Manchester‘s first new park in the heart of the city centre for more than 100 years is officially set to open to the public this week.
It’s been a long journey to get here, but Mayfield Park is finally becoming a reality.
Over the last 18 months, the vast and mostly-derelict former industrial site next to Piccadilly Station has been transformed into what project developers are calling a “stunning, accessible, and varied” green space for everyone who visits the city centre to enjoy.
Mayfield Park has been more than six years in the planning, design, and delivery, and once it officially opens this week, local residents, visitors, and communities across the region will have access to a green oasis and beautifully-landscaped river walkways.
The realisation of the ambitious project comes after the UK government pledged £23 million of investment from its Getting Building Fund to Mayfield Park – which is one of the largest investments in any single project.
Delivered through Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), developers say this investment is part of the government’s strategy to support “shovel ready schemes” that will help to drive economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Manchester’s first new city centre park for more than 100 years is officially opening this week / Credit: Studio Egret West
Mayfield Park’s main entrance on Baring Street will officially be opened to the public at 12:30pm this Thursday 22 September by Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig.
From then on, it will be open from dawn until dusk, seven days a week.
“September 22 is a momentous day for Mayfield, and Manchester,” said Martyn Evans – the Creative Director at U+I, which is the regeneration company leading the Mayfield development on behalf of the Mayfield Partnership.
“The greatest cities in the world offer a true blend of amazing culture, great architecture and green space.
“Manchester is one such city and Mayfield Park adds a significant piece of new, family-friendly, inclusive green space to the city centre.”
It's the date you've all been waiting for: 22.09.2022 🌱
Ahead of the ribbon-cutting grand opening ceremony this Thursday, Cllr Bev Craig – Leader of Manchester City Council – commented: “There are some projects that feel so momentous in the development story of our city that we look forward to them with great anticipation [and] Mayfield Park is one of those developments.
“A project that has true transformational potential for this part of our city.
“It’s with excitement then that we can look ahead to the official opening of the city centre’s first public park in 100 years later this week.
“We know the massive health and well-being benefits that green spaces can have for our residents and increasing access to parks for our residents is a key priority for us.”
Mayfield Park is gearing up to be a “stunning, accessible, and varied” green space for all / Credit: Martin Moss (via Natural England)
Cllr Craig also added that Mayfield also represents “a significant economic boost for Manchester”.
She continued: “The partnership has shopped local when procuring contractors to make sure that employment opportunities have benefited local companies and local people first.
“During the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, it’s this type of development that provides the jobs that our residents need.
“And it makes sure Manchester people continue to share in the success of our city.”
Featured Image – Studio Egret West
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‘Dazzling’ Victorian silver sculpture goes on public display in Greater Manchester after fears it was lost
Emily Sergeant
A long-lost masterpiece of Victorian silverwork has been saved and is now on display to the public in Greater Manchester.
Anyone taking a trip over to the National Trust’s historic Dunham Massey property, on the border of Greater Manchester into Cheshire, this summer will get to see the ‘dazzling’ sculpture called Stags in Bradgate Park – which was commissioned by a former owner in a defiant gesture to the society that shunned him.
The dramatic sculpture of two rutting Red Deer stags, commissioned in 1855 by George Harry Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford, was said to be an ‘act of love and rebellion’.
It also serves as a symbol of ‘locking horns’ with the society that ostracised him over his marriage to a woman considered ‘beneath him’.
“This isn’t just silver – it’s a story,” says James Rothwell, who is the National Trust‘s curator for decorative arts.
“A story of a man who fell in love with a woman that society deemed unworthy. When the Earl married Catherine Cox, whose colourful past was said to have included performing in a circus, Victorian high society was scandalised. Even Queen Victoria shunned the couple at the opera and local gentry at the horse races in Cheshire turned their backs on them.”
Modelled by Alfred Brown and crafted by royal goldsmiths Hunt & Roskell, Stags in Bradgate Park is a meticulously-detailed depiction of nature, and was considered a ‘sensation’ in its day.
Showing the rutting deer positioned on a rocky outcrop with gnarled hollow oaks, it graced the pages of the Illustrated London News, was exhibited at the London International Exhibition of 1862, and at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867 – both of which were events that drew millions of visitors.
A ‘dazzling’ Victorian silver sculpture has gone on public display in Greater Manchester / Credit: Joe Wainwright | James Dobson (via Supplied)
The silver centrepiece was the celebrity art of its time, paraded through streets and admired by the public like no other.
Gradually over the years, some of the Earl of Stamford’s silver collection has been re-acquired for Dunham Massey, and this particular world-renowned sculpture, thought to be lost for decades and feared to have been melted down, has miraculously survived with its ‘dramatic’ central component being all that is left.
“The sculpture is not only a technical marvel, with its lifelike depiction of Bradgate Park’s rugged landscape and wildlife, but also a dramatic human story key to the history of Dunham Massey,” added Emma Campagnaro, who is the Property Curator at Dunham Massey.
“It speaks of nature, of craftsmanship, and of a couple who chose each other over status and what others thought of them.”
The sculpture has now gone on display at Dunham Massey from Thursday 26 June.
Featured Image – James Dobson (via Supplied)
News
Lewis Capaldi announces MASSIVE comeback gig in Manchester this year
Thomas Melia
Everyone’s favourite Scottish ballad-maker, Lewis Capaldi, is heading out on tour across the UK, including a massive Manchester date.
Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi is ready to tug at our heartstrings again right in front of our eyes as he announces a new UK arena tour.
This huge announcement comes right after his surprise set at the UK’s biggest music event of the year, Glastonbury, where he made a heroic return to the Pyramid Stage just two years after being forced to pull out.
Capaldi is known for writing some of the most notable and emotive hits of the late 2010s and early 2020s, including a long list of anthems such as ‘Someone You Loved’, ‘Bruises’ and ‘Before You Go’.
His monster of a hit ‘Someone You Loved’ has surpassed 3.9 billion views and is the UK’s most-streamed song of all time, so it is safe to say that his presence has been well and truly missed.
To many fans’ delight, the singer has stepped back into the spotlight and is ready to sing his heart out live at a variety of arenas across the UK, including Co-op Live right here in Manchester.
Now, in a post on his official Instagram account announcing this upcoming UK and Ireland arena tour, it’s good to see the Scottish powerhouse hasn’t lost his wit and charm as he jokes, “About time I got back to work.”
These shows are set to be in high demand as the singer has also revealed these upcoming dates, “Will be my only shows in the UK, Ireland or Europe this year! Would love to see ya there.”
On the back of his glorious Glasto return, Capaldi has dropped a huge heart-wrencher titled ‘Survive’ which offers more insight into the struggles and challenges the singer has been facing.
There is no confirmation of whether this new single marks the launch of a bigger project or not, but we can’t wait to scream his hits at the top of our lungs, regardless of when he pays Manchester a visit later this year.
Emily Sergeant -
20th September 2022 
