The beauty of Manchester

[roman totale]

During the pandemic I walked around town like I’d never done before, looking up at the buildings. The architecture is quite stunning in places. Deansgate, King Street etc etc. Even the buildings on Piccadilly approach which as an area gets a bad rep.

I think when you live in a place or are from somewhere, you just take it for granted and don’t even ‘look up.’

Or maybe it’s just an age thing too.

I used to love riding the top deck on the buses around the city centre. The best place to view the architecture! As you say, just look up and you’ll see some stunning buildings and get a different perspective. This applies the world over, not just town.

 

[Marklr]

I used to live on the Merseybank Estate so Chorlton Water Park was my back garden, and the amount of litter around there used to get right on my tits. Especially after Friday nights when people would go there to drink and they’d leave all their cans lying around.

Could be very nice there but never quite was because of that.

I find Wythenshawe Park much cleaner. But it doesn’t have much water other than the Brook.

We did get a lot of bright green parakeets going between CWP and Southern Cemetary though.

What years did you live there, mate? Ah...the parakeets give that away...much later than i lived near there.

 

[Innsbruckblue]

I used to live on the Merseybank Estate so Chorlton Water Park was my back garden, and the amount of litter around there used to get right on my tits. Especially after Friday nights when people would go there to drink and they’d leave all their cans lying around.

Could be very nice there but never quite was because of that.

I find Wythenshawe Park much cleaner. But it doesn’t have much water other than the Brook.

We did get a lot of bright green parakeets going between CWP and Southern Cemetary though.

Used to play there all the time as a kid. Still remember flying my bike down the ramp from the car park to the water and not braking in time!!

 

[Deleted member 77198]

What years did you live there, mate? Ah...the parakeets give that away...much later than i lived near there.

Left in 2017

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Used to play there all the time as a kid. Still remember flying my bike down the ramp from the car park to the water and not braking in time!!

I did that on my bike when I lived there, I was 35 at the time though… I didn’t shout ‘weeeeeeeee’ as I did it though!

 

[jimharri]

It's my home city, and has a special place in my heart. Are parts of Manchester shitholes? Undoubtedly. People will sneer and mock, but Moss Side and Longsight were totally different areas to what they've become now, when I was growing up back in the 70s. It sounds corny as fuck, but there was a sense of neighbourliness back then. I suppose the riots in '81 (was it?) changed everything. As for places of beauty; I suppose the obvious ones, namely Heaton Pk and Lyme Park (though that's probably Cheshire, as is Alderley Edge).

 

[Jazzyblue]

It's my home city, and has a special place in my heart. Are parts of Manchester shitholes? Undoubtedly. People will sneer and mock, but Moss Side and Longsight were totally different areas to what they've become now, when I was growing up back in the 70s. It sounds corny as fuck, but there was a sense of neighbourliness back then. I suppose the riots in '81 (was it?) changed everything. As for places of beauty; I suppose the obvious ones, namely Heaton Pk and Lyme Park (though that's probably Cheshire, as is Alderley Edge).

Longsight-born myself, very rarely there these days but do spend a little bit of time in Moss Side and it's OK. There are far gloomier places you can live in GM imo and plenty of decent folk just getting on with it.
TBH I'm of a mind that Manc doesn't have to have outstanding beauty in it, because we're so close to the Peak District, starting at Lyme - love the woodland walks there off the beaten track - and the rest of the Pennines.
I wouldn't call it beautiful, and its an acquired taste, but I do have a soft spot for the scruffy, yet to be developed bits in around the city centre, where you have remnants of industry, bits of scrubland, little bits of faded grandeur, tiny estates and little marooned terraced streets. Like the Medlock Valley side of Ancoats, or heading up Rochdale Road, round Smedley Dip, Holt Town, Ardwick Green, Clayton Vale and behind Piccadilly Station. Where you can find little streets to explore.
Near me the breathing spaces are Longford Park, Stretford Ees, Chorlton Water Park, all great for a wander and lovely on a dry autumn day.
But the street that probably means most to me is Wilmslow Road/Oxford Road, as I grew up off it, love the buildings, and everything that meant something to me for the first 11 years of my life could be reached by it.
I went to London for university in '99 and couldn't wait to come back. Used to listen to New Order, Substance on the 42, see the railway bridge at Oxford Road and the clock tower of the Refuge building and feel so glad I was home!

 

[Marklr]

It's my home city, and has a special place in my heart. Are parts of Manchester shitholes? Undoubtedly. People will sneer and mock, but Moss Side and Longsight were totally different areas to what they've become now, when I was growing up back in the 70s. It sounds corny as fuck, but there was a sense of neighbourliness back then. I suppose the riots in '81 (was it?) changed everything. As for places of beauty; I suppose the obvious ones, namely Heaton Pk and Lyme Park (though that's probably Cheshire, as is Alderley Edge).

Some people's shitholes are other people's...er...glory holes?

 

[Marklr]

Left in 2017

I grew up in Northern Moor late 70s early 80s...a short walk from CWP. It was a good place to explore.

 

[davyhulme blue]

I grew up in Northern Moor late 70s early 80s...a short walk from CWP. It was a good place to explore.

I was born in northern moor 1960 , we moved out to urmston 6 months later . the motorways going through made a big difference in the place imo