THING OF THE WEEK

RELOCATION… While Liverpool fell by the wayside in the competition for Channel 4’s headquarters and hub – with insiders despairing of the quality of the city’s bid, hinting that the city needed to do more than talk about Brookside – Manchester’s top brass are said to be quietly confident of landing the big prize. The C4 delegation, THING understands, was entertained in Ian Simpson’s stylish Beetham Tower pad, with “surprise guests” such as Maxine Peake dropping by to lend a hand. Lunch at the Mackie Mayor followed, where the waiting staff were very much in on the wooing plan, reeling off scripted lines about why Manchester should win. Is Brum still the favourite? It’s game on.

SERVICE GAME… One shouldn’t fall for silly season survey stories, but when there’s a survey carried out about motorway service stations and the mighty Tebay in Westmorland isn’t top of the pile, you have to wonder if the nation really has gone completely mad. Independent watchdog Transport Focus won a few headlines with its publication of the top five and bottom five services in 2018, as voted for by the public, and although Tebay and Killington Lake both made the top ten with 99% customer satisfaction, it still feels as if a stewards’ enquiry should be mounted.

A CGI of the finished cinema and leisure units at Time Square

CGI FRIDAY… Visualisers walk a fine line between inspiration and plagiarism, having to deliver a roughly accurate idea of how a scheme will look on completion, without pre-empting any negotiations going on with real-life occupiers. This latest image from Muse’s Time Square in Warrington at first glance shows a cinema-led project with your typical mix of mid-market food occupiers, but look closer and you can see this CGI has taken artistic licence with the array of restaurant brands. TGI Thursdays, Waganana and Dill’s are some of THING’s favourites, but considering the state of the market currently Muse might want to think again about whether Warrington is right for a Bryon or Carlussio’s.

Battlements are set to spring up all over Victoria Square in St Helens later in August, thanks to French artist Olivier Grossetete. Mottes and baileys, towers and drawbridges, all made by members of the community from cardboard boxes, tape and community spirit. Celebrating St Helens’ 150th anniversary, the installation commemorates the partnership with German town Stuttgart, by rebuilding part of Stuttgart’s 10th Century Old Castle. For the eco-friendly among you, once it’s all over, the ‘castle’ will be responsibly recycled. Check out the cardboard castle on Saturday 11 August