Manchester Central

I didn't have a lot of time to wander the streets of Manchester during my visit, as I spent so long in the wonderful Art Gallery. I did, however, have a little stroll around St Peter's Square, near the Town Hall.  The redbrick Midland Hotel is still rather splendid and has a wonderful history.  It was built in 1903 as a railway hotel, in an elaborate Edwardian Baroque style. It's said that it was coveted by Adolf Hitler as a possible Nazi headquarters in Britain, and the area around it was indeed spared the bombing that affected much of the city during WWII. 

Beside the Bridgewater Hall (a relatively new concert hall that is home to the Hallé Orchestra), the water feature is part of the old canal network in the area. The beautiful red brick building behind it is Chepstow House, built in the 1870s as business premises for Sam Mendel, a wealthy textile baron. It is now apartments.

Nearby, across all the tram tracks of Manchester's complicated, modern tramway system, is the unusual rotunda of the Central Library built in the 1930s of Portland Stone.

Opposite stands a bronze statue of Emmeline Pankhurst (born in Manchester), shown proclaiming her views whilst standing on a chair. Sculpted by Hazel Reeves in 2018, it was the winner of a public vote to choose which woman should be immortalised and it was unveiled to mark the centenary of the first right to vote for (some) women. Apparently the only other statue of a woman, in Manchester, is of Queen Victoria.

A dose of culture

I popped over to Manchester just before Easter, as I was keen to catch the exhibition of documentary photographer Martin Parr's work at Manchester Art Gallery, before it closed. I don't know why I don't go to Manchester more often. It takes less than two hours by train and it's not a difficult journey. 

The exhibition didn't disappoint. It featured photos of Manchester that Martin has taken over the past almost fifty years, from when he was a student in the 1970s through to a commission last year. I love his work. The later stuff is brash, bright and gently humorous. He has a sociologist's eye and some of his earlier work, seen from a current perspective, is now a real reminder of the spirit of those times and a significant document of social history. 

Not only did I see the Martin Parr photos, but I also had the privilege of seeing some life drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. Some of his exquisite sketches, from the Royal Collection, are being exhibited at various venues round the UK as part of a nationwide tribute to mark the 500th anniversary of da Vinci's death. How wonderful to be able to see such a range of amazing work, from the Renaissance to modern digital photos, all in the space of a few hours. 

Night lights

More photos from Salford Quays in Greater Manchester. (See also yesterday) The weird building above (another example of 'Deconstructivist' architecture?) is The Lowry theatre and gallery complex, named after Manchester's famous painter, L S Lowry, and holding some of his work. It was designed by Michael Wilford and opened in 1999. Shops, offices and restaurants surround it. 

Below: a detail of The Lowry, with coloured walls, lights and reflections combining to remind me of stained glass. 

Below: it was that pop of red that attracted me, stark amid the green and yellow colouring of a modern, glass office block.

Salford Quays

Across the water from the Imperial War Museum (see yesterday) is an area called Salford Quays. It used to be docks beside the Manchester Ship Canal. In the 1980s, a huge urban regeneration project transformed it into a vibrant area that combines residential property, commercial, cultural and retail space. It is home to The Lowry theatre complex and across the dock from that is the huge Media City, where the BBC, ITV and other creative enterprises have offices and studios.

It's a wonderful place to explore at dusk when the lights come on, reflected in the water. We camera club members were all very happy!

Imperial War Museum North

A few more from my recent trip to Manchester :
One of five museums across the UK specifically recording and showcasing (their word) experiences of modern conflict, the Imperial War Museum North has a commanding site on the waterfront at Trafford Park in Greater Manchester. Opened in 2002, it was designed by Daniel Libeskind and is (apparently) a prime example of Deconstructivist architecture. It has three interlocking shards: an imagined globe shattered by conflict.

I only stayed inside for about an hour, so there was lots I didn't see, but I explored an exhibition called 'Lest We Forget', all about the First World War. It had many photographs and artefacts, some heartbreaking mementoes such as telegrams received by families whose menfolk were missing or killed in action, diaries kept by men on the front line, war poetry and paintings. There's also a huge gallery that holds a timeline of information about conflicts from WWI to the present day. It was all unbearably moving, not least seeing some twisted girders from New York's World Trade Centre. It doesn't glorify war but you could not help but reflect that things haven't got a lot better in the hundred years or so that was documented.

Wave

Some of us from the camera club went across to Salford to see and photograph the poppy installation 'Wave' outside the Imperial War Museum North. It was one part of the huge artwork of ceramic flowers: 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red', by Paul Cummins and Tom Piper, that was installed at the Tower of London in 2014 to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. (See HERE). Since then, key sculptural elements of the whole have been touring the UK. It seems a fitting way to mark the centenary of the end of that particular war, even if 'war' hasn't ended.

It's undoubtedly a powerful piece of art and poppies are a poignant symbol...but ... Frankly, I think as a global society we should now stop thinking back and start thinking forward, striving to reverse what seems to me the current slide into nationalism, hatred, fear-mongering, power-grabbing and intolerance, the very scourges that fuel wars. Not to forget, either, those who are still suffering the mental and physical effects of war, both military personnel and refugees. Let us be forthcoming with both respect and the help they actually need. I'm done with poppies and piety.

The BBC at Salford Quays

So, the Olympics London 2012 has started... Fabulous opening ceremony last night.  Well done Danny Boyle and thousands of volunteers!  My favourite bit was Mr Bean. He just cracks me up.  But the whole evening was amazing.

I'm excited about my trip to London next week - though to be honest the whole Olympics thing hasn't up to now really had a lot of impact in this neck of the woods, apart from the brief passing of the Torch through the area.  I think the Chinese athletes were based in Leeds for a while to acclimatise and train.  In Manchester, they are hosting some of the Olympic football tournament at Old Trafford so there is a bit more of a buzz there.
Manchester is also now the home of a large section of the BBC, in its new headquarters in Media City, Salford Quays.  It's an impressive regeneration project around the old docks on the Manchester Ship Canal.  ITV Granada are also building new studios there, moving from central Manchester.  If you look closely you can just about see the Olympic logo on the side of the building on the left.
Of course, most of the Olympics coverage comes direct from London.  The BBC, along with other major broadcasters, have studios actually in the Olympics Park.

In with the new

One of the things Manchester does extremely successfully, in my opinion, is to mix contemporary architecture with the older buildings.  The blocks here are just average office blocks, but I liked the orange and blue juxtaposition.  There are many lovely Victorian (and in some cases, even older) buildings that have been beautifully renovated and repurposed, as we saw yesterday.  Some of the much newer stuff is really quite exciting - like the 47-storey Beetham Tower.   The WWII blitz badly damaged the city and you may recall that in 1996 the city centre was bombed by the IRA, with many people injured and a lot of destruction.  But Manchester doesn't let things like that get it down.  In fact you could argue that it is the stronger and better because of that.  It's a lively, cosmopolitan, forward-looking city and I love visiting it.

Last Saturday it rained all day. (Situated west of the Pennines, the city can be rather wet.)  Not a great day for photos - but a good excuse to hit the shops.  I am not generally one who shops recreationally.  I am more likely to need therapy after shopping than to use shopping as therapy.  But my friend and I enjoyed our day out, and I will go back again hoping to get some better photos.

I've just come across a good Manchester blog - 'mancunian wave'.  Have a trip over there and dip into Chrissy's unique look at her home area.  And while you're there, vote for her - she's been shortlisted for the Manchester Blog Awards.

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Word verification does slow down the process of commenting.  I find it a bit tedious when I haven't much time to visit other people's blogs and comment, which I like to do. So I've heeded Francisca's plea and taken it off mine.  Last time I tried, I did get some very weird offerings, so apologies if you see any strange comments.  I will monitor things for a week or two and see how it goes.  I've left comment moderation for older posts as otherwise I tend to miss the comments. ( I don't get them sent by email - I have enough email as it is!)

Mouse-over trial

Ho ho ho! Look at this, Francisca.  Thanks to your brilliant instructions, I have done a mouse-over that works!   Isn't it great how blog friends encourage and support each other?  Thank you so much. And thanks to everyone for their comments on the B&W v colour dilemma.

It's those Italians again!

Does this look familiar?  It's NOT in Saltaire (or Venice!)... but it could well be.  It's a building in the city of Manchester.  It was formerly the Manchester Reform Club - a Victorian gentlemen's club for Manchester Liberal Party's elite.  Designed by Edward Salomans, it was built in 1870-71, just as Saltaire was being completed.  It too is Italianate, built in the Venetian Gothic style and it shares many motifs in common with Saltaire's buildings.  In fact when I first saw it, I wondered if the architects were Lockwood and Mawson.  Look at the arch and roundel pattern of the windows - seen here in Saltaire - and the patterned tops of the arches - see here.  The elegant building now houses shops and a restaurant.  You can see the whole building and a bit more about it here.

I couldn't decide if I like the B&W or the colour version best.  If I was clever I'd have done a mouse-over but I still can't figure out how to add the html.  So you can have two big pictures in one post today.

The Manchester Eye

Been to Manchester for the weekend. I took a few photos in Salford Quays, which is a fantastic area and very photogenic - but unfortunately the skies were largely monochrome grey. The images might be OK if I could work out how to put a more interesting sky in! (But my Photoshop skills are not quite that advanced yet.) It brightened up a bit today, so I took this pic of the Manchester Wheel. (They don't call it the Eye... that's London...so a bit of poetic licence here.)