Granadaland takes shape

I’ve now finalised the route for Granadaland, my new walking tour that begins on 29th August.

The route map above gives an idea of just how much history is packed into this relatively small part of Manchester.

We’ll begin beneath Aviva Studios and trace what was here before television arrived, including the remains of the Manchester and Salford Junction Canal. We’ll then explore the railway history surrounding Liverpool Road Station, now part of the Science and Industry Museum.

The remaining hour will focus on Granada: the studios, the architecture, Coronation Street, the Granada Studios Tour and how the entire area has changed since television production moved away.

While researching the walk, I’ve been finding some wonderful and unexpected stories, including one of Take That’s earliest television appearances, filmed at the Granada Studio Tour in 1990.

It’s a tour about the repeated reinvention of one small corner of Manchester, from an industrial hub to a centre of entertainment and hospitality. Come and take a walk with me to discover what was here, then and now.

Details & booking: https://www.here-then-now.tours/granadaland 

Martin Zero tour - sold out!

When I started putting this newsletter together, just yesterday, I was planning to let you know about the last few remaining tickets for this Saturday’s special Medieval Quarter walking tour with Martin Zero.

However, I’m delighted to say that we’ve now completely sold out…!

The three-hour walk will follow my usual Medieval Quarter route, with Martin and his friend Roy adding their own personal experiences, photographs and insights along the way. We’ll also have an opportunity to continue the conversation over a pint or two afterwards.

I’ll aim to share a few photographs and highlights from the day on social media. In the meantime, you can watch Martin’s fascinating video exploring the hidden history of Manchester Victoria Station - one of the places we’ll be discussing on the tour.

Watch Martin’s Victoria Station video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn4aC2_dtCc

The Harry Hall rabbit hole

Sometimes a story begins with the smallest detail.

In this case, it was spotting a tiny Harry Hall Cycles sign in an old photograph of Lancaster Arcade, combined with wanting to photograph the faded lettering that still survives across the company’s former railway arch on Whitworth Street West… before that disappears too.

Before I knew it, I was down another Manchester history rabbit hole…!

Harry Hall Cycles moved around the city for nearly 70 years, occupying everything from a Cathedral Street shopfront and a vast basement beneath the Corn Exchange to premises in the Northern Quarter and, finally, the railway arches.

Its story became about much more than a bicycle shop. It raised wider questions about the disappearance of the affordable, imperfect spaces in which Manchester’s independent businesses once had room to survive.

I originally shared a shorter version on social media, but I’ve now created a more detailed story on the website—also making it available to people who don’t use social media.

Read the Harry Hall Cycles story here: https://www.here-then-now.tours/stories/harry-hall-cycles