What can I say about
Prestwich? To quote The Smiths: "So much to answer for".
I've known this place for over 30 years and know way too much to condense
it into a pithy blog post. I was brought up just over the border in
Whitefield, but I went to primary school in Prestwich. We did most of our
family shopping there and spent more than enough time delivering newspapers to
the area during the mid 1980s.
So 30 plus years on,
how does Prestwich fare? Actually I think it's better now than in the
1980s. Maybe it's because I'm older and it has more to offer an adult than a
teenager.
Getting to Prestwich
is really easy. If you are on the M60, get off at junction 17 and you are
there. From Manchester city centre, take the A56 (Bury New Road) and
drive about 5 miles, or just jump on the Metrolink in Manchester and get off at
Prestwich. It's a real bonus that Prestwich is on the Metrolink line as
it does provide easy access to other parts of Manchester.
Parking, on the other
hand, can be tricky. Lots of people tend to gravitate towards the car
park on Rectory Lane, but that can be quite awkward to park in at peak times
without a disabled parking permit. There is also one next to Our Lady of Grace Church on Fairfax Road, but that tends to be busy with commuters.
If you don't mind a short walk into Prestwich, Tesco car park is handy.
I always park there if I need to go into Prestwich Village as it saves
the hassle and time of trying to find a parking space.
Prestwich Village is
pretty much spread out along the A56 / Bury New Road. There is a shopping
precinct called the Longfield Centre. This is where you will find the
majority of the cheap shops, the chemist, library and the Longfield Suite.
From time to time, the fountain gets vandalised with washing up liquid
which creates foam icebergs that flow across the random street art furniture.
I know the council has had plans to redevelop the place for years and the
precinct in my opinion is in need of demolishing as it doesn't really function
as a cohesive space and it spoils what could be a really lovely place.
However the locals are keen to retain the Longfield Suite which is a
large function space above the precinct. It's the heart of community
activities and on several occasions I sang here when I was in the
school choir. The ideal scenario would be for the
new development to have a function room space, but I think the
redevelopment is a long way off with all the cuts by the Council.
Close to the
Longfield Centre is a large block of private flats overlooking Fairfax Road.
You really can't miss them as they are the largest structure in
Prestwich. Again it’s another planning controversy, which I won't bore
you with the details. However on the upside on the ground floor level
there are a couple of restaurants, a Costa and a pub. I have to say
whenever I go past there, the restaurants are always full of people.
Panama Hatty's is part of a tiny restaurant chain and having been to the branch
in Manchester, I would definitely try this one as I've always enjoyed the food.
On the main road is
where you will find the independent shops. I wish some money could be
spent on doing up the shop fronts along here as first impressions along this
stretch of road aren't that great. However there are some little gems along
here. One of my favourites is Ellie
Magpie which does
handmade gifts, craft courses and has a haberdashery. Array
of Blossom is a tiny
florists, which does lovely flowers and they are very helpful. My Dad was pleased
to find a traditional hardware shop for all those bits and bobs you need for
DIY, without having to make a special trip to B&Q and hike around the store
for it. These places are fab and becoming quite rare on the high street.
If you are looking for a bling-fantastic furniture shop then go no further than
Nuvo Interiors. It's quite an experience to walk around and most
things are either black, white or silver. Whilst it's not to my taste you
can't fault the vision of the owners. There is even a secondhand record
shop called Endless Music, although I've not managed to drag
Neil in as it's like a bus man's holiday for him. It's so rare to find
record shops in the suburbs these days.
Prestwich, whilst it
has a Tesco and an Aldi for your general food needs, also has a Marks and
Spencer's Simply Food mini supermarket. I always think having one of
these is a sign of a middle class neighbourhood. Not quite as good
as a Waitrose or a Booths, but still pretty good going.
One thing that brings
me back to Prestwich on a regular basis, apart from the Dentist (The
Bank Practice if you’re asking, they are very good and I've been with them over
20 years), is the charity shops. There are lots and you can find some
half interesting stuff here. I have to mention Bury Hospice have opened
up a new branch here and it does furniture. When I've been here I can't
help but notice they do get some good donations and is definitely one to check
out. Charity shops are not only a good source of books for me, but also
great to eavesdrop on conversations. Not naming names, I heard a
fabulously gossipy conversation in one where they were talking about a couple
who had split up. Apparently the woman had been “acting like a prostitute”
since the split by seeing different men. However the man was really down
in the dumps about the split. I spent way too much time listening to
them, but I'm a sucker for local gossip.
If you are a major
fan of Coronation Street it's worth popping down to St Mary's Church on Church
Lane. This place has baptised, married and buried most of Weatherfield
over the years. It's a lovely church and worth a little wander.
You will also find
along Church Lane, the Aumbry restaurant. There has been a
food war in Manchester with high end restaurants vying to get the
first Michelin star for the city. Believe it or not there has
been a whole TV series about it. The Aumbry is one of the
contenders for the Michelin star and I've heard good things about the
place from friends. I really hope it gets the star rather than the bigger
and flashier restaurants in Manchester.
There have been
touches of gentrification going on in Prestwich, which have been
inspired by Chorlton in south Manchester. There is a cafe bar
called Cuckoo which would not look out of place in the
trendier parts of Manchester. Also in the offing is Village
Greens, a grocery
cooperative, in the heart of Prestwich Village in what used to be Blockbuster
Video shop. Last time I was in Prestwich, the shop hadn't opened yet. I'm
sure they were inspired by the Unicorn in Chorlton. I think it's great
that there are places like this coming to the suburbs as it adds diversity to
the village. As long as Prestwich maintains a nice mix of traditional,
independent and interesting, I think the place has a rosy future to look
forward to.
There has been a
depopulation of north Manchester to south Manchester over the decades, however
I have always been a strong advocate for Prestwich where families are
concerned. If you are looking for a nice suburb with good Catholic
schools to bring up children, not far from the Manchester city centre and Media City, with good transport links and fairly reasonable house prices, you really
can't go far wrong with Prestwich. Maybe I'm biased, but just looking at the
education league tables alone says it all.
Prestwich, it has
been a long time since I've spent my teenage years miserably wandering your
streets with my Walkman on, listening to The Smiths and
delivering the Manchester Evening News. Having lived across Manchester
over the years, enough water has passed under the bridge for me to appreciate
your leafy roads, nice houses and handy transport links. You have so much
potential to become a nicer, classier and less pretentious cousin of Chorlton.
Good luck, Prestwich - I think I may like you now!
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