Hatch

What is Hatch?

Hatch was a pop-up village of brightly painted shipping containers tucked under the Mancunian Way flyover on Oxford Road, and for seven years it was one of the most photographed corners of the city’s southern corridor. It opened in December 2017 as a temporary use of leftover land while the neighbouring Circle Square development went up next door, and grew from a handful of units into a community of around thirty independent food, drink and retail traders. Hatch closed permanently on 30 September 2024 after owner Bruntwood sold the site to the leisure operator STACK.

The site is now being redeveloped as STACK Manchester (103 Oxford Road, M1 7ED). The plans keep the shipping-container DNA that made Hatch photogenic: repurposed containers arranged over two levels, a gateway arch entrance from Oxford Road, an open central plaza with a stage for live entertainment, and street-food units and bars — with former Hatch traders given priority for places. At the time of writing the venue is still listed as “coming soon”, so check STACK’s website before making a special trip. This guide covers what you can shoot at the site in the meantime, and what to look for once the new venue opens.

Why Shoot Here?

• The Mancunian Way undercroft: The elevated motorway deck, its repeating concrete piers and the hard shadow line it throws across Oxford Road are photogenic in their own right — raw 1960s infrastructure that needs no venue underneath it to be worth a frame.
• Colour against concrete: Hatch’s signature image was saturated container colour glowing beneath a grey flyover. The STACK plans retain stacked containers, so that contrast — the most distinctive visual on this stretch of Oxford Road — is set to return, this time over two storeys.
• Oxford Road energy: Buses run along this corridor in a near-continuous stream, and in term time the pavements fill with students moving between the universities. It is one of the most reliable spots in Manchester for movement, light trails and candid street work.
• A city in transition: Hoardings, cranes and half-built structures are honest subjects. Documenting the change from Hatch to STACK is exactly the kind of before-and-after project that makes a photo archive valuable in ten years’ time.

Getting There

Oxford Road rail station is a two-minute walk north of the site. By tram, alight at St Peter’s Square and walk south along Oxford Street, passing the terracotta clock tower of the Kimpton Clocktower; after roughly ten minutes the Mancunian Way crosses overhead and the site sits directly beneath the flyover. Drivers should use NCP First Street (~£8–12/day), a five-minute walk west — handy if you want to pair the visit with HOME or Circle Square’s lighting installations.

Photography FAQ

Is Hatch in Manchester still open?

No. Hatch closed on 30 September 2024 after seven years of trading. The site was sold to STACK, which is redeveloping it as STACK Manchester; the new venue had not yet opened at the time of writing, so check the operator’s website for current status.

What is replacing Hatch on Oxford Road?

STACK Manchester, a container-built leisure venue with street-food units, bars and a central stage for daily live entertainment. The design features containers over two levels, an open plaza and a gateway arch facing Oxford Road, and former Hatch traders have been prioritised for units.

Can I still photograph the site?

From the public pavement, yes. The Mancunian Way undercroft, the flyover structure and the construction hoardings are all shootable from Oxford Road. Stay outside any fenced construction area — site interiors are strictly off limits.

Was Hatch free to enter?

Yes — Hatch was a free, walk-in venue and that openness was a big part of its appeal to photographers. Entry arrangements for STACK Manchester haven’t been confirmed yet, so check the official site once it opens.

Further Information

• STACK Manchester — official site — opening updates, traders and contact details
• Oxford Road Corridor — STACK development — the redevelopment in the context of the wider corridor
• Bruntwood — closure announcement — background on the sale and Hatch’s history

Best Times to Shoot

• Overcast daytimes — Painted containers saturate best under diffused cloud, which is why Hatch always looked its best on grey days; expect the same when STACK’s containers arrive. The undercroft also becomes easier to expose when there’s no harsh sun-to-shadow gap between the open street and the dark deck above.
• Dusk and blue hour — The flyover reads as a black geometric slab against a deep blue sky, and bus headlights along Oxford Road turn into ribbons on a long exposure. Once the venue reopens, festoon lighting and signage under the deck should restore the glowing-village look that made Hatch famous after dark.
• Weekday term time — The pavement traffic between Oxford Road station and the universities peaks around 9:00 and 17:00, giving constant candid subjects passing beneath the concrete. The University of Manchester campus continues the corridor a few minutes further south.
• During construction — Cranes, scaffolding and hoarding graphics change week to week. If you’re documenting the site’s transformation, repeat visits from the same vantage point on the opposite pavement build a consistent time-lapse sequence.

Composition Ideas

• Flyover geometry — From the pavement opposite, a 24–35 mm lens captures the Mancunian Way deck as a strong horizontal slicing the frame, with the piers as verticals beneath. Underexpose by a stop to hold detail in the bright sky and let the undercroft fall into graphic shadow.
• Bus light trails on Oxford Road — At blue hour, brace against a lamp post or use a small tripod such as the Peak Design Travel Tripod and run 1–4 second exposures as buses pass beneath the flyover. The static concrete frames the movement; the red rear lights bend with the road’s slight curve.
• Colour-block portraits (when open) — Hatch’s flat painted container panels made clean portrait backdrops at 50–85 mm and f/2.8–f/4, and STACK’s container construction should offer the same. Look for a single bold colour, stand your subject a metre off the metal, and let the corrugation texture read softly behind them.
• The arch as a frame (when open) — The planned gateway arch on Oxford Road is designed as the venue’s threshold; shoot through it from the street so the plaza activity sits inside the frame-within-a-frame, with the flyover deck closing off the top of the composition.