The Mancunian Way: On The Redbricks

Everybody needs good neighboursHello,

The Bentley House estate was purpose built at a time when flats still had open fires and shared communal laundry spaces, along with underground bomb shelters.

They also have balconies, gardens and ample community outdoor space and greenery just a stone’s throw from the city centre.

Sounds like an estate agent’s pitch for something that would set you back a bit doesn’t it?

In fact, privately-owned flats on this Manchester estate are sold for less than £200,000.

‘Redbricks’, as it’s known, is a bit of an oddity – just yards away from the glistening Deansgate towers but completely separate from the concrete and minimalism of city centre living.

The Redbricks estate overshadowed by the Deansgate towers(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)

Our reporters have visited the estate to chat to residents before, but the lovely thing about Manchester is that you’ll get a different perspective each time you visit a place.

So when reporter James Holt spoke to locals he found a tight-knit community of people who value neighbourliness and their own space.

John Crotty moved to Rockdove Avenue from Hulme Crescents in 1991 and has seen the estate change from one troubled by drug dealing and petty crime to a bit of a green haven beneath the Mancunian Way.

Trees and communal gardens line the streets and hanging baskets pepper the homes. Bunting, tree swings and a free book-swapping library are also a key part of this community.

But John says pollution from nearby Mancunian Way and Princess Road has worsened his COPD.

“We are like a halfway house between drug users from the city meeting dealers in Moss Side,” he says. “And of course, Mancunian Way is right there, and there are always tents and homeless people sleeping underneath.”

Despite all this, he wouldn’t live anywhere else.

“The best thing about living here is the space we have and the fantastic community down these three avenues. Everyone looks out for one another. People have lived here for years.

“We have outdoor gardens and real trees, and plants that smell. I still wouldn’t ever live anywhere else.

“A lot of us tenants have watched those blocks get higher and higher, closer and closer, encroaching on us. It’s been a question of will we still be here in the future?”

You can read James’ fascinating feature on the estate frozen in time here.

‘Like living on Coronation Street’(Image: Manchester Evening News)

It’s been a dramatic few weeks for the residents of New Islington Marina.

First, boaters were badly affected by a leak at the marina, which caused water levels to drop drastically. Some said they feared their homes would be damaged as a result.

Then yesterday, a vital facilities block went up in flames in a suspected arson attack. It follows a recent rise in anti-social behaviour.

Reporter Chris Slater has been speaking to residents, one of whom said: “It’s like we’re living on Coronation Street at the moment.”

You can read his report here.

Brady manuscript could hold new cluesPolice officers digging on Saddleworth Moor, in the continued search for the bodies of several missing children, November 1965(Image: Evening Standard, Getty Images)

A portion of a secret autobiography penned by Moors murderer Ian Brady has been uncovered by cold case investigators.

The discovery of the unfinished manuscript, spanning 394 pages and detailing his connection with Myra Hindley alongside a meticulous account of their first victim Pauline Reade’s killing and burial, emerged from an extensive collection of documents unearthed by investigators collaborating with author and filmmaker Duncan Staff for a new BBC documentary.

However, 200 pages of the manuscript are still said to be missing – with claims they may hold Brady’s version of Keith Bennett’s murder and burial, with the 12-year-old’s body never found since he went missing in June 1964.

You can read more on this story here.

Sharia Law job adDidsbury Mosque(Image: Manchester Evening News)

A job advert for a ‘Sharia Law Administrator’ in Manchester posted on a government website has caused a storm online.

Didsbury Mosque, which posted the advert on the Department for Work and Pensions website, has hit back against ‘misinformation’ being spread on social media. It comes after Nigel Farage shared the advert in a post on X, claiming the country is ‘being destroyed’.

Our Politics Writer Joseph Timan has fact-checked some of the claims made on social media and answered questions about the role.

You can read it here.

After 22 months of painMembers of the Muslim and Jewish communities in Greater Manchester sign a joint declaration (Image: University of Manchester)

This week, members of Greater Manchester’s Muslim and Jewish communities sat around a table to talk.

The location of the meeting was kept secret for fear that it would spark protests.

After months of planning, community leaders signed a joint declaration committing to building bridges through dialogue. The Muslim and Jewish Community statement promises to promote ‘understanding, peace and tolerance’ in the region.

Their commitment is inspired, in part, by the efforts of a Rabbi and an Imam who have joined forces to promote dialogue in schools.

It comes after nearly 22 months of death and destruction in the Middle East in a war that has deeply affected Greater Manchester.

You can read the statement in full here.

Life in the slumsThis is the home of the Burton’s. Mrs Burton’s niece makes up a bottle for her 12-month-old son on the gas ring in the living room. 31st January 1955.

In this striking image, taken in January 1955, a woman makes up a bottle for her one-year-old son on the gas ring of the living room.

It’s a scene that shows the difficult living conditions faced by generations of Mancunians who lived in slum housing during the 1950s, in the wake of World War Two.

Nostalgia Writer Lee Grimsditch has been looking at how this dramatic period of change was documented through photographs.

Weather

Thursday: Sunny intervals changing to cloudy by lunchtime. 21C.

Roads: A6 Chapel St westbound, Salford, closed for long-term roadworks between Blackfriars Rd and New Bailey St until January 19.

A5067 Chester Rd westbound, Old Trafford, closed for roadworks between Talbot Rd and Bridgewater Way between 9.30am and 3.30pm until October 31.

A577 Mosley Common Rd closed for roadworks between Bridgewater Rd and Chaddock Lane until Nov 3.

A640 Elizabethan Way, Milnrow, closed in both directions for gas works from Bridge St to Buckley Hill Lane until August 25.

❓ Manc trivia: Manchester Town Hall was designed by which Victorian architect?

Worth a readNeal Keeling with his wife Felicity and daughter Anna(Image: Adam Vaughan)

Our chief reporter Neal Keeling has a reputation for dogged crime reporting – but he’s also the nicest man in the newsroom. And he’s been incredibly candid in talking about his experiences fighting cancer over the years.

Neal says his treatment was “a trip to hell” but one that gave him 13 years of “extra time” and has allowed him to watch his youngest daughter play football, get to university and become a beautiful woman.

The charity Maggie’s – which provides cancer support – has been key in helping Neal and his family cope. It has recently launched a pioneering programme to help people with cancer prepare for treatment.

You can read all about it and Neal’s experiences in this moving piece here.

Trivia answer: Alfred Waterhouse, who is also known for designing London’s Natural History Museum.