David Bowie street art, Manchester

I've rambled on about the sterilisation of Manchester over the last few years, so following the recent death of David Bowie the street artist Akse got a little bit busy on Stevenson Square and produced something a little special.

Other art work currently in the Northern Quarter can be found, just not as stunning.

 

Rather cool, I thought.

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Chernobyl Redux

Sometimes you go back to your photos and think "bloody hell that's shite", well I do that with most of my photos, so with Google now giving away the Nik software collection of photography software I thought I would a have a play.

Back in 2013 we visited Chernobyl, and the write up by Tin Dog was bob on, but I was a little disappointed at the time by the pictures, so old photos mixed with Nik ahoy.

 

Narrrrr, still shite


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Crown Theatre, Eccles - May 2016

A very early start brought myself, Tbolt and the hobbit like creature know as only Zer081 out for this meet up on a rather rare and warm sunny spring morning.

Eccles, a small town which sits of the edge of the cities of Salford and Manchester and is a shadow of its former self, sadly.

The Crown Theatre opened in 1899 as The Lyceum, a luxury venue for Shakespeare productions, converted in 1932 into a cinema and further converted in 1963 into a Bingo hall.

Since closure in the 1980s this Grade II listed building has fallen into major disrepair, partially demolished with a gaping hole in the rear of the property and little or no roof.

 

This building is hanging on for dear life, with rough sleepers on the upper tiers sheltering under the remaining last parts of the roof structure.

Sadly with the owners pushing for demolition, the future looks grim for this once grand building.

I rather liked this place for some reason, but I'm a sucker for old cinemas and theatres and thus biased  with 5/10 - although I'm sure Tbolt and Zer081 would give it a 2/10 or possibly a 1.

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St John The Baptist School, Wigan - April 2016

This wonderful little church school sits on the outskirts of Wigan having closed in 2004 and gently sits rotting whilst sitting in development hell.

Visited with Tbolt, Urban Caveman, Lavino and Dangle Angle on rather a wet and horrid day.

Rather a small, yet photogenic place, a bit of gem 8/10.

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St Josephs Church, Wigan - May 2016

Following a heads up from Lavino, Tbolt fired up the Venga Bus and we pitched up in Wigan with Urban Caveman for a look see. The rain tumbled down and so we made a swift entrance into this rarely visited church.

Built in 1861, this derelict Grade II listed building is a former Roman Catholic church which finally closed its doors to worship in 1995.  A notable worshiper at this church was the comedian and film star George Formby.

 

It is, was it is, so from me its a  5/10 for this pigeon infested, yet rather grand, stripped out church.

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