Round up of 2017

2017 saw a small corner of Mayfield open its doors to the general public for the first time in over 30 years.

Since 1986 the buildings of the Mayfield station and depot have been eerily silent, except for the occasional use such as the MIF event of 2013 and for use as a TV drama location shooting.

All that changed in 2017 with the Mayfield Partnership’s planning application to set up a temporary ‘meanwhile’ use of part of the Mayfield site.

By June, Manchester had a new home for its biggest and best weekly street food event: GRUB Manchester. Running every Friday and Saturday, GRUB brought together the city’s best street food traders along with a selection of craft ales – including the specially brewed Mayfield Pale Ale from Runaway Brewery.

Along with its sister event, the vegan-friendly Plant Powered Sunday, GRUB welcomed thousands of visitors to the Baring Street site during the summer and autumn. For the winter season, GRUB has taken residence in archway number six on Temperance Street under the name of the Fairfield Social Club.

Keeping with the street food theme, the Mayfield Depot played host to the British Street Food Awards in September which brought together the winners of five regional heats in a giant street food ‘cook off’ judged my Michelin starred chefs.

On the more artistic front, Mayfield Depot hosted two events from this year’s Manchester International Festival with acclaimed film and performance project What If Women Ruled The World? and experimental dance performance 10,000 Gestures wowing the crowds who attended.

As autumn turned to winter, Mayfield reverberated to a different song as it hosted the secure warehousing for Key 103’s annual Christmas gift appeal: Mission Christmas.

Collecting and distributing thousands of toys and gifts to needy families in the region, Mission Christmas needed a sizeable and secure warehouse and Mayfield fitted the bill perfectly.

2018 promises more food, more laughter, more events, more news and more Mayfield. Watch this space.