How we live, socialise and go about our day to day lives in Manchester is ever changing - but it's hard not to get nostalgic when we think of the city's more recent past.
The noughties may feel like only yesterday, but as we head further into the 2020s, it's more noticeable how different life was like back then. At the beginning of the decade, Tony Blair was Prime Minister, Mean Girls hit cinemas and pop band Girls Aloud burst onto the scene.
Many of the things we loved to do in Manchester back then are now another chapter in history. But they do still live on in our memories and photos, like those in our list below.
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Now over a decade on, we've rounded up 15 things you could do then in Manchester that you cannot do now. From visiting lost sites to simply watching TV shows that are now relics from the past, these are bound to stir some memories.
The list below isn't intended to be comprehensive, we've selected a number of things you can no longer do in Manchester. But, if there is something you feel we should have included, please let us know in the comments section.
1. Have a meal at Shimla Pinks
Once of the city centre's best-known curry houses, Shimla Pinks opened in 1999 at just off Bridge Street at Crown Square. A sophisticated space offering a modern twist on Indian culinary classics, it was part of a chain of restaurants set up by a Glasgow family.
The highly acclaimed and award winning Indian restaurant was literally 'the' place to be for the city's celebrities and movers and shakers, from Justin TImberlake and Jessica Biel to David Beckham and more. But by 2010, the Indian restaurant, which had won numerous awards, announced to customers that it was shutting its doors with immediate effect.
2. Queue outside the Virgin Megastore
It was back in 2007 when customers were introduced to the new Virgin Megastore at Manchester Arndale. The opening saw a host of celebrities visit, from New Order's Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris to world champion boxer Ricky Hatton and The Killers.
Virgin Megastore became a haven for music lovers who could buy anything from posters to heavy metal T-shirts, CDs, video games and more, which would see customers spend hours searching through the stands for favourite artist and spending pocket money or wages. But by the late noughties, the Virgin Megastore chain went into administration before becoming Zavvi and eventually ending its high-street presence altogether though the latter brand continues online after being bought by The Hut Group in 2009.
3. Visit Kwik Save
Kwik Save become a common site in Britain after the first store opened in Rhyl in 1959. The chain continued to expand, and by the mid-1990s, there were more than 800 Kwik Save stores across Britain including the high streets of Manchester and more widely Greater Manchester.
Many will remember shopping at Kwik Save through the years. But by the noughties, the chain disappeared from our high streets.
4. Tune in to watch Top of the Pops weekly
Music chart TV programme Top of the Pops was broadcast weekly by the BBC from 1964 through to the noughties. Part of many households' memories, the programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show.
But by July 20, 2006, the last episode of Top of the Pops aired. Whilst Christmas Specials have aired annually, we haven't been able to watch the show weekly as we previously did since the 00s.
5. Go clubbing at Sankey's
This venue first opened its doors as Sankeys Soap in June 1994 and from there it was reborn on numerous occasions, welcoming hundreds of clubbers and top DJs. At one point, it entered the big leagues of the clubbing world and franchises saw the Sankeys name transported out of Manchester into places like Ibiza and New York.
It was voted the best nightclub in the world multiple times by industry bible DJ Mag. But by 2017, the venue closed as it was sold to a developer to be turned into apartments, leaving fans devastated.
6. Buy a book at Borders
Borders first opened in the UK in 1997 and was originally owned by the US book giant of the same name. It stocked thousands of titles and magazines, as well as cards, CDs, DVDs and more.
It's now been over ten years now since Borders went into administration and announced the closure of the store. In 2009, the MEN reported how the group’s 45 Borders and Books Etc stores closed to the public but staff were set to leave on Christmas Eve.
7. Have a dance at Pure
Based inside the Printworks, Pure was one of Manchester's biggest nightclubs in the noughties. Previously Lucid, Pure was open from 2006 to 2011 and had a capacity of 2,500, attracting huge crowds at the weekends.
Split over multiple floors and rooms, its music playlist spanned pop classics, chart R&B and dance and also hosted roller discos on Wednesdays. The venue later became a Bierkeller.
Do these awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
8. Charlie Chalks
Children of the 90s and early noughties will remember the Charlie Chalk Fun Factories, as part of the Brewers Fayre sites, later known as Brewsters. A number of the pubs in and around Greater Manchester would boast the indoor multi-level soft play area, known as the Fun Factory - and who could forget mascots Charlie Chalk and later Brewster the Bear.
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9. Walk past Northcliffe House
Built in 1931, this rocket-shaped art deco tower was a classy addition to the city centre skyline. Northcliffe House was once known for being home to the Daily Mail newspaper on Deansgate.
Following The Daily Mail vacating Northcliffe House in 1990, the building was demolished as part of plans to redevelop the Spinningfield area in 2002. The site is now home to the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters.
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10. Watch a film at Belle Vue's Showcase cinema
First opening in 1989, Belle Vue's Showcase Cinema was once the place to be with locals from south and east Manchester flocking to its 14-screens for the latest movie. The cinema closed during the first lockdown in 2020 and never re-opened after Showcase's owners National Amusements Ltd LLC agreed to sell the land to Manchester City Council. Diggers moved in 2021 to demolish the building and make way for a new school.
Co-op Academy Belle Vue will eventually take in 1,200 pupils. Students are expected to move in some time either before the end of this year or early in 2023.
11. Dine at Harpers
Harpers restaurant on Ridgefield, just off King Street, was opened back in April 1985 by Felix Moreno, who was famously persuaded to Manchester by his pal George Best to open up his Slack Alice venture. Felix and his business partner Eugenio Fernandez decided to open Harpers as a tapas style restaurant, and it went on to be THE place to be for footballers like George Best, Denis Law, Bryan Robson, and Kevin Keegan as well as TV and soap stars.
In 2008, Felix decided to retire, and Eugenio would carry on with the business until 2012 when it was to close for good. The site on Ridgefield has continued to be a restaurant though, reopening as Spanish tapas bar La Bandera in 2014.
12. Pass by the former Booth Hall Children's Hospital
Being in hospital can be tough for anyone, particularly little ones, but the kindness and dedication of staff means former patients have fond memories of Booth Hall. For decades Booth Hall was at the heart of Manchester's NHS, a children's hospital that cared for generations of sick children.
It opened in 1908 after a site was purchased by the Prestwich Poor Law Union. Eventually, in 2005, it was confirmed that Booth Hall would close in 2009, to be replaced by Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and Booth Hall Children's Hospital officially closed on June 12, 2009, but in the noughties, you could still see the hospital as remembered here.
13. Go to the former GMEX centre
Originally serving as a passenger rail station from 1880, the site was first named Central Station, but in the sixties, it closed before becoming Grade II listed and was purchased by Manchester council. After being disused for some time, it was re-opened in 1986 as Manchester’s dedicated exhibition venue, commonly known as the GMEX.
From political conferences to the turning point in Take That's career or cutting-edge caravanning, Manchester's GMEX hosted thousands of events and provided the launchpad for countless careers. Manchester International Convention Centre was added in 2001 before the two venues were combined and renamed as Manchester Central in January 2007.
14. Shop at Netto
Netto first opened in Leeds in December 1990, as part of the Danish company Salling Group. The yellow and black discount shop was ahead of its time in many ways.
All the stores closed for good in the UK in August 2016. But the discount supermarket still operates in Denmark, Germany and Poland with over 1,400 stores.
15. Spot TRL on the TV
If you were a music fan growing up in the noughties, you'll likely remember American TV programme Total Request Live -known commonly as TRL. Targeted at a teen demographic, the series was known for featuring popular music videos played during its countdown and for appearances from musicians, actors and other celebrities who usually had something to promote.
For two weeks in April 2005, the hit show came to Manchester for a series of episodes. The show was briefly revived, before ending again in 2019.
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