Have you ever been downstairs in the Tesco on Market Street?
While it might not particularly strike you as somewhere of much importance, considering you probably just nipped down there to grab yourself a last-minute tin of beans or some loo roll in a hurry, but that lower ground floor level is actually a unique part of Manchester’s retail history.
Manchester Arndale and the adjacent Market Street are undoubtedly some of busiest shopping hotspots the city centre has to offer – but back in the 1970s and 80s, the underground market was the place to be.
The Market Centre was the go-to place for pretty much everything you could ever need.
In its heyday, the market – which first opened in 1972 and eventually closed for good in the early 1990s when the Arndale grew in popularity – once boasted around 100 market stalls and shops covering a wide range of needs, and had several separate entrances on Brown Street (near Tesco), Spring Gardens and Norfolk Street, which have all since been concreted over.
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Once a real independent gem of the city centre, and sadly the sort of place you don’t see that much of anymore, with perhaps the exception of Afflecks, the Market Centre was home to a collection of dedicated clothing shops selling punk gear, a couple of iconic vinyl record shops and even a Stolen from Ivor – the first place in the north of England to stock Levi’s jeans.
Back in the 1970s and 80s, the Arndale underground market was the place to be / Credit: Manchester Local Image Collection
Roxy was the place to hit up if you were in the market for a pair of classic 80s flares, stocked in every colour and pattern under the sun.
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Oasis, Justin’s and other smaller boutique stalls were also seen as treasure troves for Manchester’s fashion hipsters of the day, with leather coats and jackets being a particularly popular buy.
“I used to buy jeans from there”, Pat Karney from Manchester City Council once fondly recalled.
“It was exotic [as] it was so different to any other shopping experience in Manchester at the time [and] as teenagers, people met all their friends there
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“It was quite similar to the old Corn Exchange and was full of surprises. They were all units rather than shops and that’s what made it pretty magical [as] things would change from what they were a week earlier”.
The Market Centre once boasted around 100 market stalls and shops covering a wide range of needs / Credit: Manchester Local Image Collection
The underground market was also seen as a music goldmine, with Manchester Underground Records Import used by DJs from across the region, as well as bootlegs, tapes and vinyl in all genres still being readily available from shops and stalls including Collectors Records, Yvonne’s Record Stall, and Spinn In Records.
But after closing down for good in 1989, largely due to the increasing popularity of the Arndale, the Market Centre has since faded into memory.
Do you remember the Market Centre? Share your memories with us.
Featured Image – Manchester Local Image Collection
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All the major Manchester locations used in Netflix’s Missing You
Daisy Jackson
Netflix and Harlan Coben thrillers have become bosom pals in recent years, and they love nothing more than to use Manchester as a filming location for all that action.
The popular streaming platform was back in town last year filming Missing You, a series that has immediately shot to the top-watched list since its release.
The eagle-eyed among you may have spotted more than a few familiar sights, with filming for Missing You taking place all over Manchester city centre and beyond.
You might also have spotted a few places that look familiar but not quite right, thanks to a bit of CGI rearranging the city.
Believe it or not, this is the ninth time that Netflix has adapted one of Harlan Coben’s books, and this is the third time they’ve filmed in Manchester.
Set to release on 1 January 2025, Missing You stars Rosalind Eleazar in the lead role as Kat Donovan, a detective specialising in Missing Persons.
Starring alongside other big British names like Ashley Walters, Richard Armitage, Sir Lenny Henry; Steve Pemberton, Jessica Plummer and James Nesbitt, the series is once again produced by Quay Street Productions (part of ITV Studios).
As the thrilling series goes on, you’ll see scenes like a meeting in Manchester Art Gallery, a tense conversation at Ancoats Marina, and even more tension (the whole thing is honestly quite tense) beneath the Pomona Island tram stop.
There are also a few scenes that take place on a band stand in a park, with Deansgate Square in the background. What the hell park is this, you ask? It’s actually Sefton Park in Liverpool, with our skyline edited in.
Trafford Town hall also doubles up as a police station in Missing You, again with the Manchester skyline added into the background.
Our heroic main character’s apartment is slap bang in the heart of Castlefield, and even the opening scene shows the familiar sight of a bustling Edge Street.
How many locations did you spot in Missing You?
Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery in Missing You. Credit: Netflix
Ancoats Marina
Missing You used Ancoats Marina as one of its filming locations. Credit: Netflix
Pomona Island
Pomona Island. Credit: Netflix
Edge Street
Edge Street in the Northern Quarter in Missing You. Credit: Netflix
Castle Armoury, Bury
Castle Armoury, Bury
Trafford Town Hall
Trafford Town Hall in Missing You on Netflix
Mason’s Restaurant in Manchester Hall
Mason’s. Credit: Netflix
Castlefield
Castlefield in Missing You, Netflix.
Featured image: Netflix
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David and Victoria Beckham’s son Cruz is kicking off his own music career
Danny Jones
David Beckham’s son, Cruz, is the latest member of the Beckham family to try and make a name for themselves, as he is now making his first foray into the music business.
Cruz, 19, is the third child of David and Victoria Beckham and while daughter (youngest of the four) Harper is still just a kid, each of the famous couple’s boys has begun making a name for themselves.
First-born Brooklyn has already enjoyed multiple ventures at just 25, trying everything from modelling, photography, being a chef, as well as investing in everything from hot sauce to saké and more. As for Romeo, the former footballer looks to have hung up boots at just 22 to focus on his fashion career.
Now, though, it’s the turn of Cruz who is looking to follow not in the footsteps of his dad but rather ‘Posh Spice’, as he has now started releasing the first glimpses of his new music.
As you can see, Becks junior has been spending plenty of time in the studio and trying to create his own unique sound.
While the fledgling musician will no doubt have greater access to the industry thanks to his mum’s massively successful career in pop, and no doubt a few contacts through his dad here and there, there’s clearly plenty of natural talent there the youngster it clearly putting the work in.
It’s also worth noting that the 19-year-old dabbles in various different instruments: as well as the guitar, he has taught himself to play drums, piano, mandolin and isn’t shy from offering vocals either.
Cruz looks to be working with multi-platinum songwriting and production duo, The Wavys – made up of musicians Jack Brady and Jordan Roman – and although he hasn’t properly released anything of his own just yet, we have now had a snippet of his original track, ‘Ya Love’, which is rumoured to drop very soon.
Rewind to 2016 when he was just 11, the little lad even did his own festive single for charity entitled, ‘Every Day Was Christmas’, which was his first-ever bit of original music.
It’s safe to say that while he’s still a pretty fresh-faced teenager, his general creative direction has come quite some way since then.
From what we’ve heard, it’s all sounding pretty too; you only have to head to the comments to see followers complimenting the funk guitar and overall sound, as well as even drawing comparisons to the likes of Oasis and more. One person conceded: “Nepo baby aside this is actually very good.”
Son of a Man United legend and British popstar or not, there’s enough style to his stuff so far that we’ll be keeping on his music – who knows, maybe the next famous Beckham will be an artist called Cruz?
Emily Sergeant -
11th January 2022 
