THING OF THE WEEK

MURALS… Fancy yourself as a muralist? Capital&Centric is on the hunt for someone to paint something striking on one of the external walls at Neptune Mill. C&C is currently converting the Manchester building into 22,000 sq ft of modern workspace and is seeking a muralist to make sure the outside of the building looks as good as the inside.

The developer wants to see a “a bold, impactful design that will turn the heads of Manchester’s passionate art seekers” daubed on the west wall of the mill.

Christian Fenn spent 80 hours on this mural in Cleveleys. Credit: via Wyre Council

Perhaps Christian Fenn might be up for it. He has just finished a huge commission for Wyre Council at Cleveleys bus station. The artwork incorporates several well-known Cleveleys landmarks and took 80 hours to complete.

How the Upside Down House might look. Credit: Elliot Voilmy via Unsplash

INVERSION… Liverpool ONE’s newest attraction aims to turn the shopping centre’s leisure offer on its head. The retail complex, which this week announced a 3.3% increase in footfall year on year, is getting an Upside Down House. The inverted attraction, which to date has only been rolled out in the south – except for one location in Skegness and  temporary stint at the Trafford Centre, is pretty much exactly as the name would suggest.

The idea is that people pay to have their photographs taken inside upside-down rooms, creating the illusion of gravity defiance. To be clear, the attraction is family-friendly and in no way related to the Upside Down made famous in the Netflix series Stranger Things. Thank God. The Liverpool Upside Down House is expected to open later this year and will be located where the Tesla pop-up is at the moment.

Everyone loves padel, it seems. Credit: via Peel

PADEL PROS… Has a new sport ever captured the imagination quite like padel? The wave of enthusiasm padel is currently riding on is quite something. It feels like developers are scrambling to build padel courts on any available scrap of land in a bid to satisfy the demand for the tennis/squash hybrid.

Padel is particularly popular, it seems, among former professional athletes looking for a way to scratch their sporting itch. News of planning approval for a £2.5m facility at Trafford Park this week was hailed by the likes of former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan, ex-Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given, and Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs.

“Padel is fast becoming everyone’s new sport to play,” Giggs said. “I started playing with a couple of friends, including Nicky Butt, and I can’t get enough! I’m back on court pretty much every day, if I can.”

Credit: via EKPS

HORSEPLAY… It is that time of year again. Diminutive jockeys, big horses, and Euan Kellie Property Solutions’ runners and riders. That’s right, it is Grand National weekend and once again the planning consultancy has published the list of nags that would be saddling up if the RTPI ever organised an annual jump race.

It is the third year on the spin that EKPS has produced the list, and the 2024 edition sees just one returning horse; 2023’s 2/1 favourite Extension of Time is back for the second year on the spin at evens. Greater Manchester-trained Trailblazer is predicted to take an early lead in the race but bookies are less certain about where General Election will come. Meanwhile, Mansard Hoof – out of favour for years – might be worth a flutter at 33/1.  

Hélène Binet visited the site eight times over four years. Credit: via Factory International

POETIC… An exhibition at Aviva Studios – the venue formerly known as Factory International – is displaying for the first time behind-the-scenes photos of the art centre’s construction. Titled The Poetics of Construction, the exhibition will show off snaps taken by Swiss/French architecture photographer Hélène Binet. She visited the site eight times over the last four years to document the creation of one of Manchester’s most distinctive buildings. Anyone interested in seeing how the 143,000 sq ft venue came into being – and finding clues as to how it ended up costing £220m – should head there from 9 May to have a look at the photographs.