The man building amazing tiny replicas of Manchester’s most beloved pubs and shops
It's the little things - a cigarette end cast on the floor, an empty polystyrene chip shop container, a crumpled-up newspaper - that make Ric Faccin's work the love letter to the city that it is.
Is everything better in miniature? For Whitefield-based creative Ric Faccin, it certainly seemsto be the case.
Something of a social media sensation, for those who don’t know his work, well, you’re in for a treat, especially if you have an affinity for grungy old Manchester pubs and shops.
Since lockdown struck in 2020, the Manchester local has been keeping busy recreating some of our most beloved institutions in miniature – and we honestly can’t get enough.
From boozers like The Briton’s Protection and The City to beloved hideyholes like the Shudehill Book Centre, Yadgar Cafe, and Cafe Marhaba, if it’s special to Manchester you can pretty much bet that Ric has made a model of it.
Image: Manchester Builds
Image: Manchester Builds
Having previously worked in recruitment, when Covid hit he found himself with more time on his hands than he knew what to do with.
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And so, whilst the majority of the UK was binge-watching the Netflix documentary Tiger King, Ric developed an obsession with watching Youtube videos about building models.
As a result, what had first begun as a plan to decorate his apartment with photographs of old Manchester doors soon became something much bigger.
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Beginning first as a hobby, it quickly turned into a business once Ric began posting his creations to social media under the username @manchester_builds: igniting a blaze of interest from would-be customers after one of his posts went viral on Twitter.
A model of Lou Macari’s chip shop shutter features a poster for the first Parklife festival, held in Platt Fields in 2010. / Image: Manchester Builds
Outside the chip shop model, Ric has painstakingly recreated some of the debris you’d typically find after a late night. / Image: Manchester Builds
His very first attempt – the Arndale Book & Magazine Exchange on Shudehill – set the tone for things to come, with Ric paying homage to the “gritty grimey seedy Manchester gems” in the comments, writing: “need to build em all before they’re gone forever.”
Showing a side to Manchester that you won’t find on the tourist sites, it’s the tiny details – a cigarette end cast on the floor, an empty polystyrene chip shop container, a crumpled-up copy of The Manchester Evening News – that really makes his work feel like a love letter to the city. That, and the selection of subjects.
From the sex shops of Manchester to its rice and three cafes, record stores, pubs and book shops, each has been recreated in intricate detail.
These are not the spots you’ll find recommended at the top of TripAdvisor, but trust us when we say you want to pay a visit. (Yes, even the Tib Street sex shop Love Boutique, provided you’re of age anyway).
Whilst the city might be changing at pace, we love Manchester Builds because we can always rely on Ric to help us keep a grip on the past – and to remember the institutions that have made Manchester what it is today.
The inflatable floating obstacle course you can splash around on near Manchester
Daisy Jackson
There’s a giant inflatable floating obstacle course less than an hour from Manchester, where you can slide, jump, and fall straight into a lake.
At Wild Shore Delamere, you can tackle obstacles like monkey bars, the ninja-jump, the tyre run, and a giant 3.8 metre-tall inflatable tower, all floating on the surface of the picturesque lake.
The adventure hub opened back in 2019, offering families a chance to play on Delamere Lake, or try new watersports right here in the North West.
Let’s head to that inflatable Aqua Park – even as a full-grown adult, this is one of the silliest afternoons you can imagine.
Squeeze yourself into a wetsuit then launch yourself into the lake, ready to clamber all over a course that is essentially a gigantic floating bouncy castle.
The trickiest part is managing to stay on your feet as you slip and slide your way around the course in your 50 minute session – but really, where’s the fun in staying on your feet?
Monkey BarsThe Ninja JumpThe Tyre RunThe Figure EightFeatures of the Aqua Park at Wild Shore Delamere
While you’re on the lake, you can also try other activities like the Ringo, which whips you up and down the water on a huge inflatable, while the operator seems dead-set on flinging you off.
As well as the inflatable Aqua Park, there’s the Aqua Chimp ropes course for the more gymnastic types, plus wakeboarding, paddle boarding, and open water swimming.
Wild Shore Delamere has also added a new sauna this year, which overlooks the water – you can enjoy contrast therapy, switching from the warm sauna to the lake itself.
Wetsuits and life vests are included, so all you need to pack is a swimsuit, towel, and a bit of reckless abandon as you crash beneath the surface.
Paddle boards at Wild Shore DelamereThe sauna and cold plungeThe RingoAqua Chimp
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
Georgina Pellant -
19th December 2022 
