What lies beneath: the history hiding below the boards at 53two theatre

When you spend the evening at 53two – the independent theatre and bar on Watson Street – you’ll most likely be focused on the story unfolding on the stage. But look around before you take your seat because the building itself has a tale to tell. Housed in two Victorian railway arches underneath Manchester Central (formerly Manchester Central station), 53two has some intriguing architectural details that reflect its forgotten past.

Look down at the floor beside the theatre bar and you’ll see original stone flags intersected by steel rails. These were guides for the horse-drawn carts that transported goods from the station to the storage spaces in these arches, and beyond to the network of canals that criss-crossed the city. Accessed by tunnels and narrow pathways, this subterranean world still exists beneath your feet.

When the bar needed a new concrete floor, the 53two team saw it as an opportunity to create something that echoes this former use. Artist Liam Hopkins was commissioned for the task – he designed 126 individual floor plates inspired by two objects that were central to that era: canal barges and the flying shuttle, the invention that helped revolutionise the cotton industry.

Half the floor plates take the shape of barges and are made from the steel that was used to construct the boats themselves. The others are shaped like flying shuttles and incorporate strands of cotton from the last batches commercially produced in Manchester.

The building’s history also inspired Manchester poet and 53two patron Tony Walsh to write his poem, These Bricks, They Speak. Watch it here – it’s a stirring tribute to the arches and the many stories they hold.

What’s on at 53two theatre