Eats

The Footage pub has officially been bought and is set for a £1 million transformation

It won't be the same pub you remember.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 4th October 2024

Not long after quietly closing its doors and being put on the market, beloved student pub and Manc institution The Footage has officially been bought and is now set for a truly transformative £1 million makeover – and a new name.

Well, sort of. Technically set to return to its old moniker, The Grosvenor, the bustling pub that sustained university students for years, previously served as a bingo hall and was once the largest cinema outside of London decades before that, the place is going back to its ‘Picture Palace’ roots, at least in namesake.

The Grade II-listed building which was first opened back in 1915 was listed on Rightmove for just £1 last month (no, not a typo) and has now been snapped by an independent local operator on the cheap, but is now set to have huge investment pumped into as they prepare to turn it into something entirely new.

Promising to become a cutting-edge hybrid between hospitality and social space, the aim is to create “the ultimate adult escapism experience in central Manchester.”

the footage pub becoming the grosvenor oxford road manchester
The Footage may be no more but The Grosvenor is being reborn. (Credit: Supplied)

Complete with the huge sports screens that were always a staple for the regular Footage crowd, as well as some outrageous new interiors and even a slide to transport punters from the cinema’s original balcony, the vision is very different from just reopening as another newly refurbished pub.

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The spacious drinking and dining spot will feature 30 beer taps and a wide selection of sharing-focused food like buckets of wings, loaded pizzas, platters and big burgers, but will also serve as an entertainment hub, with pool tables, beer pong, darts and much more.

Scheduled to reopen this November and stay open from noon until midnight (make that 2am on Fridays and Saturdays), the idea is you can spend all day here and even capture all your memories in the photo booth at the end of the night.

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Be it a bottomless brunch, simple after-work drinks with friends, private events or just somewhere to watch the game, the space will offer something for everyone. 

Better yet, they’re making sure to carry on The Footage dynasty and keep the aspects people loved so much intact, starting with those student deals and even offering the most eager of punters some early discounts, offers and even a freebie by signing up to the new website.

Back to the original, as it were. (Credit: Supplied)

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Chris Tulloch, Managing Director and founder of Blind Tiger Inns – the company behind the transformation and existing Greater Manchester venues like The Station Hotel in Altrincham and The White Horse in Irlam, is understandably buzzing about the project.

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“The Grosvenor is in the midst of an incredible transformation, and we’re creating something truly special for Manchester. Our vision is to blend the best aspects of a sports bar, social venue, and nightclub into one vibrant, unforgettable space where memories are made.

“As we breathe new life into this iconic building, we’re excited to continue its legacy as a cornerstone of Manchester’s entertainment, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone in to eat, drink and have fun in the adult playground.”

Located on the corner of Oxford Road and Grosvenor St, The Grosvenor is striving to achieve the ‘ultimate hybrid hospitality and entertainment experience’ and provide an unrivalled experience on Manchester’s ever-evolving hospitality scene.

Although there’s no concrete launch date yet, we’re very much looking forward to enjoying The Footage like never before and seeing what goes into £1m transformation when The Grosvenor opens sometime this November.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Supplied

Eats

Greater Manchester’s quaint canal boat cafe with floating flat whites and unbelievable bakes

Danny Jones Danny Jones Canal boat cafe Greater Manchester city centre and Cheshire

There are a lot of good cafes in and around Greater Manchester but you won’t find many that serve up straight out of a canal boat.

Meet Libby and the ‘Cast No Shadow’ canal boat that is now the foremost river-based coffee and cake shop in our region, and with so many waterways around the 10 boroughs and beyond, you’ve got plenty of opportunity to meet both.

Currently moored up over on a picturesque corner of the Bridgewater Canal in Castlefield, just between the distinct white suspension bridge and The Wharf, this narrowboat cafe has only been up and running since May but has already earned queues of regulars who line up every weekend.

It also just might be one of the most wholesome things we’ve stumbled across in a long time.

Local legend Libby has had this pretty little vessel for three years and the cafe life is still pretty new to her as well, but she’s already nailed a really lovely niche.

You’ll find her serving up coffees freshly roasted right here in Manchester, snacks and soft drinks for the hotter days, as well as plenty of specials depending on the season or stuff going on around her.

Back when Sound of the City 2024 was still going on, we even saw her serving up handy little pots of mac and cheese to gig-goers on the way to Castlefield Bowl to fuel up before a long night of dancing and drinking.

Now that’s just legendary behaviour, if you ask us.

But aside from stunning pistachio lattes, colourful iced coffees and pure cosy vibes being served up right out of her small hatch, you can’t order from this canal boat cafe without grabbing one of the many delicious homemade loafs, cupcakes, cookies and more straight from fellow native The Vakery MCR.

With an ever-rotasting selection of sweat treats and regular favourites that sell-out almost immediately, almost everything baked is vegan, flawless and genuinely so good we couldn’t even tell the difference.

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Complete with her little sausage-shaped companion and sea-furring captain/very laid-back guard dog Bob, and a small terminal so you can still pay buy card like any other shop, we love everything about this little slice of canal and coffee-fuelled life.

She’s previously been spotted in other spots like Altrincham, Macclesfield and various other spots around Greater Manchester and Cheshire, and may very well be moving on to the likes of Ancoats soon, but at the minute she’s found a perfect home and regular customer base in Castlefield.

To sum it all up, Libby is one of the friendlist people you’ll ever meet, the boat is a solar-powered little stunner that’s a welcome addition to the city, everything is reasonably priced and we love that she’s also helping support other local indie businesses like The Vakery.

So, if you’re in the area or are looking for the perfect stop-off on your next Sunday stroll, make sure to swing by to say hello and enjoy the cutest canal boat cafe in the country – we don’t care if there are others, this one’s ours.

The definition of service with a smile.
The real star of the show (sorry, Lib x)
Credit: Canal Life UK (via Instagram)/The Manc Group

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Canal Life UK

Eats

Station South – The former Levenshulme train station saved from collapse to become community hotspot

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Outside Station South in Levenshulme. Credit: The Manc Group

If you were to ask someone to paint a picture that summarised ‘community’, you’d like end up with a drawing of Station South in Levenshulme.

From families clustered around tables inside to chattering pals catching up on picnic tables outside, to cyclists pulling in for a bike service and a takeaway coffee to people admiring the on-site urban garden, this is a community hub for all ages and walks of life.

This is a room where you’ll see cotton baby grows and lycra one-piece suits and oversized denim and linen dresses all running along together.

Station South has a regular programme of events, from planned cycling trips to maintenance masterclasses, pub quizzes and mini markets.

Every Friday, DJs pop up for the weekly Platform Social, spinning disco, funk, soul and much more, and they host open deck nights where anyone with a vinyl collection can get involved.

The building itself has been restored beautifully, with plenty of odes to its former life, from the wooden ceilings to the parquet floor.

It’s located around the halfway point of the Fallowfield Loop – in fact the busy cycleway passes directly underneath Station South. You can sit in the sunny side room and watch people cycling, running, scooting and skating along beneath you.

A sunny side room looks over the Fallowfield Loop. Credit: The Manc Group
A sunny side room looks over the Fallowfield Loop. Credit: The Manc Group
The outside space at Station South in Levenshulme. Credit: The Manc Group
A sunny side room looks over the Fallowfield Loop. Credit: The Manc Group
A sunny side room looks over the Fallowfield Loop. Credit: The Manc Group

Outside, there’s a sunny terrace bedecked with festoon lighting, and their little patch of green has been thoughtfully rewilded with native wildflowers and hedging.

There are picnic tables perched beneath pergolas crawling with plants, and even a few raised beds growing herbs.

As is so often the case with these suburban venues, Station South has a little something for everyone and for every time of day. That means roast dinners on Sunday, family-friendly seasonal menus, local beers, great wines, and plenty more.

On its breakfast menu is a fall-off-your-bike-in-delight breakfast muffin – the Manc Muffin – an intimidating stack of sausage patty, hash brown, cheese, egg, and relish. They don’t scrimp on the fillings. You’ll get in a mess eating it and you won’t mind.

We also ordered a confit tomato, halloumi and butter bean toast dish with just the right amount of pesto stirred through.

That intimidating Manc Muffin. Credit: The Manc Group
That intimidating Manc Muffin. Credit: The Manc Group
Excellent Station South Coffees. Credit: The Manc Group
Excellent Station South Coffees. Credit: The Manc Group
Halloumi, confit tomatoes and pesto butter beans on toast. Credit: The Manc Group
Halloumi, confit tomatoes and pesto butter beans on toast. Credit: The Manc Group

On a Saturday morning the place is packed and bustling in a comfortable, familiar sort of way.

And without the community Station South now serves, none of this might have existed.

A once bustling and integral part of Manchester’s public transport network, the former Levenshulme Station was gradually downgraded as electric trams arrived, war ravaged the economy, and the railways were nationalised.

The building slowly stopped serving passengers, then reduced to goods only, then became a coal depot that simply watch trains pass through on their way to Manchester Central, until that also closed in 1969.

Inside Station South now. Credit: The Manc Group
Inside Station South now. Credit: The Manc Group
Inside Station South now. Credit: The Manc Group
Inside Station South now. Credit: The Manc Group

In the late 1990s, a small group of keen cyclists rallied to have the old railway line turned into an urban greenway that would link up key South Manchester boroughs – this is, of course, the Fallowfield Loop (not actually a loop, before you get lost).

But the building above whizzed through several different iterations as various retail units before being almost completely abandoned and quickly falling into disrepair.

In 2017 a group of Levenshulme locals started their mission to bring the dilapidated but still-beautiful building back into use.

And that building is Station South.

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Thank god it wasn’t lost forever.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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