Afflecks occupies a multi-story building marked by an eclectic, hand-painted exterior that changes with the seasons. It began in nineteen eighty-two as Affleck and Brown’s, a former department store that Elaine Walsh turned into an indoor…
Northern Quarter Street Culture
This walk weaves through the creative heart of Manchester's Northern Quarter, introducing you to legendary record shops, independent maker studios, and vibrant street art defining the city's counterculture.
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1. Afflecks
2. Piccadilly Records
A narrow storefront with a bold yellow sign identifies Piccadilly Records, a shop that has occupied this space in the Northern Quarter since nineteen seventy-eight. While many record stores faded as digital music took hold, this shop…
3. Manchester Craft and Design Centre
The Victorian Gothic façade of the Manchester Craft and Design Centre is defined by its two rows of arched windows, which once illuminated the fish market stalls housed inside. Built in eighteen seventy-three, the building served as a…
4. Andy Rourke Memorial Mural
A mural of Andy Rourke spans the brick wall on the corner of Hilton and Port Street, rendered in bold, monochromatic strokes. Rourke played bass for The Smiths, providing the melodic backbone for songs like This Charming Man. When he died…
5. Outhouse
The Outhouse stands out as a stretch of brick wall painted in bright, constantly changing murals along a quiet corner of the Northern Quarter. It began as a designated legal graffiti space, created to give street artists a place to work…
6. Fred Aldous Ltd
The bright yellow signage with bold, black lettering marks the entrance to Fred Aldous, a storefront that stretches across three floors of supplies for artists and makers. Founded in nineteen thirty-eight, the shop began as a business…