The “painstaking” restoration and repair of Manchester Town Hall is being featured in a new TV documentary that’s airing later this month.
You may have caught a glimpse of the iconic Grade I-listed building – which is often considered a Victorian neo-gothic masterpiece – in the heart of Manchester city centre on screen before in numerous films and TV dramas, where it’s often seen acting as a ‘double’ for the Houses of Parliament.
But this time round, it will star in its own right as the subject of an episode of the series Great British Landmark Fixers.
Manchester Town Hall is 144 years old and, according to Manchester City Council, is in need of careful repairs to “preserve its heritage from the ravages of time” and ensure that it remains at the centre of civic life for many decades to come.
The documentary will look behind the scenes at all the work taking place to restore the building.
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It will meet and tell the stories of some of the people dedicating years of their working lives to the project – which will be completed in 2024 – and learn how its legacy will not just be in “protecting and enhancing” the building itself, but also in helping a new generation of Mancunians learn heritage and construction skills.
The 144-year-old building will be the subject of an episode of the series Great British Landmark Fixers / Credit: Flickr (Michael D Beckwith) | Wikimedia Commons
“Manchester Town Hall is a building with a long and fascinating history,” explained Bev Craig – Leader of Manchester City Council, and lead member for the ‘Our Town Hall’ project.
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“The work which is taking place now to safeguard it, while sympathetically bringing it up to modern access and safety standards, is the latest chapter in that story [and] this documentary really gets across the scope of the project, the level of care and attention that is being put into the smallest detail, and the pride and passion of those who are working on it for the city.
“It showcases the beauty of the building and the fact that its treasures, including some artefacts we are finding through the works, will be more accessible to the public once it reopens.”
Great British Landmark Fixers is airing Yesterday at 8pm on Monday 20 December.
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Other national landmarks also being featured in the series include Canterbury Cathedral, and the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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Three tiny ‘chaos potatoes’ have been born at Chester Zoo and they’re so cute
Emily Sergeant
Three tiny ‘chaos potatoes’ have been born at Chester Zoo… and they’re really flipping cute.
Born to parents Maris and Albert in late summer, the three rock hyrax pups – only affectionately known as ‘chaos potatoes’ – have just passed their first vet check with a clean bill of health, and now weigh roughly 350g.
Hyraxes are found across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, where they live among rocky landscapes and are most active in daylight.
The litter includes two boys and one girl, and keepers at Chester Zoo have decided to give them potato-themed names – Russ, Spud, and Jackie.
Three tiny ‘chaos potatoes’ have been born at Chester Zoo / Credit: Chester Zoo
Currently, the three pups are a fraction of the size of the adults, which can weigh up to 4kg, but despite their small stature, they have an unlikely relative.
Believe it or not, rock hyraxes are actually a part of the same evolutionary group as elephants, as well as sirenians, which are the family of aquatic mammals that includes dugongs and manatees.
“Hyraxes are one of those species that you have to look for, but once you’ve seen them, they are fascinating to watch,” explained Megan Carpenter, who is a Keeper at Chester Zoo.
“The pups are little chaos potatoes. They are much more energetic than their parents and sometimes get the zoomies, darting about and testing their climbing and parkour skills.
“In contrast, the adults often wedge themselves into corners and grip on to steep rock faces for hours at a time. They’re incredibly well adapted to living among rocks and are much better climbers than you might expect.”
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
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A TV channel playing Christmas films 24/7 is now back on air in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Do you think it’s too early for the ‘C word’? Never mind, you’ve already clicked on this article.
Sure, we may only be into our second full week of September, but given the fact the weather these past couple of days hasn’t exactly screamed summer, it already feels like the festive season is around the corner – but whether or not you think it’s too early to be talking about Christmas, it’ll soon be too tricky to escape from.
Especially not when the famous TV channel showing festive film favourites non-stop is now back on air in the UK.
Yes, you heard that right – Christmas films, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
If you’re ready to wave goodbye to summer, and in welcome autumn and winter with open arms, then there’s arguably no better way of getting into the festive spirit than with the long-awaited and highly-anticipated return of the TV channel that’s charmed audiences for over half a decade now.
GREAT! Christmas the UK’s biggest seasonal channel, and it’s now live on Sky, Freesat, Freeview and Virgin Media.
You can expect almost four months of back-to-back seasonal movies.
The 24-hour feel-good and free-to-air channel will be bursting with non-stop Christmas spirit, and will be showing a heartwarming lineup of festive films – including some absolute fan-favourite classics that make it to screens every year without fail, alongside some cheesy Hallmark classics, new channel premieres, and so much more.
Emily Sergeant -
15th December 2021 
