Back to the UK after 50 years

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Corn Exchange - 1903. It has been re-developed a number of times and was badly damaged in an IRA bombing in 1996. The interior appears to retain few historical features

Corn Exchange, Manchester - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

We stayed at a different Roomzzz aparthotel













The worker bee is the symbol of Manchester. The Bee Network is the integrated transport system for Manchester.

 

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Finishing off Manchester.

Our accommodation was right next to the local Chinatown. Apparently the second biggest in the UK and the third largest in Europe. But in reality it was not terribly exciting. We had an ok meal there one night and there was a nice bakery. There was a mixture of various Asian cuisines represented - Vietnamese, Thai, Malay and Chinese of course

Chinatown, Manchester - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The arch was completed in 1987













Repurposed railway warehouse buildings. They have been attractively restored. Constructed between 1885 - 1899

Great Northern Warehouse - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The old Fish Markets 1873. Now housing a residential complex

The Wholesale Fish Market

There were a lot of restaurants with outside seating in this area. Unfortunately for us it began to rain when we were there.



Built in 1857/58 and formerly part of the Smithfield Markets now a 'food hall'.

Mackie Mayor – Manchester’s Iconic Food Hall

Manchester’s Iconic Food Hall

mackie-mayor.co.uk

It was very crowded and almost impossible to get a table. It really wasn't our scene as just by walking in we increased the average age by 40% and reduced the hipness level by 60%





We ended up just having some fried chicken elsewhere - far too much for a very reasonable price.

 

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Various buildings

1898 - home of the, apparently, famous Tootal Tie

Tootal Broadhurst Lee Building - Oxford Street

Built as an art deco warehouse in 1932 for the company founded by John Rylands memorialised by the Rylands Library. Later converted in a department store. At one stage carrying the Debenhams name. Now due to be redeveloped into mixed usage.

Rylands Building - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Town Hall clock tower





Near to the Corn Exchange is a noisy and not very attractive shopping area centred around the Arndale Centre. It was extensively rebuilt after the IRA bombings of 1996 and is apparently a great improvement on the original. It is not very nice now so the original must have been truly horrid. This was probably my least favourite part of Central Manchester.





We departed for London via Manchester Piccadilly Station.

Not a great façade in not a great area



WW1 memorial just outside the station - "It is believed to be the only memorial to depict those wounded in the First World War."

Victory Over Blindness - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Some nice cast iron/steel columns inside



Our train. Very hard and narrow seats in 2nd class for which we paid £46.60. I actually googled about the seat width because I was sure it was squeezier than the European trains we have been on. And yes, UK trains due to the smaller loading gauge, not track gauge, are narrower with the result that the seats are also narrower. I certainly felt more squashed than normal. But I am glad we didn't pay for 1st class for the 2hr26 journey as a number of trains were cancelled that morning. The rumour on board and the onboard train announcement was that a body had been found on the tracks but later on the problem was instead said to be signal failures. In the end passengers from those trains were crowded onto our train and in the end a type of force majeure was called and the extra passengers were told to fill up the first class carriage as well. We certainly had people in the aisle on our carriage for about half the journey.





I enjoyed Manchester. There are plenty of Victorian and Edwardian buildings that have been sympathetically repurposed and it is not too crowded. It also was a very good spot from which to take 'day trips'.