THING OF THE WEEK
FUN AND GAMES… Peel has added yet another leisure concept to its growing TraffordCity roster with the unveiling of plans for a huge ice arena. You will soon be able to do pretty much any activity your heart desires at the retail and leisure complex, including but not limited to surfing, playing golf, skiing, sky-diving, and playing padel. And that is before you get inside the Trafford Centre where you can participate in bowling, shooting people with foam bullets, and scrapping with dogfish at the SeaLife Centre. Thrill seekers will be eagerly anticipating the next announcement with rumours already circulating about a Quidditch dome and the world’s first purpose-built cheese rolling facility.
The building is Preston city centre’s only windmill. Credit: Google Earth
MILLMENTUM… In September, THING told readers about Simca Investments’ plans to breathe new life into Preston’s only surviving windmill. Now, the city council has approved two possible options for the listed building. The mill, located on Craggs Row, could become either an Air B’n’B or bedsits depending on what Simca decides to do. Jonathan Creek eat your heart.
Credit: via Christie & Co
BOAT FEVER… It is not just this nasty New Year cold that is going around. Boat fever is catching in Liverpool. Following planning approval to covert the former Royal Daffodil into a floating drinking and dining destination, another vessel could be in line for a reboot. Clearly buoyed (HA!) by the success of the Daffodil project, the owners of Floating Grace at Salthouse Dock have decided now is the time to sell up. The boat, which already boasts a restaurant, could be yours for £750,000.
Credit: PNW
STUDIO SPACE… Kempston Street Studios has well and truly settled into its new surroundings in Liverpool’s Fabric District. The recording studio has hosted everyone from Blossoms to Bieber and was forced to move out of its previous home on Parr Street amid redevelopment proposals and rising rents, news which hit a bum note with music lovers. Owners Rich Turvey, Chris Taylor, and James Skelly, could arguably not have picked a better place for their new space, though. The venue finds itself at the heart of Liverpool’s creative district and shares a street with Try & Lilly, makers of headwear for military and emergency service organisations across the world, and Tapestry, a workspace hub for all manner of industries that features DOES (Do Epic S***) – an incubation space for creatives – among others. With the regeneration wave making its way to this part of town, the businesses like Kempston Street Studios that are already in occupation will be doing all they can to ensure they are not forced out again.
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LET THERE BE LIGHT… Projection artist Luxmuralis will transform Chester Cathedral into a dynamic art installation exploring Earth’s creation, space, and molecular biology. Expect to see the cathedral like you’ve never seen it before, with the projections illuminating and spotlighting the architecture of the historic structure in ways you don’t expect. You can step into the light at one of the performances, which start at 5:45pm and run from 21 February until 24 February. Tickets are £9.50 for adults.
