As of the time of writing (November 2023), there are very few mills and warehouses around city centre Manchester that haven’t been renovated or pulled down. Medlock Mill is I think the only one left within the ring road (Chatham Mill potentially but seems to have had some internal refurbishment), but just beyond it is Talbot Mill which is in the Cornbrook / Castlefield district. Surrounded by new and converted mills and warehouses, the mill remained pleasingly tatty when I saw it in March 2023, but with the developers boards already up in the windows, the mill was on the cusp of change.

Intriguingly, the apartment block next door – probably no more than 20 years old – appears to be in the middle of being re-clad, doubtless due to the use of flammable cladding that was all the rage until the Grenfell fire showed the apparent fallacy of choosing that particular building product. I’m sure there’s something ironic to be said about the longevity and suitability of building materials on a 15 year old building and those on its 150 year old neighbour, but I’m not sure what that would be so I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.