IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
High Street, MANCHESTER, M4 1HT

The mural Coronavirus Angel Image on the wall of Chinese restaurant Sweet Mandarin, High Street appeared in May 2020. The artwork, by the Akse_p19, shows a medical staff member wearing PPE, with a fitting halo painted overhead.

This new mural celebrating Britain’s healthcare heroes during the coronavirus pandemic appeared in May 2020 in Manchester’s Northern Quarter on the wall of Chinese restaurant Sweet Mandarin. The artwork, by the celebrated Manchester-based street artist Akse_p19, shows a medical staff member wearing PPE, with a fitting halo painted overhead. The artist confirmed that the woman in the painting is a real nurse in Manchester. See Image] for a wider view showing the context of the mural in High Street.

Stranger Things https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_Things is an American science fiction/horror web television series shown in the UK by Netflix. This giant mural of protagonist Eleven was created by street artist Akse P19 outside the Chinese restaurant Sweet Mandarin on Copperas Street. The work was completed and unveiled at the start of July 2019 to mark the release of season 3 of the Netflix series (https://twitter.com/akse_p19/status/1147183454364286977 Akse on Twitter). Self-taught French Vietnamese artist Akse (pronounced “Axe”) has been based in Manchester since 1997 and has gained a cult following with his huge photo-realistic portraits of pop culture icons in prime locations across the city, many of which went “viral” on social media, with locals and tourists alike rushing to get a shot of his latest creation with which to update their Instagram feeds. His subjects include David Bowie (Image]), Tony Wilson (Image]), Maisie Williams (Image), Gene Wilder (Image]) and Victoria Wood (Image]). One of his recent creations is of a local nurse (Image]) painted during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic; it is a few yards away, just around the corner, on the High Street wall of the Sweet Mandarin.

See Image] for a closer look at the mural of a nurse which can be seen on the wall of the Sweet Mandarin Chineses restaurant.

The building on the corner with Copperas Street is Grade II listed https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1218648?section=official-list-entry The original name of The Northern Quarter Restaurant and Bar Image has been shortened to the TNQ Restaurant and Bar.

The carved image and datestone at the eastern end of Image It gives the date of opening as 14th of February 1873, and names Mr Booth the Mayor. The carving was by Henry Bonehill.

The easternmost range of Image, topped by Image Only the facades of the old fish market have survived, including the gates by Hodkinson Pynton & Lester.

A modest example of Manchester's palazzo warehouses, but nicely done in an attractively deep-orange/red brick, the stone trim varying from floor to floor. Built c1860. Grade II listed. At the time of the photo the ground floor was occupied by the very factually-named "Northern Quarter Restaurant and Bar". In the lingo of urban regeneration, the Northern Quarter is the name given to the area running north from Piccadilly towards Great Ancoats Street, characterised as being bohemian, creative and trendy.

During the nineteenth century, the area now known as the Northern Quarter was dominated by the Smithfield Market. This first appeared on the map in 1844, when the stalls which would become the Smithfield Market began to pop up in the Shudehill area. The Smithfield Fish and Poultry Market was opened in 1873 on Oak Street. At the height of its success, in 1953, Smithfield Market dominated the site bounded by Shudehill, Swan Street, Oak Street and Thomas Street. It featured a market office, covered market, wholesale fish market, fish market office, and retail fish market. There were numerous warehouses dedicated to the storage of fruit and vegetables and on Blossom Street, in Ancoats, an ice plant for the preservation of produce. The former Wholesale Fish Market on High Street and Thomas Street consisted of a market hall which has since been since been redeveloped. The outside walls, gates and sculptures have been saved, along with some of the wrought iron internal columns walls; the remainder has been incorporated into a new residential complex The High Street (south) façade of the former market consists of 4 wide gables, each having a symmetrical 3-bay composition. It is notable for its central arches with wrought-iron gates and segmental lintels with inscriptions, and carved tympana depicting different episodes of a fishing voyage sculpted by Henry Bonehill (see Image It is a Grade II listed building (English Heritage Building ID: 388186 http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-388186-former-wholesale-fish-market-#.VpTSZ3nnknU British Listed Buildings)

The majority of the former huge Smithfield Market has long gone but a few remnants remain. One such is the facade of the Fish Market on High Street. Behind it now is private housing. For more information see Manchester History dot net http://manchesterhistory.net/manchester/gone/smithfield.html