King Street, Manchester

Even back in the 18th c. King Street was about fashion, being developed as a hub of fashionable residence. Fastforward a couple of centuries, and King Street today is planted with diverse and sundry boutiques of the fashion names of different caliber, from Tommy Hilfiger, Mulberry, Hugo Boss, and Hermes, to the more high-street Jones the Bootmaker, Phase Eight, Monsoon, and All Saints. This stupendous list is occasionally intercepted with Boots pharmacy, Eat food store, Boodles the jewellers, and a passage to St Ann's Square.

The frontage of the former Virgin store (closer to Cross St) conceals the 1736 Dr Peter Waring's building, which was converted into a bank in 1788. This part of King St also boasts lovely cobbled pavement, and is particularly picturesque during Christmas season.

Another part that leads from Cross St up to Spring Gardens is marked by the grand buildings of the Lloyds Bank, the Ship Canal Building, and Pall Mall Court, among others. Apart from Whistles, this is a more haute-couture focused area, with Diesel, DKNY, and two Armani boutiques, as well as the signatures of the Westwood family: Agent Provocateur and the Vivienne Westwood boutique. In addition to being a mixture of "serious" business places and fashion, this part of King St provides an easy access to Market St and Arndale Centre, and to Albert Square and Town Hall.

King Street ends in a passage that runs between the office buildings, one of which is Pall Mall Court. On the ground level of one of them at different times were located a MaxMara boutique and a Patisserie Blanc restaurant of the Raymond Blanc family. Sadly, both are now extinct, although Bang & Olufsen are still ploughing through.

Last but not least, the part of King St between Cross St and Deansgate is pedestrian; the upper part is not, and is a stopping point on the route of a free shuttle bus #1. From this part, as well, it is easy to access the post office in Spring Gardens, the largest and most central post office in Manchester.