There is a light that never goes out

Queueing in traffic on my way to a strategy meeting at Manchester Climbing Centre this morning - I glanced to my right from the Mancunian Way and saw an icon of my youth - the right angle at the right moment.

I can remember boxing at the Lads Club as a young teen - a hugely fierce experience - encouraged to settle scores in the ring - taught to know better - it was a tough place in an even tougher setting - but decades later I can see it was social endeavour at its best. In my time, & I really hope still, the ethos was no-one got turned away - you could of course get yourself banned - but everyone was given that first, or maybe last, chance.
& then in '86 when all the cool teens were in big black coats there it was again - 'immortalised' on the sleeve of the Smiths masterpiece 'The Queen is Dead'

I'd have loved to have the time to go back - recently voted into 3rd place in a list of the countries most iconic buildings - the tiled inside (which I really can't summon a memory of) is said to be the finest complete example of its kind still in existence. A trip down memory lane for another day.