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'.

 

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And now onto London. The first thing to say is that it was absolutely a lot cleaner and better looked after than it was in 1976/77. However the central part is also a lot more crowded - uncomfortably so in part.

A glimpse of Wembley Stadium on the way in. I remember walking past the old one back in 1977.



We arrived at Liverpool St Station and had to schlep over to Gloucester Rd Station via a change of tube lines. That involved lots of walking through long tunnels and trying to avoid stairs with our luggage. My wife had researched the station and found out that it had lifts. What she didn't find out was that the lifts only went halfway up from the platform we used. My back was already playing up and I think I completed pulling a muscle in the lower back that didn't settle down until we were on the way home.





Some street views on the way from the station to our accommodation.





We stayed at the Roland House Apartments in South Kensington. They were not luxurious but large and fully equipped with a kitchenette. Plus being relatively cheap for London - £700 for 5 nights. Unfortunately it not only had a shrub but the shower was so low I hit my head on it. As was common in the places we stayed at in the UK the chairs and bed were set low to the ground which did my sore back no end of good.





That day was our 51st wedding Anniversary and we went out for a Yemeni meal. I picked it because it had a good on-line rating. But I hadn't read the bit about how big the serves were and that you would be unlikely to be able to finish all of your meal. We didn't get anywhere near finishing it but they were happy to put into takeaway containers. Other tables were having the same done. It went into our fridge and we warmed it up for the next evenings meal. In the end we still couldn't finish it all off and had to throw some away.

Bab al Yemen | Gather. Feast. Remember.

Authentic Yemeni cuisine in Fulham and Edgware Road, London.

www.babalyemen.co

Complimentary soup to start. There was also some salad and sauces. Prices were very reasonable for London



The bread was huge



Chicken and lamb and rice dishes

 

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Our first outing the next day was to see the redeveloped Battersea Power Station that used to supply a fifth of Londons power needs - "the building comprises two power stations, built in two stages, in a single building. Battersea A Power Station was built between 1929 and 1935 and Battersea B Power Station, to its east, between 1937 and 1941, when construction was paused owing to the worsening effects of the Second World War. The building was completed in 1955. --- Battersea A was decommissioned in 1975. In 1980 the whole structure was given Grade II listed status; Battersea B shut three years later."

The station and surrounding area has had an expensive shopping and residential development after many years of delays and false starts.

The History | Battersea Power Station

From the 1930s to 1980s, Battersea Power Station was a working Power Station. At its peak, it was producing a fifth of London’s power, supplying electricity

batterseapowerstation.co.uk

Battersea Power Station - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

As was in the 1950's



And as of now



We had about a 10 minute walk to catch a bus that also took about 10m minute to get us there.

It is close by to another icon



As soon as we got close to it my wife recognised some of Frank Gehry's work



You approach via a very flash route



And then as the sign says you look up



Inside is full of extremely expensive shops and restaurants













Hall B is less impressive being built in a more utilitarian manner





You can take a lift to the top of one of the chimneys but the price, £24 per person, and my fear of heights did not make that an enticing offer.