Vernon Mill Artists

Most of our guest who come to stay in Manchester ask us what’s to see and do. So we’re on a mission to visit all the traditional hot spots and discover a few unique ones with hands on experience of what’s on offer for our guests.
One of my passions is anything to do with art; anything that’s been produce by eye and hands that give me that wow feeling at first sight, a wow feeling that usually then turns to envy and then on to the dream state of ‘how can I do that’.

A great find that I never knew even existed until a few months ago, and right on our door step, is Vernon Mill an old cotton mill in Stockport, Cheshire, just 15 minutes by car from the us and housing some of the North West’s most cutting edge modern art producers’ painters, sculptors designers, potters and photographers using all types of different and unusual media to produce their work.

The artists have joined together to form an artists’ collective known as the “Vernon Mill Artists” (the VMA). Taking into account the 60 artists, operating from within individual studios in this huge building, the VMA is considered to be the largest artist led studio group in England.
The studios, taking up the top two stories of the mill, are full of original works all for sale at prices almost  40% lower than work sold by some of the other galleries that show their work.

The mill is open throughout the week with a few studios open to the public; most of the artists are concentrating on their work or run courses, passing on their experience to budding wannabes. At the weekend you’ll find quite a few of the studios open to the public, however most studios open the 1st weekend of every month between 10am – 4pm.

One of the artist I’ve admired from afar, (the internet, virtual stalking) is Alan Knight. Born just down the road in Swinton, Alan uses a painting knife a medium I never really liked; in fact in the past, anytime I noticed a piece of art where the artist used a knife I use to take a wide birth, at most a glance. That is until I saw an olive tree that Alan painted. He uses oil paints and he likes to apply it thickly that thick that the bark of the tree was just that, you could imagine your self holding on to the bark to climb up it. Every angle gave you a different almost three  dimensional picture.

We’ll make your stay in Manchester a little more exciting than you think with a full itinerary of where to go.

Vernon Mill Artists
3rd and 4th floors,
Vernon Mill, Mersey Street,
Stockport, SK1 2HX.

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“I had an amazing time, I will defiantly go again and will recommend it to my friends thank you for giving me this amazing opportunity Airkix”

That review was from a first-time non-skydiver, aged 14 from Northamptonshire.

No experience needed, every diver receives hands on tuition.

Housed on the same site as the Trafford Center with great transport links; J10 off the M60 or by Metro from the city centre to Stretford Station where you can pick up a bus which will take you all the way to the Trafford Centre for only £1.00.

Whether you are 4 or 104. All the packages include:

Full pre-flight briefing

A friendly, trained instructor with you every step of the way

A personal Airkix flight certificate

Discounts when you buy online

PLUS a smile from ear to ear! – that’s why Airkix is called the Smile Factory! Come see for yourself.

Other flyers say…

“Fantastic experience. I didn’t realise how skilful the instructors were. they made us look good! Thank you”

First-time non-skydiver, aged 45

West Midlands

December 2011

Airkix in Manchester is a great idea for a birthday celebration, whatever your age.

They make sure you celebrate in style, not only as they offer some fantastic prices but you van also tailor party events to suit your requirements.

Why not make a weekend of it shopping for mum & dad or may be just mum and skydiving for dad and the kids.

The Cornerstones Guest House is just 5 miles from Airkix.

Chosen to be included in the Michelin Accommodation Guide and Regional Winners of Northern Rail Hidden Tourism Gems.

This family run guest house offers spacious Victorian accommodation for all the family.

View our rooms, book on line or just ring for a chat and go through your requirements.

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(It has to be said it was a late lunch and maybe that was the reason it was so empty)

Located in Spinningfields, on Deansgate, the Pacific Rim pan-Asian themed restaurant opened on 24th May 2011, with the menu devised by former Young Australian Chef of the Year, Paul Greening.
(I don’t know whether this is a scoop or not but on questioning one of the staff to see whether the Head Chef was on the pass, we where told there was a new head chef, which we thought odd because it had not been publicized)

The entrance is a three dimensional glass triangle that juts out off the ground, very impressive.
We had a lovely greeting by the maitre d’ who led us to our table and announced the name of the waitress who would be serving us. There was nothing plastic about the welcome, a nice smile and her personalty shone through.
Couldn’t really say that about the waitress though, she seemed a little nervous and proceeded as if she was reading of a script; clearly new her job perhaps a little too well (over zealous training)

My wife had ‘ Yellowfin tuna Nigiri Sushi’ and I not being a sushi fan ordered ‘Prawn, avocado and cucumber Californian Roll’ (thinking that it would suit western palates better).
The common ingredient across all the different kinds of sushi, is sushi rice, you only need to ask the waitress to explain what the dishes are if like me you are a novice.

On arrival to the table ….surprise surprise these ‘finger food delights’ had to be tackled with a knife and fork, easily twice the size my wife had ever witnessed before and therefore too much of a stray from convention.

Unlike sashimi, which is almost always eaten with chopsticks, nigirizushi is traditionally eaten with the fingers, even in formal settings.

The sushi must have been pre-made and stored at a cold temperature, which I understand, however, I think it should be assembled to order and served at room temperature, here you could taste the coldness of the fridge.

We were assigned a wine waiter who presented us with an i-pad to select our wine, gimmicky maybe but it did hold a lot  more information in terms of the wine history than a conventional wine menu and  may well be the way forward; it was fun and apart from the selection been on the hefty price tag side, we managed to select a reasonable bottle of Sauvignon Blanc which was very good along with the wine waiter from Northern Ireland; again with a manner that was genuine and polite and clearly well trained.

For our mains I had ‘Ocean trout fillet with pancetta, caramelized onion and Madeira shallots with a side order of mixed leaf salad ‘ which was absolutely gorgeous although I did have to send back my mixed leaf salad because it hadn’t been washed properly; full of grit; having an open kitchen, when the salad went back I noticed the head chef on duty took charge, and
redone the salad himself, second time round, perfection!

My wife had 28 day aged premium grade British beef in the form of rib-eye steak with beetroot coleslaw, peppercorn sauce and a side order of fries. Her first reaction (being somewhat of a expert on chips) was.
“The fries are really good”
The main enhancement was, I think,  garlic rock salt.
The steak was good, the peppercorn sauce was a little runny and we thought the cold beetroot coleslaw was weird as an accompaniment; although after saying that, all was eaten.  I pinched the rest of the white wine and my wife had a glass of Shiraz to complement her rib-eye.,

The lime white interior was the ideal solution for a basement space creating a cosy ambiance; the seating was wonderfully comfortable and the lighting is just clever, you completely forget you are underground, it definitely has a wow factor.

Somewhere to entertain if you want to impress or a special treat. (avoid center isle for intimacy)

This next comment is really for their own good as I would like Australasia to say around longer than some I could mention.
Our bill was £73.00; grit in salad leaf is amateurish and should never of happened
The head chef who has changed since opening was not in the kitchen; he can’t be there every day.
The staff get a score of 2/3 but all new their job.

Having a brigade of 7 chefs covering only 16 people on a Sunday afternoon and according to a member of staff  “it’s quiet on a Sundays” some one needs to look at costs.

The small faults we encountered should not have occurred at this stage.

Would I go back, Yes please if your asking.

The Cornerstones Guest House is a 5 minute walk away from Brooklands Tram Station; get off the first stop in the city which is the G Mex (12 minutes)
turn right on to Deansgate and you’ll find Australasia about 5 minutes down the road on the left hand side.

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M.E.N. Arena Manchester

Park you car in our free car park, walk round the corner to Brooklands Metro Station and hop on any Bury bound tram to Manchester’s Victoria station, you will be outside the M.E.N. doors in 17 minutes.

The M.E.N. Arena Manchester is just 6 miles from the Cornerstones Guest House in Sale, to the south of Manchester.

That is literally what happens, Victoria Station houses an entrance to the M.E.N. Arena, you step off the tram and the doors to the arena are right in front of you.

Some of the coming attractions

000

End Stage

Neil Diamond
James Taylor
Batman Live WORLD PREMIERE
Iron Maiden
Key 103 LIVE
Arcade Fire
Selco Masters Cup Grand Final
Dolly Parton
Alan Carr
Peter Kay
Titans Of Cricket
Johnny Mathis
Cliff Richard

Paddy McGuinness

Centre StageKaty Perry

Arctic Monkeys
A Question of Sport Live
WWE Presents RAW
Britney Spears
Tinie Tempah
Lee Evans
Jason Manford
Bill Bailey
lter Bridge plus special guests Black Stone Cherry
Classical Spectacular

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England play two International fixtures at Old Trafford in 2011 – your chance to see the Ashes winners and World T20 holders take on both of this year’s World Cup finalists. England play Sri Lanka in a NatWest Series One Day International, and play India in a floodlit International T20 – both sure to be spectacular events.

England v Sri Lanka – NatWest Series One Day International

Saturday 9 July 2011

10.45am start

England v India – NatWest International T20

Wednesday 31 August

7pm start – floodlit match

Ticket prices are £40/£50 for adults and £10 (Sri Lanka) or £5 (India) for Juniors U16.

For real value for money see the Cornerstones Guest House tariff.

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Look out for the hotley anticipated War of the Roses clash with Yorkshire Carnegie on Friday 10 June (book now to avoid disappointment) and the first ever floodlit T20 games at Old Trafford on 13 and 15 July.

Ideal for the thrill-seeker, this swashbuckling cricket lasts just three hours and is perfect for families and groups of friends.

Tickets start from just £13 for adults and £32 for a family of four.

The Cornerstones Guest House, is located just 10 minutes from Old Trafford, Park your car in our free car park and walk round the corner to Brooklands MetroLink Station and take the 4 stop, 10 min ride to the ground.

View our Rooms and Tariffs for real value for money

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Broadheath is a suburb of Altrincham and it has to be said there’s not a lot to see around the station itself although it is one of only a few metrolink stations that has a level crossing.

The Bridgewater Canal is to it’s rear and when the stretch from Manchester to Runcorn was open in 1776 the Old Packet House was the second stopping place on the journey by boat or barge, providing shelter for passengers and storage facilities for packages for dispatch or collection. The first boat from Manchester was at 8am stopping at the Inn at 10am on it’s way to Runcorn where it moored at 5pm. On the return journey the boat full of people on their way to visit Manchester would stop at the Inn at 4pm.

During the Second World War
The surrounding area was subject to bombing and loss of life; but the firms in Broadheath continued to supply the necessary tools, equipment and armaments needed. King Gorge and Queen Elizabeth paid a visit to Broadheath at the end of hostilities to acknowledge the part it played.

So jump off the tram and go and have a pint in the Old Packet House soak up the history, and maybe after a few, walk along the canal to the next station, at Timperley. Don’t get to close to the edge though!

The Cornerstones Guest House is in a great location for a visit to Manchester; just 2.5 miles from the Old Packet House on the A56.

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The Cornerstones Guest House is just 5.1 miles or 10 minutes from The Trafford Centre. There’s no charge what so ever for children under 7 years of age so why not make a weekend of it.

In the Night Garden Live! is a sensational stage production specially created in a purpose-built show dome which will be situated in Peel 7 Car Park (outside John Lewis). There are two different shows to choose from and each one lasts just under an hour – will you catch the Ninky Nonk or the Pinky Ponk?

For more information and to book your ticket visit  http://www.nightgardenlive.com/manchester/tickets.html

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Over the next few posts, using the Cornerstones Guest House as a base,  I hope to take you on a journey using the existing Metro Network to see what you can hope to find around each Metro station.

Starting in the south of Manchester is the town of Altrincham, where the Metro ends or begins depending on your perspective. The town offers excellent accessibility, situated on the A56, a main arterial route out of Manchester and the national motorway network is just one mile away. This is complemented by an integrated rail, and bus interchange, providing easy access to the City of Manchester and its mainline rail stations. The interchange is soon to undergo a major refurbishment. Manchester Airport, the UK’s largest airport outside London, is easily accessible, being only 15 minutes away from the centre of Altrincham.

The name Altrincham comes from the old English meaning the homestead of Adhere’s people. Although there is evidence that a Roman road ran through Altrincham, there is no evidence that the Romans ever settled here and Altrincham is not named in the Doomsday Book. Altrincham as a medieval town was probably the creation of the Baron of Dunham Massey, the town was given a Royal Charter for a market by Edward 1 in 1290 and Baron Massey created his own Borough Charter a short time later. The Royal Charter gave the right to hold a Tuesday market and later Fridays and Saturdays were added at a later date and these market days still exist into the present.
Around 1340, the lands of Altrincham passed to the Earl of Stamford and the Stamfords were still influential within the town until the late 20th Century with the Stamford name found on a number of buildings and roads within the town today.
In the 15th century the town was administered by the Court Leet, they met every three weeks to administer a petty offenses court, they also monitored the well being of Altrincham, being the unpaid equivalent of the Police, council officials and health and safety officers of their day. The Court Leet also appointed the Town Crier and they are still active in the town today and can be seen in their ceremonial robes along with the Town Crier at special events around Altrincham.

This is the station in 1915, other than the tram everything is much the same as it was then.

From the Metro you step out of the station on to the main street Stamford New Rd, turn to your
left to reach the centre of town; Stamford New Rd changes it’s name to Railway Rd at Regent St, cross over the road but before you go down Regent St to the market on Market St, go up Railway St a little and you will discover County Galleries which as been dealing in artwork for over thirty years. The gallery is a large Edwardian gothic building, flooded with natural light, accommodating a vast array of paintings. Some galleries run one artist exhibitions, but they prefer to constantly display selections from all their artists. This creates a more vibrant, ever changing display of art work, and also prevents red sticker rage!  The staff are very friendly and love to talk to new comers.

Altrincham Market is one of the town’s oldest attractions and still maintains a loyal fan base today. For others it is a hidden gem yet to be discovered The Market offers good quality fresh local and specialty produce, a great range of other goods and individual products at competitive prices. Many of the traders have been at the Market over a long period of time, know their customers’ tastes and preferences and are happy to offer tastings and samples on a ‘try before you buy’ basis. They are able to provide good advice based on years of experience, sound knowledge and a belief in their goods and produce. Most stallholders have a great rapport with customers old and new and build up relationships over the years that keep them coming back. There are stalls on the Lower Market with its entrance on Shaws Road and in a Victorian Indoor Market Hall and adjacent glass canopied Market, both accessible from Greenwood Street and Market Street.

With its heritage, friendly, relaxed atmosphere and the enthusiasm of its traders, Altrincham Market’s setting in the Historic Market Quarter, gives visitors a shopping experience with a difference.

Producers Market

A new regular Sunday producers market is launching at Altrincham Market from Sunday 21 November 2010.

To complement the increasing number of businesses open on Sunday, the monthly market, which will be on the third Sunday of each month between 10am and 2:30pm. The market features some of the finest food producers and craft makers from the North West.

Building on the success of the producers market which has been held in Hale over the past two years and includes producers from the Greater Manchester region and Cheshire.

Food fanatics will be treated to an outstanding choice of locally-sourced food and drink from the North West’s top producers including:

Free-range chicken, beef, pork and lamb

Local fruit, vegetables, plants and herbs

Regional cheeses, butter, organic free-range eggs and apple juice

Artisan cakes, puddings, breads and pastries

Pâté and restaurant quality pre-prepared meals

Hand Crafted chocolates by master chocolatiers

Jams, pickles and preserves

Visitors to the market will have the chance to meet the producers and try before they buy.

Weekly Markets

Tuesdays & Saturday – 9am-4pm

General Retail with a variety of stalls selling a range of goods from fresh, local produce to its famed flowers, fruit and fish as well as household goods, gifts, plants and bags.

Thursday – 8am-4pm

Antiques and Bric-a-Brac & Taylor’s Fish Stall – now an established market.

Fridays – 9am-4pm

Smaller scale general retail market

Monthly Markets

First Friday of Every Month – 8am-2pm

Producers/Craft Market – A popular market that incorporates a farmers market as well as individual crafts.

If your looking for a good night out Altrincham Folk Club meets every Sunday night starting around 8pm at the Conservative Club on Market Street. They usually have a wide range of singers, musicians, poets and songwriters. From sea shanties to traditional folk songs, English, Scottish and Irish, Jacques Brel interpretations, blues, and jazz, modern songs and some unique original material . Each artist plays one or two songs. Occasionally a band turns up and plays three or four at a time.
Admission is usually only £1 unless we have a special guest!

Dunham Massey

On the edge of town is Dunham Massey hall which was initially built in 1616 by Sir George Booth, who was amongst the creations of Baronets by James I in 1611, but was later remodelled by John Norris for George, Earl of Stamford and Warrington between 1732 and 1740; it was also altered by John Hope towards the end of the 18th century and by Joseph Compton Hall between 1905 and 1908. The hall itself, the stables, and the carriage house of Dunham Massey are all Grade I listed buildings, three of six such buildings in Trafford.The site is moated and lies immediately west of the village of Dunham, with the deer park lying to the south. The hall was donated to the National Trust by the last Earl of Stamford, in 1976.  During the First World War Dunham Massey Hall was used as a military hospital.

Inside is a collection of Huguenot silver, the carving The Crucifixion by 17th century wood carver Grinling Gibbons, and a white marble bust of the Emperor Hadrian; the head is antique, but the neck and shoulders are 18th century, it was probably acquired by the 5th Earl of Stamford. A fine collection of paintings are also housed in the hall including Allegory with Venus, Mars, Cupid and Time by Guercino, The Cascade at Terni by Louis Ducros, and portraits by William Beechey, Francis Cotes and Michael Dahl.

The deer park at Dunham Massey is the only medieval park in Trafford to survive to the present day. The hall and grounds are open to the public and are a popular tourist attraction.

Entertainment

The Garrick Play House
The Club Theatre

All put on plays through out the year

Bars & Restaurants

The Belgian Bar
40 Greenwood Street,
Marvelous selection of Belgian beers, some on draught. Table service. Beers and glasses available to take home. Jazz, simple good food, day or night a lovely atmosphere .

Yara 23 Oxford Road
A family run restaurant selling traditional Lebanese and Syrian food, again simple food done well, bring your own wine if you like corkage is only £1 or
try the Chateau Musar at a very reasonable price.

Altrincham Fish Bar
42 Greenwood Street.
Fish and Chips.

Dilli Indian Restaurant.
60 Stamford New Road.
Regional specialties from the familiar Punjab to the less well-known Chettinad, Mangalore and Pondicherry states

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I just have to give it a plug; it’s putting on an ‘International One Act Play Festival’ on the 1st & 2 and 6th & 8th of April.

Literally hundreds of one act plays were submitted but only ten plays have been chosen from a selection of international writers.

Clean by Nina Mansfield.
Is about three alcoholics who surprise each other in a church basement late one night. An industrial dishwasher provides the inspiration they need to get ‘clean’.

Delivery by Judith Davis.
Is set in an art gallery. Eleanor is enraptured by Dan’s ‘delivery’ in a play that pokes fun at the art world.

In Depression, A Comedy by Cassandra Lewis.
Trevor refuses to get out of bed, but when he is confronted by a series of imaginary friends and foes, there is no chance of him getting any peace.

Doing it for Nora by Doreen Fay.
Features a group of residents in a block of retirement flats threatened with eviction by the council. Lottie and George are prepared to go to extreme measures to avoid losing their homes.

Evensong by Edward Crosby Wells.
Is a poignant drama about a long married couple struggling to connect. As they reach the end of their time they reflect on a marriage that hasn’t been all bad. Has it?

Feeding Time at the Human House by David Wiener.
Is set in a baboon enclosure where Bernie is happily throwing his poo at passers-by, but Fran is feeling down. It’s her birthday and she is upset because her backside is just not big enough!

In Heads and Tails by Kevin Madley.
A summer barbecue is the setting for a story about rivalry, ambition and infidelity where two actors play two couples who are opposite sides of the coin.

In The Beginner’s Guide to Murdering Your Husband by David Muncaster.
You are invited to join Maddy and her team as they create the self help video that every woman needs.

The Gift of a Thornless Rose by Maureen Brady Johnson.
Ffeatures Sam and Mary, forced to leave the home they love and trying to decide what to keep and what to throw away; their memories making growing old more bearable.

The plays performed on Friday 1st will be repeated on Saturday 9th and those performed on Saturday 2nd will be repeated on Friday 8th.
A feast of fun not to be missed. Tickets are £7 and may be reserved by calling 01565 873515.

As I said not quite a Manchester Theater but full of raw talent with a great community spirit and that’s before you see any of the plays.
So while staying at the Cornerstones why not enjoy what looks to be a very entertaining evening

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