The Streets of Your Town II.

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I originally thought this idea, to walk along streets in town that I’d never walked along before, would be pretty straightforward, but in reality it’s been difficult to find appropriate thoroughfares. This morning, however, I was off pounding the streets, looking into something else, when I saw Oswald Street across Miller Street from me, running between The Ducie Bridge Pub and The United Yeast Company Limited building. I dodged between the cars across Miller Street and set off down it. Somebody else was coming the other way and looked surprised to see me. We avoided one another’s gaze. It seemed to be the right thing to do.

On the right there were the backs of the offices of the Community Foundation for Greater Manchester. On the left a low wall, covered in crap graffiti art (I suppose everybody needs somewhere to practice), bordering a car park. On the floor, the usual random bunch of shite. Nothing interesting. Not like the time I stumbled upon a bunch of kids and a bloke burning the plastic off bundles of wire in the middle of a street in Liverpool.

At the end was Munster Street. Hooray, another street I’d never previously walked down. In front, further up Corporation Street away from town was The Crown and Cushion, a hidden gem (albeit a refurbished one). Left onto Munster Street was Corporation Street with Parkers’ Hotel opposite, which I noticed for the first time, had been built by the Co-Operative Society. At one point it seems the whole area was populated by the Co-Op; a more benign, aspirational, nineteenth century predecessor of Media City.

Castles Made of Sand.

'Liverpool Castle' Rivington, originally uploaded by mithering.

Is there a more pointless, smellier, more disgusting 'castle' than the turd known as 'Liverpool Castle'? Squatting on the banks of Rivington Reservoir near Horwich, near Bolton, and miles from Liverpool itself. This reduced scale replica of the original Liverpool Castle which was demolished in 1725, was either built as ruins, never completed, or both. Either way, work ceased when the money dried up with the death of money man, Lord Lever, in 1925.

A visit on Sunday revealed a shabby wreck with the smell of piss permeating the ante-chambers, and broken glass providing a constant hazard. "Do not climb the walls," declared the signs on the wall, warning against the decay. "Do not breathe in" would have been more appropriate.

Combat 18 are welcome to it.

Pictures of Match Stick Men III

Grafitti Guy, originally uploaded by mithering.

I'd passed this fella a few times as I headed down Back King Street in town, on my way to work, and finally decided to get a picture of him. He's not a blatant rip-off in the way the previous posts of comic art have been, but I like him on a Roy 'Trailer Trash' Tompkins or Kaz level, particularly the attention to detail on his shirt.

Closer scrutiny of the text below reveals a quote from Jubilee by Derek Jarman which, once placed into the giant cardfile known as Google, takes you to Kingdom of Muin . Which appears to be the site of a particularly active set of Glasgow-focussed artschool wackoes.

If The Kids Are United.

Youth United day at FCUM on Saturday, United Youth day for MUFC on Sunday. What a weekend!

Careful With That Axe Eugene.

The Arndale Axeman Cometh., originally uploaded by mithering.

Not The Brightest Idea In The World #10983 - Selling axes in The Arndale. For less than a tenner.