At long last, one of Manchester’s most disliked landmarks has disappeared from the city centre, as the scaffolding in Piccadilly Gardens comes down.
The concrete structure that carves across the southern end of Piccadilly Gardens, known by many as the ‘Piccadilly Wall’, is undergoing a bit of a transformation.
When it’s completed, the Piccadilly Pavilion will display a light installation with criss-crossed LED lighting, on the side of the Piccadilly Gardens tram stop.
The other side will have floor-to-ceiling windows looking into the businesses who are based here – viral corndog trader Bunsik and equally viral iced drinks brand Black Street.
This week, a major step has been made in the Piccadilly wall transformation project.
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Now that some of the scaffolding has come down, we can see that the overhead concrete canopy is gone. Vanished. No more.
The light installation is also being installed as we speak.
The Piccadilly Wall wasn’t supposed to be such a divisive landmark. It’s actually designed by leading Japanese architect Tadao Ando following a competition to regenerate the area after the IRA bomb.
Ando is famous for his well-crafted concrete structures, including a circular fountain in Mayfair, but the scale and shape of his Manchester installation didn’t exactly go down well with locals.
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The canopy of the Piccadilly Wall in Manchester has finally been demolished. Credit: The Manc Group
The way it blocks off Piccadilly Gardens from the busy tram and bus routes has often been cited as a reason for the rise in crime and anti-social behaviour here.
And while providing vital shelter from the relentless drizzle, the canopy has also been blamed for encouraging crowds to gather in the area.
Though thousands of Mancs would love to see Piccadilly Gardens restored back to the rose-filled sunken gardens it used to be, this big block of concrete disappearing is definitely a welcome step in the right direction.
When a photo of the building work was shared in the Manchester Histories page on Facebook, one person wrote: “Long over due! Should stay open and become a gardens again.”
Another said: “Its such a shame that this wasn’t better thought out, with architecture like this context is everything, if it had been built by the university of Manchester, next to the wonderful collection of brutalist buildings there, it would have looked great, in Piccadilly it just added to the dystopian vibe, especially as it was constructed just as the spice epidemic kicked in, context is everything.”
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Someone else said: “I don’t think it has any future as a “garden” in this day and age- too costly to maintain in the age of cutbacks. But demolishing the canopy is a start. This whole project was not Tadao Ando’s finest work and never worked for this space and purpose.”
In pictures – the vision for the ‘Piccadilly Wall’ in Manchester
CGIs showing how the Piccadilly Wall in Manchester will look. Credit: LGIMRACGIs showing how the Piccadilly Wall in Manchester will look. Credit: LGIMRACGIs showing how the Piccadilly Wall in Manchester will look. Credit: LGIMRA
Cult US sustainable clothing brand Reformation to open in Manchester city centre
Emily Sergeant
Cult US sustainable clothing brand Reformation is set to open its doors in Manchester very soon.
Since it was first founded in Los Angeles all the way back in 2009, Reformation has gone on to become one of the largest sustainable womenswear brands on the planet, and is now known and loved for making beautiful, timeless apparel and accessories that aim to ‘inspire confidence’ across life stages and occasions.
Operating on a business model that pairs a smart approach to merchandising with a responsive supply chain, Reformation now operates more than 70 retail stores across the US, UK, Canada, and France.
At the heart of the Reformation story is a genuine commitment to ‘doing things differently’.
Since day one, sustainability has been woven into everything the brand makes – from the eco-certified fabrics and responsible factories, to its famously transparent sustainability reports.
Currently, Reformation has five UK stores to its name – but, it may come as no surprise to fans of the brand that they’re all in London.
That’s why the news of this new Manchester opening is such a big deal.
Set to be the label’s first UK store outside of the capital, Reformation has secured a prime spot on King Street in the heart of the city centre, and although there’s no confirmed opening date as of yet, if the shop windows saying ‘Summer 2026’ are anything to go by, we can only imagine it’ll be very soon.
“For Manchester, it’s a landmark moment, and for King Street, it’s the latest signal that this is one of the UK’s most exciting retail destinations,” a spokesperson for King Street said in a statement.
Stay tuned for details on opening dates to be announced in due course.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
News
Andy Burnham to begin rolling out new ‘everyday fixes’ for Brits amid cost of living crisis
Emily Sergeant
A series of ‘everyday fixes’ to help combat the rising cost of living crisis are soon to be rolled out nationwide.
Kicking off with two measures today, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced that he plans to ban retailers from making ‘misleading’ claims to customers about discounts.
The Government says shoppers have ‘increasingly complained’ about outlets artificially inflating prices to give a false sense of value, such as increasing prices only to then immediately advertise ‘discounts’ to make savings look larger than they really are, which goes on to create an uneven playing field for honest competitors.
The Prime Minister also wants to see an end to so-called ‘subscription traps’, where people find it hard to cancel their subscriptions, and contracts are automatically renewed at a higher cost.
Set to come into force in January 2027 and saving people an average of £14 a month for every unwanted subscription, the changes will mean businesses will need to provide clearer up-front information, regular reminders. and a ‘much easier’ exit to contracts.
Andy Burnham to begin rolling out new ‘everyday fixes’ for Brits amid cost of living crisis / Credit: gov.uk | Piotr Cichosz (via Unsplash)
A new 14-day cooling-off period will also be introduced to let consumers cancel after a trial or long-term contract renews.
Certain charitable memberships, like the ones for cultural and heritage organisations for example, will be excluded from the new subscription rules due to the fact they have a unique role in preserving the nation’s history, landscapes, and cultural collections.
The Prime Minister says he is ‘determined’ to use every chance he gets to restore fairness and take pressure off people.
“I know people are sick and tired of rip-off discounts and subscription traps,” Andy Burnham said. “Westminster has got used to telling people that everyday hassles like this are just part of life, but I don’t think that’s right, especially when the cost of living continues to weigh heavily on so many people’s lives.”
Daisy Jackson -
22nd August 2024 
