I came across the former entrance to the Granada Studios Tour today, which has (in an act that looks a lot like corporate vandalism) been painted a single block of colour and had ITV’s uninspired corporate logo slapped on the front.

It’s a sad sight. I visited the Granada Studios Tour a few times in my childhood – I have particularly strong memories of visiting with school when the whole complex was rented out for the whole school in celebration of the principal’s significant birthday.

The Tour closed abruptly in 1999, one of the casualties of ITV’s financial rationalisation after the collapse of ITV Digital. There’s talk of the Museum of Science and Industry taking over the complex when Granada vacates it next year, though there remains a real threat of the land being sold and this keystone site in our national cultural heritage being flattened – especially after English Heritage’s baffling decision not to grant the site Listed status.

So, in case it’s in a skip this time next year, here’s another picture of the complex’s iconic Granada TV logo:

It’s only today that I’ve realised that this is no longer called the GMEX, despite it being quite some time since it was renamed.

It was, of course, formerly Manchester Central station, until the disastrous Beeching axe left this as one of 2,000-or-so stations without a railway line. From 1969 to 1986, the building stood empty, but it was then developed into the GMEX, or Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre. Its facilities have been extended, refurbished, and revitalised several times since, and in 2007 it was renamed Manchester Central in homage to its history. It retains Britain’s second-widest unsupported iron arch after the one at St Pancras.

In the background is Britain’s tallest building outside of London, the 47-storey Beetham Tower. This dull name comes was given by the developer, which has also given its name to towers in Birmingham, Brighton, Liverpool and London, showing a quite considerable lack of imagination.

Putting “award winning restaurants” on a road sign seems like a great low-cost way for a local authority to provide free advertising, promoting local businesses and boosting the local economy. I wonder if it works in practice? And if so, I wonder if the benefits are great enough to outweigh the (probably small?) risk of diverting drivers’ attention from the road for a little longer, and making the sign (marginally) more difficult to interpret?

South Marine Park in South Shields opened in 1890, designed by John Peebles. It underwent an extraordinary renovation in 2008, returning many of the lost Victorian features to the park, and restoring those that remained.

The overall effect is quite remarkable, even on a dull grey day like today.

These statues have been a source of some disquiet since their first installation, with many campaigning for them to be removed, even up to the recent restoration!

But all-in-all, this small park seems a lovely place to take a stroll. Today was my first visit, but I’m quite sure I’ll be back!

I tweeted about discovering Costa’s strawberry lemonade a few weeks ago, but it probably bears repeating… When I worked in Calgary (and when I holidayed in Toronto) I really enjoyed Second Cup’s strawberry lemonade, and was quite disappointed to find that no coffee shops sold it in the UK on my return. But five years on, Costa has started selling it, and whilst it isn’t quite as lemony as Second Cup’s, it is pretty good!

This is a picture I took earlier in the week of the Millennium Bridge lit up, as it is every night, in its rainbow-like colour scheme. The current lighting system was installed in 2009, and is LED based for super energy efficiency.

It’s the (first, second, third, fourth) fifth time I’ve featured the bridge this year, so you may be bored of seeing it by now…! In my own defence, this is the first night-time shot of it!

Here’s something you don’t see everyday: a bus stop being delivered and installed! Even the giant red kite in the background looks a little surprised at the sight!

This is a bit of the pretty escalators in Newcastle’s Monument Mall, whose workings are shown as a result of tge sides of them being glass. I guess these escalators are not long for this world as the mall is being in-filled to provide a series of bigger restaurant and shopping units accessed from the street. It seems a shame, because they’re certainly attractive and unusual!

With so many leaves underfoot, and so many central heating systems being turned on, there’s no denying that autumn is here.

This plan, the Grainger Town Sculptural Map, can be found just across the road from Newcastle Station. It was designed by Tod Hanson and Simon Watkinson, and put in place in 2003.

The idea is that the buildings have been reduced to their “essential forms” – no Earl Grey atop the Monument, for example – to provide an enjoyable spotting challenge to locals and tourists alike. When I first saw it, though, I didn’t realise it was meant to be a representation of the local area, so it didn’t really challenge me at all. Whether that’s a comment on the artwork or my own dimness, I’m not sure.

Here’s another angle that shows the pretty lights within: