Most Mancs already know there is a complex network of underground tunnels and unfinished tube shops hidden beneath their feet.
From the most famous – a Guardian telephone exchange that runs from Chinatown to Ardwick – to the Picc-Vic railway tunnel scheme, an unfinished underground railway first designed for Manchester in the early 70s, the idea of building down is hardly a new one.
But now, Manchester’s new leader Councillor Bev Craig is making the case again as she squares up to the Government and HS2 Ltd – calling on them to consider an underground station for Manchester as part of a ‘once in a lifetime project’.
Council bosses are warning that if the currently proposed new overground station at Manchester Piccadilly goes ahead, huge potential to future-proof the city could be squandered.
“The overground plan is the wrong one,” Bev Craig said.
“It will be cheaper to build in the short term but in the long term it will cost the region’s economy much more in missed opportunities.
She also told The Manc: “We’re saying to government, listen if you’re going to build something in the 2040s that’s going to take Manchester into 2050s, 60s, 70s, we need something that’s going to work for us in the long term.
“There’s still some negotiation to be had on HS2 and it’s my job to make sure that we’re holding to account government if they’re not sticking to their promises.”
An analysis conducted by the council shows the economic benefits to the city and region of the underground option would be £333m a year greater than those delivered by the existing plan, which would see a second overground station to be built next to the existing Manchester Piccadilly.
Whilst bosses acknowledge the overground option will still bring benefits, they say it will fail to maximise them – and even create some issues of its own, when compared with the preferred underground option.
They argue an overground station would swallow a great amount of vital land, as well as create the need for unwelcome infrastructure, including huge, unsightly concrete viaducts which would overshadow parts of east Manchester.
Future-proofing transport is also a concern, as modelling commissioned by the Council and TfGM (the Bechtel report) has shown that the overground would be at full capacity from day one.
This means that there would be no scope for increased passengers numbers in the year ahead, compromising both its reliability and resilience.
By comparison, the underground option would address these issues and create a station designed to support growth and better integrate with surrounding areas and other modes of transport.
The full statement from Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “We welcome the fact that HS2 is still coming to Manchester. We know that we might be perceived as fortunate relative to other northern town and cities which are also pressing cases for rail improvements.
“But that only makes it all the more important that what we maximise the benefits of what is being delivered, not just for the city but for the North as a whole.
“The overground plan is the wrong one. It will be cheaper to build in the short term but in the long term it will cost the region’s economy much more in missed opportunities.
“It will also cause greater disruption while it is constructed and leave a legacy of unsightly viaducts and other overground infrastructure which limits our ability to create new homes or jobs.
“Restricting the potential of what will be one of the best-connected places in the country makes no sense at all.
“Nor does creating a station with capacity restraints which will undermine its reliability and resilience from day one.
“We urge the Government and HS2 Ltd to reconsider the compelling case for an underground station.
“This would not only solve the problems posed by the overground option but would create a station empowered to support growth, jobs and other opportunities and help realise the Government’s proclaimed levelling up ambitions.
“If they want the option which delivers the greatest benefits for years to come, they need to look below the surface.”
There’s a World Gravy Wrestling Championship near Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
Just on the outskirts of Greater Manchester, there’s a country pub set in a rural village that hosts a world gravy wrestling championship.
Leave it to us northerners to organise a world gravy wrestling championship because let’s face it, there’s nothing more northern than plummeting yourself into bucket loads of gravy.
At The Rose ‘N’ Bowl in the village of Stacksteads, it’s not just their meals they’re drenching in the brown nectar; they drench any willing guest in this beige saucy goodness too as part of the World Gravy Wrestling Championships.
Here’s a little taster from nearly a decade ago.
Participants are expected to wrestle in the gravy for two minutes, with the winner being judged not only on their play-fighting skills but also on their choice of fancy dress, comedy effect and entertainment.
Past wrestlers have rocked up as zebras, racehorse jockeys and famous TV characters like Ali G and Mickey Mouse.
Each wrestler is encouraged to raise money on behalf of a charity of their choice, but if you don’t have one, donations will be sent to East Lancashire Hospice, which has helped people countywide suffering from life-limiting illness for the past 30 years.
The World Gravy Wrestling Championships have been held outside this very pub for over a decade, with the first ever event taking place at a car park in Wigan before it found a permanent home outside The Rose ‘N’ Bowl.
And if swimming in a pool of gravy isn’t for you, don’t fret because there’s a handful of sauce-free activities you can get involved with spread throughout the pub’s car park.
Fret not, past events have included bouncy castles, cheerleading performances, craft beer stalls, cake and tombola stands and even a BB gun shooting range that are all completely gravy-free.
There will even be help from a local fire brigade who will be on hand to wash down wrestlers in between their gravy-filled tournament, so they can wander round all the stalls too.
The 2025 World Gravy Wrestling Championships are coming to The Rose ‘N’ Bowl in Stacksteads on 25 August, with tickets available in person only, but plenty of information about the event HERE.
If you’re after signing up to be one of the wrestlers at this event, applications are still open and you can get stuck in with all the details you need HERE.
And if that wasn’t enough Northern food competitive action, we’ll catch you at the World Black Pudding Hurling Championships, innabit.
Inside this Victorian mansion with 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and more near Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
There’s a million-pound Victorian-style mansion that has 10 bedrooms and its own personal swimming pool just outside of Greater Manchester.
Just like the childhood nursery rhyme, “There were three in the bed and the little one said… there’s another seven beds, roll over!” or at least that’s how they remember it in this character property.
Located in Warrington, less than an hour away from Manchester city centre, this property is a semi-detached Victorian property built in 1860, with 10 bedrooms and its own private swimming pool, all spread across four floors.
As soon as you enter the foyer, your eyes are drawn to the sleek silver chandelier before you notice the grand staircase, which feels like a piece of living history.
Inside this Victorian mansion with 10 bedrooms and a swimming pool near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market)
The ground floor hosts two of a whopping 10 bedrooms alongside a teal-toned farmhouse-style kitchen and that extremely impressive swimming pool with its own built-in projector.
In the kitchen, the focal point is the large wrap-around kitchen unit, which is accompanied by a variety of hanging lights and a big central island.
On the way to the swimming pool, there are a handful of lockers identical to those found in a leisure and as you enter the room, your eyes are drawn to the island-inspired feature wall.
Venture upstairs to the first floor and you’re greeted by five spacious bedrooms with one having its own en-suite while the rest share a main bathroom.
Each of these bedrooms follows a completely different design style, with the largest following a muted grey palette with pops of yellow thanks to the artwork and bed accessories.
The grand staircase and one of ten bedrooms inside this Victorian mansion near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market
As you go upstairs again, you’ll find (you guessed it) even more bedrooms, three to be exact, with the standout
The stand-out of this second floor is the navy-walled bedroom with a vintage vanity unit, patterned floor-to-ceiling curtains and a similarly dark-blue rug to match its four walls.
Another flight of stairs and you’ve finally reached the top of this property, and there’s an LED-lined ceiling and a neutral bedroom colour scheme of greys, whites and everything in between.
There are various amenities nearby, including three schools and three train stations… for if you get fed up of strolling around your four-floored ten-bed, swimming pool-owning mansion.
Two contrasting bedrooms found within this Victorian mansion near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market
We know this property may not be in the price range and might not be affordable for a lot of readers, ourselves included, but we can dream, right?
You can check out this Victorian mansion and flick through even more pictures of this property – Snooping never hurt anybody? Official site HERE.
As always, make sure to check out The Manc‘s property page to check all the other stunning structures currently on sale/in progress across Greater Manchester and in the nearby North West.
Georgina Pellant -
20th January 2022 
