After climbing into the backseat of a taxi, the type of driver you’ve drawn becomes clear very quickly.
Seconds after the car pulls away, you’ll realise whether the person behind the wheel will dictate the entire journey and choose the roads themselves, or ask you which route you’d prefer to take to your destination.
But one particularly unlucky passenger in a Manchester Uber this weekend found themselves in the company of a very different driver: One that favoured shortcuts over road signs.
Ignoring a closed road warning, this taxi driver proceeded to plough onwards down a Manchester road only to find the sign had been put up for a very good reason.
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Driving below an underpass, the car was soon submerged up to its headlights in floodwater.
Ultimately, the taxi driver was forced to abandon the journey and the vehicle – as everyone inside was forced to climb out through the windows.
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An image of the vehicle bobbing along in murky water was posted to Reddit on Saturday (August 7) and was greeted with bewilderment and hilarity in equal measure.
“Are you going to give him a tip?” one user joked.
“Yeah,” came the reply.
“Don’t drive through floods.”
Manchester
A brand-new shipping container village is opening in Manchester, with 250 new studios for local business
Daisy Jackson
A new shipping container village that will be home to 250 affordable studio spaces is coming to Manchester.
The concept may be familiar to you if you already know Pollard Yard, a maze of local business over in New Islington.
And now the team behind that, Meanwhile Creative, have announced plans for a major new site just north of the city centre.
When it opens, Bromley Yard will provide a whopping 250 studio spaces that can be transformed into studios, workshops, retail units, dark kitchens, salons, gyms, and just about anything else you can fit inside their walls.
Set to be one of the largest container communities in Europe, this is going to really foster all those amazing independent makers and creators that Manchester is so proud to be home to.
Pollard Yard itself won’t be going anywhere – it’s a vibrant home to more than 160 independent studios and a network of creatives spanning art, music, food, fashion and more, with a waiting list that can stretch for years.
Bromley Yard will just be building on that, unlocking even more space for the city’s creative sector and building on a clear demand for low-cost studio spaces – and building on underused urban space.
Palms Coffee at Pollard YardBromley Yard will build on the success of Pollard YardBromley Yard comes from the same team as Pollard YardHow Bromley Yard will look. Credit: Meanwhile Creative
Phase One of the new shipping container village will open this year, with more phases to follow.
There’ll also be dedicated music units, food and beverage spaces, and customer facing studios, much like there is over at Pollard Yard.
Bromley Yard is set to be within walking distance of the city centre, just off Rochdale Road.
Expressions of interest are now open, with early access opportunities, open days, and previews set to be announced in the coming months.
The best rooftop bars and terraces in Manchester city centre
Danny Jones
It doesn’t matter whether it’s spring, pure summer heat, or even on a crisp autumn/winter’s day; whenever the sun breaks out in Manchester, part of our brain immediately turns to going for a pint – ideally on a rooftop bar, if possible.
Yes, beer gardens are great, but sunlight often gets blocked out by the rising number of tall buildings going up around the city centre.
Unless you’re up top in one of those buildings…
It’s not an absolute science, nor is it for everyone, but those of you who do like a few scoops up high on the odd occasion, here are some of the best rooftop bars and drinking terraces in Manchester.
The 10 best rooftop and ‘sky’ bars in Manchester city centre
1. YES
First up, whenever someone asks you the question, “Do you want to go and sit on a sun-soaked rooftop terrace with some bevs?”, the answer is simple: HELL. YES.
So many members of our team, both past and present, have called this their favourite outdoor drinking spot or bar in town full-stop, whether they spent their uni days here or love those cheap discounted Aperol spritzes every summer. Yes, it gets busy sometimes, but it’s for good reason – the place is mint.
2. Sora
Number two is more of a bar and restaurant, in truth, but we do love it a lot. Located above Malmaison’s Deansgate location – dangerously close to our office, by the way (like, literally next door) – Sora specialises in Pan-Asian-inspired dishes and drinks, including some very good sushi.
It’s well worth going along to try their ‘oriental afternoon tea‘ if you’re so inclined, but even if not, it’s just a very cool place to sip away.
Our third choice is one of Manchester city centre’s newest and fanciest additions, situated within the ever-growing St. Michael’s complex, developed by Gary Neville.
A number of recent openings have popped up in here, including Grind Coffee, which also benefits from the rooftop setting, but ‘Claude’s Skyview Bar’ inside Chotto Matte’s Manchester site is something very unique, indeed.
From the high end to the downright legendary for our money, in most people’s books, it doesn’t get much better than the likes of Terrace in the Northern Quarter, which has the benefit of having not only three floors but multiple outdoor areas and patios.
The best of the lot, however, is undeniably the rooftop area, which stretches nearly the entire square footage of the Thomas Street venue, and itself has multiple sections – each with a slightly different feel.
5. 20 Stories
Back over to the posher side of things now, and 20 Stories is one of those places that people literally travel into Manchester for to grab a great new profile picture with their tipple, and it is an undeniably Instagram-worthy venue.
With wonderful views across the city from No. 1 Spinningfields on Hardman Square, it’s an ideal suggestion for a classy glass of wine or fizz on a special occasion, though you’ll be far from the only one making the most of the vantage point.
Time for a nice middle ground in the form of Atlas Bar over on the corner of the Deansgate-Castlefield interchange, which has been sitting pretty on its little perch for three decades now.
While it may not be high up in the sky, the canopied terrace on the cosy balcony out the back, complete with outdoor heaters, benches in direct sunlight, as well as comfy cushioned seating under the retractable cover, might just be one of the best all-seasons drinking spots of this ilk. Always has been.
7. King Street Townhouse Hotel
Heading back across the city now and over to King Street Townhouse, the stunning hotel and spa operated by THG sits as somewhat of a best-kept secret on the back of Booth St, and one of the reasons it’s such a hidden gem is that stunning rooftop terrace.
It may only be small in comparison to some other rooftop bars in Manchester, but that’s part of what we think makes it special. Whether you’re there for a full stay, a treatment, or just a drink, this is where you should tie a ribbon on it.
Next up, once again, we’re going for an entirely different vibe with this one, and another admittedly more student-centric hangout, but Brickhouse Social is nevertheless a very fun place to grab a pint up high.
They cover several floors these days, including the Kable nightclub down in the basement, but their rooftop terrace is also one of the best value-for-money bars in Manchester city centre. Catch you at ‘The Greenhouse’ sometime soon.
Over to our Amy’s favourite beer garden/outdoor drinking spot, which just so happens to be Beeswing elevated right above the Nell’s over at Kampus.
Sitting just across the water from Canal Street and the bustle of Gay Village, this one feels like arguably the perfect blend of handy central location and lively atmosphere, while still feeling tucked away enough for you to enjoy a quiet moment.
Last but not least, we have to speak a little bit about the still relatively new ‘Ivy on the Roof’ experience over at the famous bar and brasserie over in Spinningfields, where footballers and countless other celebrities dine, drink and dance every week.
As for us lot, let’s be honest: we’re the real ones that make places like this truly tick all year-round; there’s also the slightly more intimate ‘Skylight Terrace’ room, which offers another sanctuary up and away from the rest of the glitz and glamour of the restaurant.
Finally, before we leave you, we couldn’t wrap this up without mentioning the long-standing Cloud 23 bar sitting the same number of storeys up in the former Hilton skyscraper, now simply known as The Manchester Deansgate Hotel.
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You could argue that the Beetham Tower bar is the one that started it all here in Manchester, offering that kind of panoramic view over drinks long before virtually anyone else in the city. Most of you don’t need telling that it’s there, but we thought it’d be rude not to give a nod to one of the OGs.
Now, it goes without saying that this is by no means an exhaustive list, and if you think there’s somewhere that’s been criminally overlooked, feel free to give us some stick in the comments.
There’s something novel about rooftop bars that we’ll simply never tire of, and with Manchester’s skyline growing and getting taller and taller all the time, you can expect more and more of them to pop up in the coming years.
The Manc -
9th August 2021 
