It was a sunny day in June when the face of Manchester was changed forever by the IRA bomb that tore the city centre apart.
A 90-minute warning about the lorry bomb, made with a phone call from the IRA, led to a massive evacuation effort of some 75,000 people.
Miraculously, no one died – but the attack deliberately targeted Manchester’s economy and, in today’s money, caused £1.3 billion-worth of damage.
Previously unseen footage given to The Manc and shared below shows just how widespread the impact was, with ceiling panels hanging down in the Arndale, road signs knocked askew, and windows shattered.
While the scars left on the city by the atrocity on Saturday 15 June 1996 may have been patched over, the memories are still just as vivid for those who were in the city centre that day.
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The aftermath of the IRA Bomb
One such eye-witness is a familiar face around Manchester, and landlord of one of our most legendary pubs.
This is Gerard Ford, better known as Ged, the man behind The Millstone pub in the Northern Quarter where the karaoke blasts from morning til night.
Back in the 1990s, Ged was in charge of The Blob Shop, a long-lost institution on High Street that specialised in ‘cheap wine, cheap beer, and plenty of blobs’ (a mix of Australian white wine, hot water and lemon. Ged sold 6,000 a week).
The old Yates Blob Shop on High Street, Manchester / Credit: deltrems@flickr
When he arrived to work that day, he could never have imagined that he’d be sitting in the rubble drinking beer with police officers just hours later.
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He told us: “I’ll never forget that day, because it was a beautiful day – it was all blue skies and everyone was in a great mood and all that, and then you heard all the things going on, sirens and things.
“And the police coming in saying to people ‘You’ve got to move out, you’ve got to move out of the pub’.
“Truthfully, a lot of people said ‘No. I’m staying here for a few pints. If I’m going to go, I’ll go with a pint in my hand’.”
Eventually, Ged’s punters were coaxed out of their local and down the road – to another pub.
His customers were safely drinking in The Merchants on Oldham Road (now The Crafty Pig), but Ged was still standing in The Blob Shop when the IRA’s 1,500kg bomb was detonated.
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“The phone happened to ring, and I was in the off-licence which is the window on High Street,” he said.
“I put the phone to my right ear, the bomb went off – the reason I’m saying that is because it blew my ear in, it blew my ear drum in.
“And it blew all the panels off the wall. All the windows came in, everything came in when the bomb went off. It was unbelievable.”
After being evacuated, one of Ged’s employees told him that she’d left her purse at the Blob Shop – including her house keys.
He continued: “I knew how to get down the back streets to the Blob Shop.
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“As I was crossing the road I heard the police shout ‘There’s a bloke!’ and they chased after me.”
Ged Ford in The Millstone / Credit: The Manc Group
Ged was quickly emptying the cash from the tills and fetching his friend’s purse when the police rushed through the open doors after him.
He says they were shouting ‘we’ve got him Serge, we’ve got him’.
“I put my hands up and said ‘I’m the manager, I’ve had to go and get this girl’s purse and I’ve just got to take all my cash downstairs and put it in the safe. I’ve got to do all these things.’
“I was [shaking with] adrenaline and so were the policemen, so I said to them ‘Well while we’re here, let’s have a pint!’
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“And I promise, and this is the God’s gospel truth, we all had three pints each, just like that.
“They were great policemen.
“So then obviously they got me out of the Blob Shop and they had to walk me down Church Street in the middle of the street with the policemen with me, to make sure I was safe.
“All the glass was still coming out of the windows, it was still falling in from all over the place.
“When I came out with the police it was still a lovely day, obviously it was blue skies.
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“All the alarms were going off, I remember all the alarms.
“Alarms for cars, alarms for all the offices. The sound of alarms all the time, it was very very eerie.
“I can’t describe it. Well, after three pints anyway! I just remember thinking ‘What the hell’s happened?'”
Ged’s Blob Shop pub was only closed for a matter of days – it was back open for business by the middle of the week after the attack.
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“People are very resilient, they want to go back to normal ways and that’s what they do.
“We opened the Blob Shop again and it thrived and it thrived.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
Feature
‘If only he was here’: Peter Hook reflects on Ian Curtis as Joy Division join Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Danny Jones
We were lucky enough to play a part in a bit of music history (albeit only a small one) this week, as we had the privilege of chatting with the one and only Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order, as the pair were finally admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
A long overdue bit of recognition, if you ask, but a momentous day nonetheless.
Chatting with Hooky and a long-time friend, collaborator, and beloved Manchester-based DJ, Graeme Park, in the aftermath of being named in the ‘Class of 2026’, he was visibly moved and honoured by the announcement. Here’s what he had to say…
Joking from the off by repeating Graeme’s initial question, “How does it feel?” (an absolute tap-in, that one), the 70-year-old bassist and co-founder of both iconic Greater Manchester groups admitted that they “had a couple of false starts”, to put it mildly, but went on to add: “we can only thank our fans.”
Confessing there has been somewhat of a mixed reaction about “what it means” to them and/or in the industry these days, he made it clear that on a personal level, it’s still a huge moment.
Put simply, he said: “Without the fans, we’d all be nothing.”
He also went on to praise the sort of no-nonsense, DIY and unapologetic approach of the Manc music scene, quipping: “You know, what would Simon Cowell have said about Ian Curtis, Bez, Shaun [Ryder] – Ian Brown, for god’s sake?!”
Acknowledging that while no one was necessarily an “accomplished singer” (often the case when you start early and just pursue a passion), his caveat was that “they had heart and soul” and “they embody something deep within us all that has lasted and will continue to last.”
Noting a de facto ‘Renaissance’ that a few names have enjoyed – especially following the passing of certain notable figures – he believes, rather, that they never went anywhere and that Northern crowds and beyond have helped those songs stretch to three, four, even five different generations.”
He’s not wrong: they’ve never stopped connecting with audiences, and they NEVER will.
Once more, it was an absolute joy (again, pardon the pun) to chat with Peter and Parky, who clearly haven’t lost their love for each other, nor this business – even after all these decades.
Congratulations to both bands, Hooky, Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, Gillian Gilbert, Tom Chapman, Phil Cunningham, as well as every session musician who’s ever played these tunes and kept them alive.
Last but not least: forever and always, rest in peace, Ian Curtis.
Inside Soho House Manchester as rooftop pool finally opens
Daisy Jackson
Soho House Manchester finally opened its doors to members late last year – but there’s still more to come.
The exclusive members’ club, which costs from £2,400 per year to access, faced several years’ worth of unavoidable delays as it transformed the old Granada Studios.
And even now that members can finally visit the space for networking, dinner and drinks, events, and working, Soho House isn’t actually finished.
Instead, the hotly-anticipated venue is opening in phases – the latest of which is that beautiful rooftop pool, with views overlooking the city from the top of the former television studio.
New images taken inside Soho House Manchester show several of the completed spaces, from lounges with beautiful natural light flooding through skylights, to stylish candlelit dining rooms, to gorgeous bedrooms.
In keeping with the building’s history, the Soho House design team have stuck with a premium mid-century interior, including terrazzo flooring and warm wood details, muted green and orange colour palettes, and chrome furniture.
Have a look inside Soho House Manchester:
Soho House Manchester is now open. Credit: SuppliedBeautiful interiors. Credit: SuppliedA bar space. Credit: Edvina BruzasRestaurant spaces. Credit: Edvina BruzasDetails of Soho House Manchester. Credit: Edvina BruzasMid-century details at Soho House Manchester. Credit: Edvina BruzasInside Soho House in Manchester. Credit: Edvinas BruzasNew spaces are still opening. Credit: Edvinas BruzasThere are 22 bedrooms inside. Credit: Harry Crowder
There are now 22 beautiful bedrooms up on the sixth floor, exclusively available to Soho House Members, which carry on the 1950s heritage design.
As the build continues, members will soon have access to a Soho Health Club with a gym, reformer Pilates studio, smoothie bar, and infrared sauna and steam room.
Every Soho House has a strict no-photos policy to protect to privacy of members – which means unless you fancy forking out £333.33 a month, you might never see inside it beyond the club’s official photography.
Daisy Jackson -
21st January 2022 
