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| READER MESSAGES Late April 2001 Page 2 of 3 |
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Name: steve pottage If the residents of these other boroughs would like a say in our City
they can always move in to within the city boundaries & put their
money where their mouths are. Hmmm! The City of Manchester boundary is a historical anomaly. It's not people that should uproot themselves to fit in with the boundary, but the boundary itself that should be moved, or rather, a new Manchester local government system should be created which encompasses all of the areas that make up Manchester, not just some of them! Thanks for your message, dissenting views are always welcome here! |
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Piccadilly Gardens in sunshine 1999
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Name: Tom Deveny Reading the comments regarding the City's plans for Piccadilly Gardens,
I was reminded of an experience that I had some years ago on a visit to
Manchester. While doing my usual walking tour of the Victorian heart of
the city I dropped in to the Town Hall to admire the craftsmanship of
the masons that built it. Rounding a corner, I came upon a wonderful triple
bust of Sir John Barbirolli in full flight, his arms outstretched, hair
flying, and that quirky left thumb of his sticking out in a way that brought
back a flood of memories. If an individual does not remember who they are and where they came from, they are considered to have a serious handicap and I believe this to be true also of a community. It seems obvious to me that the people making these planning changes to the city are indifferent to their heritage. This area of the city can and should be kept open and developed into a central park with fine hotels and gardens that would bring visitors and wealth to the community. It is interesting to note that when the old Market Stede Lane was widened and renamed Market Street at the beginning of the nineteenth century, it was done so by an act of Parliament obtained by the Police Commissioners and not by the city council. Perhaps some of the area Members of Parliament could be persuaded to become involved. Nowadays when people travel so easily to such cities as Budapest or Vienna
or any one of the other fine cities of Europe they have no excuse for
not knowing what can be done. |
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I wonder what Sir John would have made of the decision by Manchester City Council to sell off the former home of the Halle Orchestra, the Free Trade Hall (originally built 1854) to a private developer to be incorporated into a luxury hotel! Mind you, there was probably no other alternative, as in the present climate, the preservation of uneconomic historic buildings is not a priority. There's a statue of Sir John Barbirolli outside the Bridgewater Hall, I will include a picture of it soon. |
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Name: Ken Snelson Dear Aidan "For every 8 acres of land to be developed 1 acre must be handed over to the city for use as a public Park" It's a sad commentary that Manchester City Fathers still Have not learned how valuable trees, flowers, and open space are. They are the LUNGS of the city. This crazy action should haunt those resposible for ever. I grew up having to walk 10 mins to Peel Park to see a tree. This kind of stipidity will I'm sure sadden all people with a soft spot for our original hometown. Keep up the good work keeping us informed Regards Ken Snelson |
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Allow
me to speak out in defence of the local authority, and pass on their assurances
that there will be plenty of trees and green spaces in the new Piccadilly.
In fact, the total grassed over area will increase, as the old house, nearby
walls, flower beds and other redundant areas will be removed.
It's important to understand the reasons underlying the decision to put a building on the gardens. As City of Manchester local authority Chief Executive Howard Bernstein told us at a public meeting in August 1999, the regeneration of Piccadilly can only come about by creating 'quality economic linkages' e.g. between London Road, the Metrolink stop, London Road, Oldham St and Portland St. If I understood him correctly, only an expensive, high quality regeneration job - costing £10m I believe - can achieve this, and so part of the Gardens had to be sold off for an office development in order to provide the cash. Another council official told us that he expected that the people of Manchester would like the new Piccadilly when it's completed. And in a tv interview, I remember Leader of the Council Richard Leese saying it was 'sad' that objectors to the building were standing in the way of new development, especially as so many good things were happening in the city, thanks to the efforts of Manchester City Council. I wonder, if the City of Manchester had a cash surplus, would they still have decided to put a building on Piccadilly Gardens? |
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Name: Garnet Hoyes To do this by hand would be an enormous task, as there are currently over 2,300 photographs in Eyewitness in Manchester. Each time I add new photographs, I would have to go back and update every thumbnail page with the new photographs. In co-operation with my colleagues at Manchester online, I am currently working on a new system for publishing Eyewitness in Manchester. I have made some trial pages experimenting with various layouts. I've used some of my UAE photographs. Please have a look and let me have your comments and suggestions. You'll find the pages at www.photo-vr.com/uae/2001/. |
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Name: ChrisWright Victoria Station was first opened on Hunt's Bank - now the entrance to the MEN Arena - in 1844, but by 1880 it had been extended as far as Long Millgate, completely covering the River Irk, which still flows underneath it. Walker's Croft follows the line of the river bank, but ends abruptly below the station approach. I would have thought that all houses would first have been demolished to make way for construction of a brick undercroft to support the station. However, it could be that remnants of old buildings still survive. I know that there are many tunnels under Manchester city centre which, like the Air Raid Shelters in Stockport, could perhaps make an excellent tourist attraction. I'll see if I can find out more. |
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Name: Neil Barmann Dear Aidan I have a copy of my grandfather's birth certificate from the PRO, and I have learned from that document that when he was born in 1870, the family lived at 5 Stocks Street, Cheetham, Manchester. Are there any pictures available of that block? Yes, I realize that by now, that location may well have become a parking lot for some adjacent business; however, it would make me very happy to see it just the same. I am trying to organize my life in order to have myself a holiday in Manchester in September or October of this year. By the way, my family names were Phillips and Woolf. I would enjoy hearing from anyone in the Manchester area who may be related to me. Stocks Street is still there, but is now a place of industrial premises and warehouses. It runs parallel with Cheetham Hill Road, in the Cheetham area, which has a rich and fascinating Jewish heritage. When you are in Manchester, there are two places you must visit. First, the Manchester Jewish Museum, on Cheetham Hill Road, just round the corner from Stocks St, and second the Local Studies Unit in the Central Library where you'll find many old photographs of this and other areas of Manchester. I hope to take a photograph of Stocks Street the next time I'm in that area. |
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 Sunset over the mosque? No, sunset over Strangeways Prison! |
Name: Peter Foy Thank you very much, and I think I'll restrict my photographs of Strangeways Prison, now HMP Manchester to exterior shots! |
