Feature

The former pub in Hulme that’s now a haven for salvaged mid-century treasures

... and vintage toilets

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 25th June 2026

If you’ve ever wondered where old stained-glass windows, vintage toilets, and dazzling chandeliers go when they’re rescued from demolition, the answer is probably Insitu Manchester.

Standing on Chester Road in Hulme, Insitu occupies the former Turville pub, a Grade II listed Victorian building dating back to around 1870.

What was once a neighbourhood boozer is now one of Manchester’s most fascinating places to browse, packed to the rafters with architectural salvage, antiques, and quirky design pieces.

Spread across three floors, every room feels like a treasure hunt. One minute you’re admiring an elegant fireplace, the next you’re standing in front of a huge stained-glass church window wondering if it would fit in your downstairs loo.

The real showstopper is upstairs. The former billiards room has been transformed into a bright, sunlit showroom that feels more like an art gallery than a salvage yard.

ADVERTISEMENT

Founded in 1984 as a business specialising in reclaimed doors and fireplaces, Insitu has spent more than four decades saving beautiful objects from being lost forever.

Today, its stock ranges from reclaimed timber flooring and cast-iron radiators to stained glass, doors and other architectural features.

ADVERTISEMENT
The former billiards room is now a beautiful showroom
The former billiards room is now a beautiful showroom
A beautiful mid-century tiled table
A beautiful mid-century tiled table
Vintage sinks and toilets
Vintage sinks and toilets
Incredible stained glass windows at Insitu
Incredible stained glass windows at Insitu
A room packed with mid-century treasure at Insitu in Manchester
A room packed with mid-century treasure at Insitu in Manchester
Paintings, stained glass, and ornate furniture
Paintings, stained glass, and ornate furniture
The outside of Insitu in Hulme, Manchester
The outside of Insitu in Hulme, Manchester
A glimpse inside Insitu in Manchester
A glimpse inside Insitu in Manchester
A glimpse inside Insitu in Manchester
A glimpse inside Insitu in Manchester

During our visit, we spotted a mid-century tiled coffee table, ornate chandeliers, vintage glass lampshades, paintings and fireplaces.

But perhaps the most unexpected room was downstairs, where an entire collection of antique sinks and vintage toilets is displayed. Who knew a loo could be so beautiful?

Part of the fun is that you never quite know what you’ll find around the next corner. Every item has a story, and many have been carefully rescued from buildings that no longer exist.

ADVERTISEMENT

Come for the fireplaces, stay for the vintage toilets. Trust us.

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

Feature

The incredible Asian food market held every month at an 800-year-old church in Stockport

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The incredible Asian food market held every month at an 800-year-old church in Stockport

One of Greater Manchester’s most unique food events is taking place monthly in and around the grounds of an 800-year-old church.

Held on the second Friday of every month at St Mary’s Church in Stockport, the Asian Food Market brings together some of the region’s best independent Asian street food traders under one historic roof.

Organised by Eat Good West, the event brings together 16 traders every month, serving up dishes from across Asia.

Visitors can tuck into everything from crispy Taiwanese fried chicken and Korean corn dogs to homemade strawberry mochi.

A real highlight is the Japanese yakitori skewers, grilled fresh to order on a traditional charcoal grill while you wait, served in a cloud of smoke and delicious charred edges.

The market originally launched in Edgeley, but after growing in popularity it moved to St Mary’s around a year ago, giving organisers more space to accommodate the increasing crowds.

For the team behind the event, it’s about more than just great food. They see the market as a way of bringing together Stockport’s diverse communities, creating a space where people can connect over shared meals and discover new cultures through food.

Strawberry mochi
Strawberry mochi
A round of drinks for £10
A round of drinks for £10
Sticky fried chicken
Sticky fried chicken

There’s a lively atmosphere throughout the evening, with live music performances adding to the experience. And if Manchester’s unpredictable weather makes an appearance, there’s plenty of additional seating inside the church.

The bar also serves a selection of Asian beers and soft drinks at surprisingly affordable prices. We picked up an Asahi, a Singha and a plum beer for just £10 – one of the best-value rounds we’ve seen in a while.

If you’re looking for an excuse to spend your Friday evening eating your way across Asia without leaving Stockport, this is one event worth putting in the diary.

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

Feature

30 years ago, the IRA detonated a 1,500kg lorry bomb on Corporation Street in the heart of Manchester – here’s the story

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant History behind the IRA bomb in Manchester city centre

Today marks three whole decades since an explosion from the inside of a lorry parked on Corporation Street shattered windows and destroyed buildings across the city centre.

Causing an evisceration that stretched for miles, when the 1,500 kilogram IRA bomb went off in 1996, it was the biggest detonation in Great Britain since the Second World War.

Following the explosion, the city fell silent – leaving rack, rubble and ruin in its wake. Famously, one red post box was left standing – today fitted with a memorial plaque in remembrance of the tragedy.

It seems scary to think that back then, most people could only stand there, watch on and worry.

mcr ira attack
Credit: Manchester Libraries archive

The bomb caused an estimated £700 million worth of damage to Manchester’s infrastructure and economy, and over a quarter of a century later, locals still tell the stories of where they were when it went off – and of the devastation it left behind.

Notably, one resident of the Cromford Court maisonettes on top of the Arndale – a 77-year-old RAF veteran suffering from the flu – didn’t even bother to get up when the telephone warning to evacuate hit, considering himself to have survived much worse feats during his time in military service.

Having been a rear gunner in a Lancaster in the war, he reportedly told police and authorities “he was buggered if he was going to let a small bomb affect him.”

In subsequent years, Danny O’Neill has become a part of an urban legend surrounding the bomb as his staggering story has been told time and time again.

Around 90 minutes prior to the detonation, the Provisional Irish Republican Army had telephoned in warnings – meaning that around 75,000 people were able to be evacuated from the area before the bomb went off from the back of a van.

However, the bomb squad were unable to defuse it in time, leading to over 200 injuries from people still left in the area.

Thankfully, despite those injuries, there were no fatalities, and many of those reported traumas came from the shattering of thousands of windows and other damage to buildings in which unsuspecting people were getting on with their days.

Several buildings near the explosion were damaged beyond repair and had to be demolished, while many more were closed for months for structural repairs, and this prompted the biggest regeneration of Manchester city centre ever – something that is still continuing to this day, arguably at a more rapid rate than ever.

The city lay dormant for days after the explosion, as people came to terms with what had happened and kept their distance. Many moved out of the centre for a period of time, while many more simply decided not to visit for fear of another incident.

It was a desolate place, eerily quiet, and in need of some serious TLC.

According to Home Office statistics, an estimated 400 businesses within half a mile (0.8 km) of the 1996 blast were affected, 40% of which did not recover.

corporation street bomb
arndale bomb
Credit: Manchester Libraries

Market Street – near the explosion and at that time the second-busiest shopping street in the UK – was considered by some a “fearful” place, and one that was to be “avoided like the plague”.

The prospect of pulling Manchester’s bustling city centre out of its darkest depression was not casually approached by those in charge.

It was acknowledged as a mammoth task from the get-go, but Greater Manchester has never let anything get in its way. Despite how steep the hill is that we’re standing at the base of, we always manage to reach the peak, ready to go again.

Read more:

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

Featured Images – Supplied/Courtesy of Manchester Libraries

More Feature

Lola Young Manchester comeback headline gig review 2026

Art & Culture

Gig review | Lola Young’s Manchester comeback – A joyous return to stage at the O2 Apollo Manchester

Inside the Shibden Mill Inn in Halifax

Eats

The award-winning gastropub an hour from Manchester at the end of a beautiful valley walk

Art & Culture

Annie at Palace Theatre Manchester – a charming interpretation of an old classic | Review

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches