Manchester - Part 2
The Charismatic Church of Christ (not a typo) - Newton Heath, Manchester.
I grew-up on the north side of Manchester - specifically in Moston. Moston borders Harpurhey, statistically one of the poorest and most deprived areas in the UK. Moston itself is unrecognizable from the town I remember. It was always a little coarse around the edges, but to ride through it now on the bus, on the way to the city centre, is to court heartbreak.
My mum's house is in New Moston, which has faired only slightly better. Other surrounding areas in which I used to roam - Failsworth, Newton Heath - all show obvious signs of decline and neglect. This will always be 'home' to me, but it saddens me to see what's happened.
Don't get me started on the north-south divide. Or the Tory government's austerity measures.
I stayed with my brother during my most recent trip and managed an early evening walk around Newton Heath.
California Wines/Celebration. Newton Heath, Manchester.
Ash News & Booze. Newton Heath, Manchester.
Telephone box. Newton Heath, Manchester,
The Railway Pub. Newton Heath, Manchester.
This one comes with a bit of a story. The Railway was one of the first pubs I regularly went to, or was actually able to get into for that matter (age limit, eighteen).
Christmas Eve when I was seventeen I took a girl out, joining my older brother and some friends. on the stroke of midnight, having had fifteen Pernod and blackcurrant juices (!) and a packet of crisps with each one, I made a dash towards the door, pushed along the way by wise and amused patrons, and began a long few hours of throwing my guts up. It was the first time booze had damaged me in this fashion, but not the last.
So much for a Christmas kiss from my girl... and for Christmas dinner the next day.
The Railway - Interior. Newton Heath, Manchester.
This is The Railway, interior. The pub has been closed down for ages now, but this is how it was left. Nothing to do with my drinking, I should add. This last image is an i-phone grab.
The Juice is a journal dedicated to things that inform or are a part of my creative practice.