What the Dickens

To Manchester for lunch with a friend and former colleague. I also wanted to quiz her on a current government consultation, which might help me with a discussion elsewhere, so had arranged to meet up at her office first.

I arrived at Manchester Oxford Road station far earlier than anticipated, so I headed to the Kimpton Clocktower hotel for a coffee. It’s a fantastic building, grade 2* listed, built originally as the HQ of the Refuge Assurance Company. It shouts Victorian confidence. They don’t do offices like this anymore.

The horse sculpture in the reception area is by Sophie Dickens, who is no doubt thoroughly fed up of people asking her about her great-great grandfather Charles.