News

This Manchester hotel has been named one of the best in the UK

The Kimpton Clocktower hotel has been named one of the UK’s top hotels in the Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards 2021

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 7th October 2021

Manchester’s Grade II-listed Kimpton Clocktower Hotel has been named one of the UK’s top hotels.

The magnificent terracotta hotel was voted as one of the very best in the UK by readers of Condé Nast Traveler, after more than 800,000 submitted responses rating their travel experiences across the globe.

Asked to provide a full snapshot about the places they can’t wait to return to next, readers delivered – and the votes were in agreement, Kimpton Clocktower is up there with the very best of the best.

Image: Kimpton Clocktower Hotel

Opened in October 2020, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is part of the leading global luxury brand IHG® Hotels & Resorts. It was formerly known as The Principal hotel and before that, The Palace.

The acquisition by IHG makes it the brand’s fourth hotel in the UK, following Kimpton Fitzroy London Hotel, Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel in Glasgow and Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel in Edinburgh.

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The building itself dates back to 1890, when it first opened as The Refuge Assurance Company headquarters – and its grandeur has not been diluted by time.

Image: Kimpton Clocktower Hotel

Rather, the striking Victorian architecture is still very much a draw today – with the grand clock tower at the centre of its striking Victorian architecture remaining an unmistakable landmark on Manchester’s skyline today.

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Plenty of period features remain today, including glazed bricks, tiles and faience, stained glass, and some impressive carved wooden staircases.

The hotel is also home to award-winning restaurant and bar, The Refuge, operated by the team behind popular neighbourhood bars Volta and Electrik.

Image: Kimpton Clocktower Hotel

Speaking on the award, General Manager at the hotel Johan Scheepers said: “It is an honour to be named among the top hotels in the UK by Condé Nast Traveler.

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“Thank you to our guests who have stayed and voted for us. It is a great recognition of our dedicated team at Kimpton Clocktower.

“We will continue to offer a real ‘wow’ factor stay with a warm and heartfelt Mancunian welcome.”

The longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry, the Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards are considered some of the most trustworthy around.

Feature image – Kimpton Clocktower Hotel

News

‘Sad news’ – the world’s only Vagina Museum has been forced to close

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

There’s a museum for just about everything these days (we all remember trips to the Stockport Hat Works museum) – but the world’s only space dedicated to vaginas has been forced to close again.

The world-first Vagina Museum announced this week that it’s had to vacate its premises and has once again been left ‘homeless’.

The museum, which welcomed 40,000 visitors in the 10 months it was open, was founded to raise awareness of the gynaecological anatomy and health, erase stigma, and act as a forum for feminism.

Inside, visitors could browse everything from educational materials to art pieces inspired by vaginas and vulvas – including giant tampons decorated in red sequins.

The Vagina Museum said it was ‘disappointed’ that it has been asked to leave its space, adding that it will continue to operate digitally until it finds a new base.

They wrote in a heartfelt statement on social media that they were ‘incredibly proud’ of the museum’s achievements.

Fans of the space queued down the street for its final few days in Bethnal Green, before its eventual closure on Wednesday 1 February.

Their statement said: “Sad news. We’ve received notice to vacate our premises at Bethnal Green by the end of this week. As a property guardianship, we’ve always been aware that we may be asked to leave with very short notice. We’re disappointed that it has come so soon.

“@Enter_theVenue the creative hub with whom we share our space, have also been asked to leave. The Vagina Museum will continue to operate in the digital world as we search for a new home.”

The message continued: “We’re sad about this development, but incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished in the ten months we’ve been at our Bethnal Green premises. We’ve welcomed more than 40,000 visitors through our doors, and received so much love and positive feedback.

“In our time at Bethnal Green, we’ve once again demonstrated just how much the world needs and wants a Vagina Museum.

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“Times are, once again, uncertain for us, but we’ve been through this before and risen stronger than ever. With a community like you supporting us, we know we can get through this too.

“We’re actively searching for a new home, and if you know of any vacant spaces (or have one yourself!) please don’t hesitate to reach out. In our home in Bethnal Green, we and ENTER demonstrated that we can transform an empty, unused building into a thriving heart of a community.

“If you don’t have a building, you can still help! Please consider making a donation; a donation of any size makes a huge difference and will help us to weather this storm, just as we’ve weathered storms before.”

The Vagina Museum concluded its thread with: “We’ve made it through a pandemic and a period of temporary homelessness before. With you, together, we can make it through this too.”

You can make a donation to The Vagina Museum here.

Featured image: The Vagina Museum / Angus Young

News

Gary Neville addresses ‘clumsy like’ on Tweet about Mason Greenwood 

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

Gary Neville has said that his liking of a tweet about Mason Greenwood has been ‘misinterpreted’. 

The former Manchester United legend and football pundit set off a Twitter storm last night after he ‘liked’ two tweets by Nazir Afzal, and briefly retweeted one. 

The tweets in question said that Greenwood was an ‘innocent man’ and added that ‘you are innocent until PROVEN guilty’.

Mason Greenwood had all criminal charges against him dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service. 

He had faced allegations of rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault, all against the same woman. 

The CPS said that Greenwood case had been stopped because of ‘the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light’, adding that there was no longer a ‘realistic prospect of conviction’. 

Gary Neville
Gary Neville has spoken about his ‘clumsy like’ of a tweet professing Mason Greenwood’s innocence. Credit: Instagram, Gary Neville

Several people noticed that Neville had liked a tweet about Greenwood’s ‘innocence’ and quickly challenged him on it. 

One person shared a screenshot and wrote: “You have a massive platform and you’re liking bulls**t like this just because the monster plays for a team you support. you’re disgusting @GNev2.”

Neville has now addressed his ‘clumsy like’. 

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He posted: “I liked a tweet relating to the Mason Greenwood news this afternoon from Nazir Afzal. ( the former director of public prosecutions ). 

“This like is being misinterpreted. It was a clumsy like as I obviously condemn any violence against women.”

Greenwood issued a short statement yesterday, writing: “I am relieved that this matter is now over and I would like to thank my family, loved ones and friends for their support. There will be no further comment at this time.”

Featured image: Instagram, @garyneville2 / publicity picture

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