THING OF THE WEEK
BIG BIRTHDAYS… The good folks at Anstey Horne took over 20 Storeys in Manchester on Thursday to celebrate the company’s 230rd birthday. That’s right – 230! That makes the specialist property surveyor older than Germany and nearly as old as the United States. Here’s a little taste of what else went down in 1795: construction started on the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Ludwig van Beethoven made his public debut in Vienna, and John Keats was born. Anstey Horne’s founding fits in with that list quite nicely.
XDock is ready for tenants. Credit: PNW
BIG BEANS… Mirastar welcomed Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram to site its XDock site this week for a look around the developer’s monster 550,000 sq ft industrial unit. With a little help from ChatGPT, Mirastar’s head of asset management Rob Brophy set out to give the mayor some context as to the sheer scale of the scheme by highlighting what it could store – 183m tins of baked beans anyone?
Could this be your new office? Credit: The Auction House Manchester
WATERFRONT VIEWS… At Place we’ve seen a fair few offices, it is safe to say. There are not many that can compare to the Huddersfield Canal Society’s set up in Dobcross. The group has transformed a transhipment warehouse into a base of operations, complete with a meeting room that literally opens out onto the water. It is, essentially, as close to the water as you can get without getting wet. And now, that office could be yours. The Auction House Manchester is taking bids on the property during a livestream event at noon on 21 October.
Andy Burnham was subject to a lot intrigue at the Tory Party conference, given his role as Greater Manchester Mayor. Credit: PNW
FRESH THINKING… Compared to previous years, this week’s Conservative Party conference was a relatively mild affair with members continuing to reel from the fallout of a 14-year stay in power. Some members’ soul-searching led them to a fringe event to hear from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, despite his being on the other side of the political aisle. While waiting for Burnham to speak on the role of local governance, many Tory members lauded him with praise. Councillors from up and down the country told Place of their admiration of his ability to seemingly get things done, and many, having not been to the city in years, felt they could now clearly see its progress under the red King of the North. The sentiment was one of curiosity, with many clearly considering it a blueprint for their party’s faltering nationwide revival.
The pub shut in 2017. Credit: Google Earth
COMMUNIST CLUB… Urgent repairs are required to keep 19th-century pub The Crescent in Salford standing. Renowned for supposedly hydrating Marx and Engels while they discussed Marxism and communism, no such discussion has taken place in the grade two-listed building since its closure in 2017. Salford City Council notes the building as one of “cultural importance to the city” and has now taken decisive action to save it, serving an urgent works notice to its owners. The city council has declared that the owner will be responsible for the cost of repairs.
