For some years, rows of tidy little maisonettes sat on top of the Manchester Arndale housing some of the first pioneers of inner-city living.
Built in 1981 and named after a Victorian backstreet that had been demolished to make way for the mammoth shopping centre, Cromford Court nodded to days past whilst also looking to the future.
At the time, only around 1,000 people actually lived in the heart of Manchester – mostly caretakers and other people who felt it practical to be close to the city for their jobs.
There was just a handful of communities dotted around the centre back then, despite Manchester City Council’s best efforts to try and persuade people to move into an area where they could live, shop and work all without having to commute.
In a way, the residents of Cromford Court were pioneers. Counted amongst their numbers was none other than Mike Pickering, one of the regular DJs at the Hacienda and the man responsible for signing the Happy Mondays to Factory records.
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Speaking to Manchester researcher and tour guide Hayley Flynn, better known as Skyliner, on her blog Pickering’s friend and fellow Hacienda DJ Graeme Park remembers:
“In 1988, I used to stay at Mike’s and I had my own room. I’d roll up to his every Friday and park my car in the Arndale’s multi-storey car park and get the lift from the street up to the roof.”
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“We had some great nights in there after finishing The Hacienda,” he added.
Apparently, the view wasn’t as great as you might expect because the flats weren’t actually that high up. However, according to Graeme, you could see some bits of the city and there was a decent view down into the street below whilst walking from the lift to the flats.
After getting stuck in the lift once, though, he reportedly always took the stairs for fear of a repeat.
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The flats did have their own direct access for residents, and according to Eric Larmett – a surveyor for Manchester City Council who visited the trio of six-storey blocks several times for his job – it was its own little oasis up there, away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.
“They were private residences which only the tenants could reach,” he said, speaking to the BBC back in 2011.
“As a result, it was like having a gated community right in the middle of the city.”
Although the maisonettes were initially described as “expensive ‘penthouse’ units” in the 1986 Domesday Book, in reality, they were far from it – rented out to tenants of the North Country Housing Association.
Known as ‘the podium’ to its residents, neat little communal gardens added to the allure of the place – although apparently, these same gardens caused a few headaches for the shops below who were reportedly ‘plagued’ with ‘mysterious leaks’ as a result.
Inhabited on and off from 1981 until 2003, the little community on top of the Arndale finally came to an end in the early noughties – seven years after the IRA bomb that led to the shopping centre needing to be almost entirely rebuilt.
It’s often said that that bomb explosion was so powerful it only left a red postbox behind, but in fact, Cromford Court wasn’t too badly damaged.
Notably, one resident – a 77-year-old RAF veteran suffering from the flu at the time – 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 service.
In subsequent years, Danny O’Neill has become a part of an urban legend as the story of the man who ignored the bomb because he didn’t want to get out of bed has been told time and time again.
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.” What a guy.
Feature image courtesy of the Manchester School of Art Slide Library at Manchester Metropolitan University Special Collections.
Feature
Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | December 2024
Danny Jones
And here we are: it’s officially time for the final round-up of Manchester bands and artists for 2024 and what a year it’s been for tunage.
We started this feature back in January and each month we’ve given you five different acts, be they big, small, unsigned or unsung, new on the scene or veterans that deserve more attention.
Fast forward to December and now we’re ready for our last batch of suggestions for new music from around Greater Manchester that you may or may not have heard yet.
The question is, are you ready? Let’s give it one last spin around the turntables.
New Manchester music you should check out to start the new year
1. Morgan Seatree
Speaking of turntables, it seems only fitting to start with a Manchester-based DJ Morgan Seatree, whose tunes have already queued up at a fair few tunes ready for our New Year’s Eve playlist. Born and bred in 0161, not only has he smashed the likes of The Warehouse Project but his sound is already going global.
His inspirations include Kerri Chandler, Paul Woolford, Disclosure, Larry Heard and more, and his catchy brand of mixes has already attracted attention from other big names in the electronic scene, including Patrick Topping, Folamour, Jamie Jones and more.
Music made for nothing but dancing and good times, his ear for easily recognisable hooks and infectious beats means you’ll only be hearing more of his as time goes on. Our picks to start with include ‘Hit It!’, ‘Good Life’ and his ‘Say My Name’ remix. He’s also responsible for this iconic clip from a Fallowfield flat:
The kind of vibes we're after this #NewYearsEve. 🙌😅
Next up to bat are the truly brilliant Dirty Laces who have been going for a few years now but we still think are criminally underrated on the Manc music scene. Not only do they blend a great mix of American rock and roll influences with 90s and 2000s UK roots, but their latest work looks to be a real evolution.
There have always been proto-punk elements to their sound and wonderful guitar solos, as well as what we would liken to Led Zeppelin, Queens of the Stone Age, Shed Seven, and even hints of Velvet Revolver on tracks like ‘These Days’ – imagine ‘Slither’ mixed with She Builds Quick Machines’.
However, it feels like we’re starting to hear them pulling in a slightly new direction and trying new things; there’s no better example of this than their recent singles, ‘Quiet Space’ and ‘If I Go’, which we’ve had on repeat for a few weeks now. ‘Seeker’, ‘Midnight Mile’ and ‘Old Friend’ are where we’d start though.
Third on our list is the immense throwback that is a young man called Elliot James Reay: the 22-year-old singer-songwriter from Bury but with a sound harkening back to the end of America’s ‘Golden Age’, where pop rolled into rock and vice versa.
Taking inspiration from the likes of Elvis Presley and deep obsessions with Roy Orbison, not only in terms of the music but look and overall style, this up-and-coming solo artist feels like he was born in the wrong era but will happily keep the fight alive with the help of vintage jackets, slicked-back hair and a guitar.
He’s only got a small handful of tunes so far, so it won’t feel too overwhelming to get through his discography either but you can also enjoy a selection of his old world covers including tracks by Orbison, Elvis, Paul Anka and more.
A Manchester artist with a straight out of the American South.
4. Florentenes
Number four of December 2024 is Florentenes from Bolton – well, Westhoughton to be more specific; are they named after the old tea room and bakery in the centre? We couldn’t possibly say, all we know is they’re very a talented group of young lads helping put the town’s music scene on the map.
Their debut EP 14:17 dropped back in November and there’s already a very clear stylistic idea in their heads even at such a young age. Melancholy nonchalant vocals that burst into shrieks and rip-roaring guitars are reminiscent of The Stokes, The Hives, Palaye Royale and even Frank Carter at times, but there are also early Arctic Monkeys drumming as well pacey Surf Curse-esque guitar riffs. There is a lot of different stuff going on, basically.
Again, they’ve only five tunes to get through just yet so this would be a great time to latch onto them before they inevitably start gaining more momentum next year. You don’t write build-ups, breakouts and literal screams like the one lead vocalist Will Smith (not that one) delivers in ‘Glue’ and not go anywhere. Watch this space.
And our last pick of the year goes to local lads Bayboards who are another local outfit that we’re getting very excited about going in 2025, for a couple of reasons. Let us explain…
Maybe it’s just how we process music or some weird serendipity, but we happened to discover these guys not long after hearing the news of Sundara Karma calling it a day and, fortunately for anyone who has been a fan of them, you’ll get a lot of that vibe from this quartet and plenty more range too.
You’ll get notes of Circa Waves and Vistas, as well as plenty of other contemporary British indie bands, not to mention some more shoegazey moments at least in those distorted guitar tones. We’re excited to see where they go next and if it’s anything like ‘Push Against The Blue’, ‘Moving to America’ or ‘Fire and Air’ we’ll be there every step of the way.
One of the most exciting new artists coming out of Manchester at the minute.
And for the last time this year, that really is all she wrote.
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We sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed coming along with us on the voyage of discovery and have genuinely cottoned on to new bands and artists from Greater Manchester that you’d never heard of before and perhaps familiarised yourself with a kind of music you never thought you’d enjoy up until now.
It goes without saying that this sort of stuff – discovering and championing local, up-and-coming bands – is the lifeblood of Audio North and genuinely keeps us going all year round.
You best believe we’ll be back with more in 2025 (so long as you’ll have us) and until then, we urge you to go back through previous months and above all else, happy listening!
Featured Images — Em Cole (supplied)/Bayboards (via Facebook)/Press Shot (Facebook)
Feature
Brilliant Boxing Day walks around Greater Manchester
Daisy Jackson
It’s Boxing Day, and for a lot of us, the only requirement of the day is to sort out (eat) the leftovers and enjoy one last day of vegetating in front of the telly… walking is not high on the agenda.
But all that over-indulgence from Christmas Day can start to creep up on you – waistbands straining, head a bit foggy, bank balance definitely suffering from the Christmas Eve pub session.
Without wanting to sound like your nan, sometimes a bit of fresh air is exactly what you need to get yourself put back together again.
Not to mention it can help you to build up an appetite again to dive into that cheeseboard for the sixth time this weekend.
Greater Manchester is blessed with beautiful walks in all directions.
We’ve rounded up a handful of beautiful Boxing Day walks to try out.
There aren’t many places in the UK that look so much like a Christmas postcard as Macclesfield Forest, making it one of our favourite winter walking destinations.
Here, huge conifers dominate the landscape like giant Christmas trees – it’s about as close to an alpine wonderland you can get without travelling all the way to actual mountains.
There are a number of walking trails to follow, from a gently green route all the way to a more challenging red route that takes you deeper into the forest.
Greenbooth Reservoir is one of Greater Manchester’s most underrated beauty spots.
If you tackle a full loop of all three reservoirs, you’ll come across a small waterfall, a stunning view of the Manchester skyline from the dam wall, and paths carved into steep hillsides.
It’s all nestled up in the Naden Valley in Rochdale, just above Norden.
Let’s see how awake your quads are, shall we, with an entirely uphill climb from Ramsbottom village to its magnificent Peel Tower.
The walk’s not too tough if you take it at a slow pace, and it’s well worth it for the views. Trust us.
You can go straight up the hill and straight back down again if you’re not wanting to rack up too many miles, or turn it into a circular and stroll across Holcombe Moor instead (beware – it can get windy up here).
There’s a map of the circular route here and some great pubs in the village to relax in afterwards.
Dovestone Reservoir, Oldham
Dovestone reservoir. Credit: Unsplash @stravekc
Dovestone Reservoir is a beloved gem among many Mancunians – it might be busy on Boxing Day, but thanks to its mostly-wide footpaths and circular route it’s easy enough to have your own space on your walk.
The path around the water is mostly flat and accessible, making it ideal if you’ve still got a few generations’-worth of relatives hanging about.
You can keep going if you’re feeling adventurous, extending your walk to include Greenfield and Yeoman Hey reservoirs, or heading up to Saddleworth moor and the crags above.
You can find more information about Dovestone Reservoirhere.
This is far and away one of the best winter walks you can do locally, especially on a crisp sunny day (which we hope Boxing Day will be).
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The water is surrounded by woodland and meadows, and you chuck in a stroll along the banks of the River Mersey while you’re out here.
The lake itself is actually an artificial one, and was flooded after gravel was dug up to build the M60 in the 1970s.
In summer it’s packed with people doing watersports, but in winter it’s a picturesque little local stroll – and as a bonus, you can even get the tram right to the gate.
Reddish Vale, Stockport
Reddish Vale, Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Right then, if you want maximum bang for your buck (as in soaking in as much fresh air and scenery as you can in as short a time as possible), Reddish Vale is the one.
There’s a really gentle loop that starts from the car park and skirts the edge of the bottom pond, also taking in views of the enormous viaduct that looms overhead.
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And if you’re after something slightly more involved, you can keep exploring – this urban oasis spans 161 hectares with the River Tame running right through it.
Rivington Pike is a real gem in the North West, just across Bolton’s border with Lancashire, with loads to explore.
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There’s a trio of reservoirs at the foot of the hill but most people head upwards, towards the historic tower at the peak, where you can soak in views for miles around.
The Terraced Gardens are well worth exploring too, where you’ll find a hidden Japanese Garden, lakes, waterfalls, bridges, sculptures and caves.
Heaton Park, Manchester
It might not be the most adventurous of Boxing Day walks – Heaton Park is one of Manchester’s most popular and prominent green spaces and one of the largest municipal parks in Europe – but it’s a perfect option for a family-friendly stroll.
The huge park has miles of accessible footpaths which loop around the boating lake, the Grade I-listed Heaton House, and the ‘Temple’, which stands at the highest point in the city of Manchester.
There are also cows and horses wandering about (even when the animal park itself is closed) and the old tramline to check out.
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Hollingworth Lake, Littleborough
Credit: The Manc Group
What’s better than a walk where after you’re done you can stop off for a well-deserved friday night feast, fish and chips.
This is an accessible and flat walk suitable for all and if you’ve worked up an appetite there’s an ice cream truck courtesy of Northern sweet-treat greats Grandpa Greene’s on Lake Bank.
Located just a nine minute drive away from Bury town centre, Burrs Country Park is a great chance to be at one with nature while also making sure you’re not too far from home.
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This lovely stroll is certainly a-MOO-zing with comforting pub grub at The Brown Cow or nearby ice cream parlour Jersey Girls’ – we may have a little ice cream obsession…
Featuring some a vast green space and some of the most intricately landscaped paths and patterns, Peel Park is like stepping into a mini Bridgerton inspired garden, all that’s missing is keys to your own castle (We wish).
Another Salford beauty spot is just a 20 minute walk away but if the conversation is flowing the time will fly by.
Kersal Wetlands is a circular route that offers visitors the chance to see some cute feathered friends, mainly ducks, while burning off some of yesterday’ Christmas treats.
Both these walks are flat making them accessible for all and are ideal for anyone with a pram or people who may struggle with strenuous walks.
A Didsbury gem, Fletcher Moss Park is a 15 minute tram ride away from Manchester city centre and just under 15 minute walk from Didsbury Village tram stop.
This is more than a park, it’s a hidden oasis with well-maintained and lush garden spaces to a fascinating rock garden that’s simply awe-inspiring.
Grab a coffee or hot chocolate from the retro food and beverages truck and take a minute to appreciate this quiet spot before making your return to the usual hustle and bustle.
Millennium Walkway, New Mills
Torrs Millennium Walkway. Credit: Getlostmcr
Ever wanted to ‘hover above a huge gorge’while getting all your steps in? Well this Peak District town has got you covered.
Situated directly next to the River Sett, the impressive 175 yard walkway can be incorporated into various walking trails and routes that surround the area.
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New Mills has it all, whether you’re after a walk that admires some grand architecture in the shape of the impressive railway arches, or the lovely forest trails and greenery, there’s something for every type of walker.
Georgina Pellant -
30th August 2021 
