]

Its been there at least 18 months jerv! I was a bit disappointed when they demolished the building that stood there before but i have to admit i like the replacement. Its very restrained and clean and it actually picks up the roof line of the building to its left (which is awful!). Sympathetic scaling and materials - nice little number IMO.
Showing your age SMT but it was at any one time the Kardomah cafe, The Tempest (?) Bar and as you say a Lyons Coffee house. Fantastic building inside and out for many years but looked very tatty at the end there - dont understand why it was demolished though.

[9462]

all the statues look like there wanking

[Sir Miles Platting]

Originally Posted by 9462

all the statues look like there wanking

I suppose so if you're looking for that sort of thing....

Have you ever noticed that mice don't have any shoulders?

[Manc Guy]

What a place for a scummy somerfield.

[The Longford]

Its actually a very nice Somerfield and i have found it to be the perfect place for one on several occasions - you are not one of these 'retail snobs'* are you?

* - bit like a soup nazi.

[Northbeach]

There's a cracking somerfield in Chorlton, though the Withington one isn't so good.
Not sure those self service ports are as quick as the cashier line mind.

[The Longford]

Am i just being old fashioned or isnt it more reassuring to hand over your money to a human? My shoplifting days are well behind me (well sort of...!) but i always feel the desire to nick something when i'm 'filling' my bag up at one of them machines.

[b4mmy]

Originally Posted by The Longford

...but i always feel the desire to nick something when i'm 'filling' my bag up at one of them machines.

Ha ha!! Me too. But I never used one where there wasn't a supervisor telling you how to use it anyway... so unless its a betamax/vhs kind of retail war, I cant see the point...

[Manc Guy]

Originally Posted by The Longford

Its actually a very nice Somerfield and i have found it to be the perfect place for one on several occasions - you are not one of these 'retail snobs'* are you?

* - bit like a soup nazi.

Yes.

Still, a 'Somerfield'? Not my cup of tea atall. Why not just stick a 'Poundland' there? Also, on Oxford street, we've got some cheapo jipo shop relplacing 'allsports' for the time being, auwfull. A londener/outsider comes to Manchester and see's that on the high street, sure they'll be impressed.

[highriser]

Talking of crap building's that front on to Piccadilly,,,this one one the junction of Lever St ,,the cheap pound shop and the small newsagent,,,that should go.
The Prince of Wales building a bit further up ,that is going is'nt it ?

[/QUOTE]

[The Longford]

The Prince of Wales has been earmarked for years but the developer has disappeared. The building on Lever Street will fall down before it is pulled down - stand on lever Street and see how far the roof line sticks out compared to the ground floor - frightening. The newsagent is actually very old late Georgian (of which mcr has very few) but that shouldnt protect it. We are losing georgian buildings at a frightening rate because they are pretty much all like this building and difficult to love.

[Farsight]

Thanks for the pictures caw. Did you get one of the berlin wall from the bus terminal side?

[jrb]

25,000 Wall Flowers ‘in Bloom’ at Piccadilly Gardens

Piccadilly Gardens is being transformed into a wall-to-wall flower extravaganza this Easter, with ‘Manchester in Bloom’ bringing a spring-fresh floral fill to our nostrils, launching Manchester’s events season in the process.

Manchester International Arts, famous for bringing Streets Ahead and Garden of Delights to the city, kick off the spring / summer programme with 'Wall Flowers', a visually appealing public art installation using real, fresh flowers to adorn Tadao Ando's striking curved wall in Piccadilly Gardens from 13th to 15th April.

The wall will be transformed into a giant floral display with 25,000 sweet scented pink flowers: roses, gerbera, trailing amaranthus, carnations, oriental lilies and dyed pink eucalyptus. The display is being shaped and arranged into three enormous roses by Jo Vickers, a local artist and respected Senior Lecturer in Fine Arts, along with an array of volunteers.

The piece, entitled 'Wall Flowers', will be prepared over four days in the ground floor of No.1 Piccadilly between Sunday 9th to Wednesday 12th April. Jo Vickers and Manchester International Arts are looking for volunteers to help thread together the giant floral creation and are offering to feed and pay for travel expenses.

Thursday morning will see the giant artwork displayed onto the concrete wall by a series of ropes and nets, and will be on display until that Saturday evening as a vanguard for Manchester's exciting events programme throughout the spring / summer.

On Thursday 13th and Friday 14th a Chinese Flower Workshop run by origami and calligraphy artists will be held on the ground floor of No.1 Piccadilly, and is open to youth groups and passers by inspired with the grandeur of 25,000 pink flowers.

Additional to the Wall Flower display that weekend, the area will also hold organic and flower markets, allowing Piccadilly Gardens to blossom.

Anne Tucker of Manchester International Arts said: "Jo Vickers has developed all sorts of fascinating ways to work with flowers, so we were really keen to work with her on Manchester's first event of the season."

Councillor Mark Hackett, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure said: "Wall Flowers launches Manchester City Council's inspiring season of events that should enthrall and delight both local people and visitors to our city. This is a modern interpretation of the ancient tradition of flower dressing at this time of the year, and is an excellent centrepiece for the launch of Manchester in Bloom."

[chatz]

"Striking curved wall" never heard it described like that before

[highriser]

Exactly, do MCC know that 99% of Manchester resident's hate that fecking wall ,striking my arse

Welcome chatz