Mr Inscrutable

Haircut day has come around again. The salon has been really good to us. Masks, ventilation and the only customers us and M’s Mum.

As usual J’s colour and cut takes a lot longer than my cut, and so I took the opportunity for a walk through the centre.

First stop was what is claimed to be the city centre’s first real park at Mayfield, which opened last Thursday (I would still call Piccadilly Gardens a park, although these days that seems to be disputed). One word will do to describe it - Fantastic.

Mayfield is the next big regeneration project in the city centre. It’s centred on and around the old Mayfield station, which is around the corner from Manchester Piccadilly, and is a public/private partnership involving U&I, LCR, Manchester CC and Transport for Manchester. Since 2017 it’s hosted various “events” to give it profile, and there’s a big funky eating and drinking hub which comes alive in the evenings.

Unusually, real development has started with the 6.5 acre park, privately owned and publicly accessible. The River Medlock, previously culverted under the site, has been exposed and revivified, there are all sorts of changes of level, lots of trees and wildflower areas and more formal “ lawns”, and a very large play area which has apparently been an immediate hit with kids. A key measure of success - I passed a young Mum and her youngster on a bridge across the Medlock, playing “Pooh Sticks”. Three extras as a taster.

What will follow will be a mix of offices, residential and retail and leisure, as well as another 6.5 acres of public space.

The blip features “The Security”. A friendly chap, he was OK with me taking a photo but adopted his “Mr Inscrutable” pose, his eyes shielded by his woolly hat.