More ghost portals, half-arsed investigation and more wandering

Some more photos from another outing, just yesterday, enjoying the sunshine, and I stumbled upon another ghost portal (old windows and doors that have been filled in, but vestiges remain, hinting at how layouts and usage of buildings have changed over time.) I had a scout about for information on this and I don't want to come right out of the gate and say that it's definitely a surviving fragment of Macclesfield Castle, but its location and some other bits of evidence do point to that. Barring any further information from someone who knows more and can say whether it is definitely part of the old castle, it's kind of up in the air. Still, it's an interesting little architectural curio, and a lovely bit of history.

Here's a closer look at the portal in question, to the side of the Castle pub. I haven't noticed this before and can't be sure if it was just me spacing out or if this has previously been covered up by something else - I'll have a rummage through some older photos and see if there's anything to refresh my memory. But yes, here's this archway which bears a remarkable resemblance to this illustration of a window of Macclesfield Castle, looking towards the titular pub. While looking for further information, I also found this intriguing article, detailing an investigation into the rumoured underground tunnels leading from said castle.

(Source)

Also, fun fact, those buildings you see through the window there, across from the pub, as of 2019, in the middle of those is the most fucking depressing bedsit ever. For real, when I was househunting and wound up living at the House of Spiders for a year or so, I also went to look at that place and there was a closet-sized kitchen (how you're supposed to work in there is beyond me - the House of Cats has a galley kitchen and that's bastard enough to work in) before some narrow, steep stairs to a painfully miniscule bedroom and a grim shower room. Suffice to say, I did not apply to rent that bedsit. It was bleak. The House of Spiders wasn't perfect either but at least it was home for a while and I did have some fun times there.

(Source)

There's also this silk weaving depicting the same view in Stuart times, with some notable differences, although the fact that it's from 1961 does kind of cast doubt on its historical accuracy, so make of that what you will.

Also in this other structure 'round the back, this sheltered shield. I had a rustle through information about buildings on Church Street and Back Wallgate, couldn't find anything specific about it. Admittedly my research didn't dig too deep because it was getting late at night, also I was a bit drunk and tired, but as per usual, if you have any further information, then by all means, do let me know.

Onto other things now...

Kitties!

The benches at the park near the House of Spiders.

A rather lavish archway at the Silk Museum.

Terns, illustrated by Erika Groeneveld; you can check out her work here.

An immensely nostalgic view of Castle Street - look at the old entrance to the Grosvenor Centre! Can't quite make out which shops are either side of Fantasia there; I remember those being Johnson's dry cleaners and Stationery Box, later Magpie. All of that bit has been remodelled now and there's a TK Maxx there, which is fair enough; I've found some really nice kitchen things in there every so often.

A panda on th'bog.

More info, coincidentally mentioning the castle again.

And that's it for today, onto more adventures.