Manchester. Not somewhere I would have ever thought I’d write about on here. To start with its not my definition of an adventure since I spent 7 years at the universities there. Manchester is the city I feel at home in, if a country girl is ever going to feel at home in a city.
Nevertheless I found myself out on a city walk run by new manchester walks on Saturday and explored the Irwell, a bit of the city I’ve never really explored before.
We met at Manchester Victoria station which has my favourite map in a building –
I hadn’t realised though that this map was originally an advertising poster for the rail company which explains why the line between Manchester and Sheffield doesn’t exist on it. It doesn’t explain why there are stations for Meltham and Holmfirth despite neither of these places having rail lines!
Fun facts learnt:
– Victoria station once had the longest platform in Europe when Victoria had an adjacent station called Exchange, run by a rival company, and the platforms joined.
– Arches on the wall at the Irwell near the station are originally boat access point from a ticket office which was underground near the Cathedral. During the war these were used as air raid shelters.
– Mr Brotherton was one of the founders of the Vegetarian Society
– New Bailey near Salford Station is the site of the last public hanging in Britain in 1867, for three men who were responsible for shooting a police officer. Their deaths were gruesome as only one died immediately from hanging so it was decided that executions would no longer be done in public.
– The old building next to the People’s History Museum was the pump house talking water from the Rochdale Canal for powering trams in the city and nearby buildings as well as the town hall clock.
– Spinningfields is not named after the textile industry (prevalent in the city) but from the name of a copse of trees in the area.
– Bees are the symbol of Manchester representing the industrial nature of the city, and the City’s crest represents the trade it did with the rest of the world. Salford’s crest emulates its relationship with Manchester as the hub of industrious working and packing.
– The name of the Irwell river comes from ‘ere well, meaning good wishes for trade.
Great tour of that part of the city. I’ve lived in Mcr for most of my life and never knew the Vegetarian Society was founded here!
š they are still based there somewhere around Didsbury I think
I would have guessed either Chorlton or Didsbury actually! :0)