One of Manchester‘s best-loved neighbourhoods has been named the second “coolest” in Britain by a renowned national media outlet.
And it’s not the first time it’s been given a similar honour to this before.
If you were taking guesses as to which area it would be, then you probably wouldn’t have got that far before, or really be shocked to hear, that Ancoats has made its way on to a round-up list of the 15 coolest neighbourhoods in Britain by The Telegraph – coming in second place, just behind Walthamstow in London.
Finnieston in Glasgow claims the third spot on the list, with the top five being rounded out by Kelham Island in Sheffield, and Cathedral Quarter in Belfast.
Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle, Ouseburn in Newcastle, and Meanwood in Leeds are the fellow northern neighbourhoods to have also made it onto the exclusive list of 15, with Stockbridge in Edinburgh, Pontcanna in Cardiff, and North Laine in Brighton just a selection of the other places getting a mention.
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🇬🇧From London’s hipster enclave to Glasgow’s ‘WeMo’ (West of Motorway), we reveal the trendy spots far from the tourist crowds https://t.co/hSeJtvLq7s
A part of town with a rich history that has undergone quite significant regeneration this side of the century, we all know by now that Ancoats is widely-considered to be one of Manchester’s, the UK’s (and the world’s) most sought-after neighbourhoods, so this most-recent nod from The Telegraph praising its coolness won’t come as a surprise to many.
Home to a hub of thriving independent eateries, bars and shops, it’s fair to say Ancoats has changed a hell of a lot over the years – from being the sort of place you’d be wary to wander around alone in at night, to an Instagram-friendly hipster’s paradise.
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But just what exactly is it that’s made The Telegraph take note and praise it for being ‘cool’?
Well, the publication explains that Ancoats “has been here for an age”, and noted the fact that it was once an important textiles centre dubbed the world’s “first industrial suburb”, as well as also being known as ‘Little Italy’ in reference to a surge in Italian immigration at the turn of the 20th century, all before it became what we know it to be today.
Ancoats has been named one of the 15 coolest neighbourhoods in Britain / Credit: Rudy’s | General Store
“As rentals have become pricier closer to town, Ancoats has emerged as the next major gentrification area, with Cutting Room Square a popular meeting place and drinking hole,” The Telegraph writes.
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Several of Ancoats’ most well-known and best-loved independent eateries and bars were named as places to head on down to if you’re looking to see the area “like a local” – including Elnecot, Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza, Canto and Little Vietnam.
The area has also been noted as being the place to hit up for a tattoo at Tooth and Talon, and somewhere to get your beard tidied at Jersey Street Social Club, while the mini-market reinvention that is Ancoats General Store also getting an expected worthy mention.
The Telegraph does advise that people “hop across Great Ancoats Street into the Northern Quarter for indie shopping heaven” though.
Ancoats has a rich past, and is home to a hub of thriving independent eateries, bars and shops / Credit: Visit Manchester
When it comes to somewhere to stay the night in Ancoats, the outlet has named the Copper and Blossom Boudoir as the place to go for, praising its “dimly lit, lavishly fixtured, and blinged-up suites” that sleep anywhere from two to 14 people.
Thoughts then? Is Ancoats as ‘cool’ as everyone always says? Would you stick anywhere else in Greater Manchester on the list?
Featured Image – Visit Manchester
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Flashbacks: The timelapse of the Trafford Centre construction that’s gone viral
Danny Jones
The Trafford Centre might look like some decadent Roman emperor’s palace or as if it was plucked from the heart of Ancient Grecian city, but as anyone old enough to remember it’s opening and/or construction will tell you, it seems strange to think its not even been around for three decades yet.
As Greater Manchester’s and one of the North West’s most famous shopping centres full stop, the iconic attraction first began being built back in 1996, when John Major was Prime Minister, Manchester United were still Premier League champions, Britpop was at its peak and George Michael was number one.
It’s fair to say that a lot has changed since then and although Oasis might be back come 2025, The Trafford Centre and surrounding area are pretty unrecgonisable compared to nearly 30 years ago.
All told, it took approximately 27 months to erect the neo-classical epicentre of all things shopping, leisure, food and fanciness – and here’s what the process looked like:
With the initial 14 million sq ft shopping centre being completed in September 1998 following approximately 810 days of work, The Trafford Centre debuted to the Manc public and beyond.
It took more than 3,000 builders to bring the 60 hectare site to life at the peak of construction and since then the plot has only grown bigger, bolder and more ambitious over time.
Present day, it has everything from cinema screens and a mini Legoland to a Sea Life location, multiple bowling alleys and countless other forms of entertainment beyond just rows of shops and restaurants – hence why it remains busy pretty much year-round.
Back then, British celebrities, popular local names of note, politicians, dignitaries and prominent figures from the retail industry got to visit as part of exclusive preview events in the days before its launch date.
You can see the spectacle and fascination surrounding the official opening event here:
Seems surreal watching this today but the construction of the Trafford Centre was a huge moment not just for 0161 but all of the North.
But of course, the entire complex itself has seen multiple extensions over the years, including massive developments such as Barton Square and The Great Hall.
At the outset, it cost more than £600 million to build The Trafford Centre; the major renovations mentioned above which took place in 2008 cost another £100m and the Trafford Palazzo revamp around a decade later came in at around £75m.
There has and always will be lots of money put behind this intruguing monument to modern consumerism, and big brands will continue to flock to open units within the huge expanse whenever they can: some of the most recent being Archie’s, Flying Tiger, Sephora, Tiffany, Gymshark and more.
We’ll admit the aesthetic still makes us double-take from time to time (though not as much as confused Londoners visiting for the first time), but it’s not like this part of the world hasn’t boasted plenty of other curiosities in the past…
Featured Images — Charles Bowring (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
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‘Nothing is eternal’: Is Pep Guardiola hinting at the end of Manchester City’s supremacy?
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola looks to have suggested that more than a decade of Manchester City’s supremacy and Premier League dominance at the very least might be coming to an end.
Speaking in his post-match press interviews after City were knocked out of the Champions League by serial European Cup winners Real Madrid, Guardiola cut a somewhat more deflated figure than usual following the 3-1 defeat.
A Kylian Mbappe hattrick which was closed out within an hour of play was enough to stretch the aggregate score to 6-3 over the two legs and Madrid doubling their lead across the tie proved yet again why, not unlike City domestically over the last decade, they’re the kings of the continental competition.
In contrast, however, Pep seemed to accept the loss much more easily than perhaps we’ve seen in the past and rather than appearing familiarly frustrated or defiant in the press conference; instead, he seemed rather reflective, responding to one reporter: “Nothing is eternal”.
🗣️ "Nothing is eternal" – Pep Guardiola.
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Insisting that they have to decide whether a significant rebuild is needed to keep competing at the very top level consistently as they have done since the 54-year-old arrived back in 2016, he argued that it is only with that they’ll be able to determine what comes next.
As for the result itself, he made no bones about Carlo Ancelotti’s side having “deserved it”, stating simply that “the best team won” and that fans and players alike have to “accept the reality: they were better.”
Having been a familiar foe for Pep long before he arrived in Manchester, both at Barcelona and Bayern Munich – not to mention City having faced Los Blancos a dozen times before Tuesday night since 2012 – there have been less surprising outcomes for supporters to come to terms with.
“With time, the club and everyone is going to accept what it is but for now we have 30/40 games for the Premier League next season to try and be here [in the Champions League] and to improve. Nothing is eternal”, said the Catalan coaching genius.
On the other hand, he also went on to add that it was merely a reflection on the night itself and not what his team have achieved in recent years.
He went on to remark that “when we were playing outstanding it hurt more” to be knocked out of the UCL when he felt they deserved to stay in it, but still insisted: “We have been unbelievable and we have to try step by step to get better from today.” Tonight just wasn’t the night.
Who knows? Perhaps it was just some more melodrama from a manager with an undeniable flare for pageantry and playing into/in the face of narratives when he doesn’t come out on top – which hasn’t happened all that often until their dip in form this season.
Plus, there’s certainly still plenty for him and the fans to be positive about; not only has the arrival of their ‘Egyptian Prince’ and the media’s Mo Salah successor, Omar Marmoush, got plenty of people excited – especially after that first-half hattrick against Newcastle – but so too have the other January signings.
In fact, for all of his downplaying in this particular presser (which you can hear in full HERE), it felt like there were only upsides after their victory over Newcastle, even going so far as to dub new signing Nico Gonzalez a ‘mini-Rodri‘.
You can watch the highlights from the game down below:
Pep is right, nothing is eternal – but sometimes you just come up against talents like Mbappe and there’s very little anyone can do about it.
Emily Sergeant -
14th December 2022 
