Manchester

Manchester’s last Edwardian swimming bath reopens as it’s restored to its original glory

Ten years after it was earmarked for closure, a local community group has succeeded in bringing Withington Baths back to life.

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 6th July 2023

Manchester’s last Edwardian swimming bath has reopened after being restored to its original glory with the help of a £1 million grant.

After a hard-fought campaign by its local community, Withington Baths has finally been returned to local use ten years after it was earmarked for closure.

The Love Withington Baths group first won the right to the pool in 2015, and after seven years of campaigning, last February it was awarded a grant from the National Lottery Fund to undertake the work needed to bring the historic building back to life.

A long time in the making, at last, the 100-year-old site has opened its doors once again to be enjoyed by local people as it was always intended.

withington baths
mage: Withington Baths
withington baths
mage: Withington Baths

As part of the restoration, the building’s impressive Edwardian roof has been repaired to maintain the original glazing system installed in 1913.

Elsewhere, its stained glass windows have been lovingly restored by local artist Amy of the Orange Ladybird.

On Saturday the group celebrated the reopening of the Withington Baths with a party that saw the local community welcomed in for an afternoon of eating and drinking, with local business Burton Road Brewery providing a barbecue and bar.

Read more: New survey reveals more than a quarter of UK adults have never boiled an egg

Speaking on the reopening of the historic Edwardian baths, Paul Smith, Managing Director of Withington Baths said: “Our 8th birthday celebrations were a huge success, we really enjoyed celebrating the progress we’ve made since the takeover in 2013.

“The restoration project means so much to us as an organisation, and we’re thrilled to see what a positive impact it has had on our community already.

“The restoration was all made possible thanks to The National Heritage Lottery Fund grant, a loan from Manchester City Council and support from the local community. Through the good times and the tough, it’s the local community that has always been there for us.

Read more: A rare ‘highly endangered’ giraffe zebra hybrid has been born at Chester Zoo

“Now, because of them, we can continue to serve our community as a not-for-profit hub where generations learn to swim and enjoy a range of gym and leisure facilities alongside their community members.”

Featured image – Withington Baths

Manchester

The bizarre explanation behind Manchester’s new mini ‘green space’ – that’s completely closed off

Danny Jones Danny Jones Fenced off green space Manchester city centre gated lawn

One thing you always hear people who live in central Manchester calling out for is green space, but when a new patch of grass does arrive, you don’t exactly expect it to be completely inaccessible.

Just a quick FYI to those of you passionate about supporting what little nature there is left in our city centre: brace yourselves, as this one is rather annoying…

For anyone who’s walked down Whitworth Street West past the once lively Locks, or even got off at Deansgate–Castlefield tram stop and come down the glass stairs closest to the Albion Bridge, you may have noticed a rogue patch of grass surrounded by black fencing next to the City Road Inn pub.

It could be considered a nice little lawn were it not completely fenced off, but the question is, why has it popped up there? Well, local lad Curtis Rothwell has recently debunked the whole frustrating mess for us in a helpful video.

Yes, as explained by the Pre-Construction Manager who works for local utilities contractor Zenit Infrastructure Solutions Limited, the somewhat laughable but disheartening gated green space on Whitworth Street is essentially a feeble attempt at adhering to permission laws.

As detailed by Rothwell, the plot bought for a sizeable sum last year (only the original developers didn’t have the funding to actually pull off their initial plans) is now set to become student accommodation.

Currently, real estate firm Tri7 – which has now been fully folded into the parent group known as Fusion, as previous part-owners already – still has a hold on the land for now.

However, after being ordered by Manchester City Council to tidy up the area in the meantime, as they await planning permission to be fully approved, they decided to lay these new rolls of turf there.

Ok, so while the notion of the Council ordering a property company to make urban spaces look pretty and the idea of introducing more grassy zones into the city sound good on paper, as you can see, the real-life result doesn’t quite match up.

gates green space whitworth street west manchester
whitworth street lawn
fenced off green space bit of grass in manchester
Credit: The Manc

Not only does this feel like a bare minimum effort to appease the local authorities ahead of erecting yet another skyscraper, but more importantly, it feels like sheer nonchalant neglect and/or plain dismissal of those Manc residents crying out for more grass, nature and a break from the concrete jungle.

The fact that the rare green space is totally blocked by tall, almost authoritarian-feeling fences and sealed off by a big, black gate comes across like a casual two fingers to both the Council and those living in the city centre.

Speaking to The Manc, Curt commented: “It’s positive the council can take charge of how our empty spaces look after demolitions. In this case, maybe the demolition was carried out too early, which happens, but when it does, greenery is the best look they can give to local people.”

You can see the latest update on the planning permission HERE, and for now, if you’re looking for green spaces in Manchester, you’ll find them more frequently beyond the outskirts and heading into the boroughs; this one is strictly off limits. Find a whole bunch of ones that aren’t down below:

10 of the best green spaces around Greater Manchester
Sod the Whitworth Street Lawn, you can always go enjoy all the other green space gems across Greater Manchester.

Read more:

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/Curtis Rothwell (via LinkedIn)

Manchester

There’s a tiny Japanese restaurant inside a Manchester cafe serving matcha afternoon tea

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Niwa Yakitori is serving a matcha afternoon tea

There’s a tiny little Japanese restaurant space in Manchester tucked inside a coffee shop – and they’ve just started serving matcha afternoon teas. 

Niwa Yakitori is a brilliant addition to the city centre – by day, it’s sharing the space at North Star Piccadilly and operating as a matcha cafe.

And by night, it transforms the space into a cosy Japanese restaurant, complete with paper lanterns, bamboo plants, and neon signs.

While the word-of-mouth restaurant space is a real rising star thanks to its menu of freshly barbecued chicken and seafood, as well as delicious flights of sake, it’s the new matcha afternoon tea that we popped in for this time around.

Each table is presented with a tiered tower of treats infused with the popular Japanese green tea, and this is some world-class baking that’s going on at Niwa Yakitori.

Let’s break it down, tier by tier, to give you an idea of what you can get.

Up first is a Japanese egg mayo sandwich, made with fluffy shokupan bread and Kewpie mayo, then sprinkled in Furikake for a little bit of salt and texture.

The Japanese egg mayo sando
The Japanese egg mayo sando
Strawberry sando with matcha cream
Strawberry sando with matcha cream
The half-and-half cookie
The half-and-half cookie
Matcha basque cheesecake
Matcha basque cheesecake
Scones with matcha cream and yuzu jam
Scones with matcha cream and yuzu jam
Japanese afternoon tea in Manchester
Japanese afternoon tea in Manchester

Also joining the sandwich line-up are strawberry sandos (yes, the ones that M&S had a go at this summer), made with a matcha cream and more of that pillow-soft shokupan.

Moving on up, and what afternoon tea would be complete without some scones? These ones come with a matcha cream and a yuzu and chilli jam. Divine. 

Then the very top tier has a gang of miniature treats, including an adorable teddy bear-shaped matcha chocolate truffle; a matcha muffin; and a matcha-infused madeleine.

A real star is the chunky cookie, a clever half-half yin-yang of matcha and white chocolate, vs vanilla and dark chocolate.

Niwa Yakitori is a tiny Japanese restaurant in Manchester
Niwa Yakitori is a tiny Japanese restaurant in Manchester
Japanese afternoon tea in Manchester
Japanese afternoon tea in Manchester
Matcha and hojita at Niwa Yakitori
Matcha and hojita at Niwa Yakitori

And they show off their baking prowess with a slice of matcha basque cheesecake, with three layers and a scoop of strawberry ice cream on top.

All washed down with ceremonial-grade matcha or hojicha lattes, which can be made table-side in a traditional tea ceremony.

The team at Niwa Yakitori are hoping this afternoon tea will fill crucial tables in their tiny space at a time where hospitality is being crippled with rising costs.

So please, for the love of all that is matcha, get this lovely Manchester Japanese spot on your list to visit.

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

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