Memories of Platt Fields
I have many memories of Platt Fields. I have indistinct memories of being driven past in the early 1950s when we lived in Ashton but my first solid memory is of my mother and one of her sisters taking myself, my younger brother and sister to see the Costume Collection in Platt Hall in 1956.
I remember being totally bored, somewhat fractious and very relieved when the visit ended as the collection was presented on headless mannequins, wasn't well lit and certainly wasn't aimed at a nine year old boy.
From September 1958 to July 1965 I passed Platt Fields on almost a daily basis during school term time. The 1 (later 161/162) or 31 would get snarled in traffic by Grangethorpe Rd and it became a daily guessing game as to whether arrival at Xaverian would be on time for assembly or involve trying to get past the prefects as a late arrival and avoid detention. The traffic would ease after the lights at Dickenson Road - the jam being caused by Platt Lane junction not being controlled by lights - so there was always a gamble as to which would be quicker - getting off whilst the bus was stuck in the queue and walking over three quarters of a mile with a heavy bag or hanging on and getting off, as intended, at Great Western St.
As I progressed through the school I, like many others found Platt Fields to be a lunchtime haven - especially in the 6th form where a free period immediately before or after lunch would extend the period available to walk around the park or sit by the lake.
Many celebrities working at the BBC on Dickenson Rd were similarly attracted - including some of the Top of the Pops performers but the most regular user of the benches near the lake trying to have a break from the hassle of rehearsals and performance was Harry Worth who would both beg sandwiches, share food on the days he'd remembered to bring some and chat away with anyone not too shy to talk to him.
The Manchester Show was a major event every year (it finished in 2003) and I visited on many occasions in the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1980 I paid my first "official" visit to Platt Fields. The 1982 Papal visit was planned for even before the invitation to Manchester had been officially accepted and Platt Fields was one of the venues shortlisted for the Papal Mass which eventually took place in Heaton Park. I was a member of the Arrangements Committee in my capacity as GMC Conference Officer and during the initial planning phase was charged with surveying and selecting potential sites.
Whilst Platt Fields was nominally large enough to host the 1,000,000+ attendees expected by the Diocesan Authorities and the Police (in the end approx 238,000 attended Heaton Park), the lack of open space with good sight lines to an altar coupled to the flat terrain, potential congestion stemming from blocking Wilmslow Rd and Wilbraham Rd, lack of major parking areas for buses (private cars were to be excluded from a wide area surrounding the site) and the lack of a landing site for up to 3 large helicopters militated against bringing the Pope close to the city centre.
Helicopter landings have been made at Platt Fields to transfer medical emergencies to MRI and St Mary's and for other purposes such as Royal visits - Prince Philip has touched down at Platt Fields more than once. One of my jobs at GMC was to advise on the potential use of helicopters for VIP visits around the the County where a "birds eye view" would offer a Whitehall or Brussels bureaucrat or an elected representative a first class chance to put a development or planning funding application in perspective, or just get an idea of the amount of work needed to start, maintain or complete one or more major projects. On one occasion we managed to show a senior European official 8 major projects in Greater Manchester and Merseyside looking for European funding in 5 hours then take her back to County Hall to meet the developers and interested parties - something that by road would have taken a 2 day schedule.
If the official was visiting County Hall either before or after the helicopter trip I would invariably use Platt Fields to transfer to/from the helicopter, the landing site would be alongside Holy Trinity Church, the weather vane doubling as a windsock. From personal experience I can say that landing and taking off in Platt Fields ideally demonstrates the effectiveness of the helicopter as a means of transport to speedily get as close as possible to the place you wish to be.
I also was involved in manning the GMC marquee at the Manchester Show a number of times in the early 1980s. As a professional events organiser I had every admiration for the organisers who brought a diverse range of exhibits, including agriculture, livestock and horticulture to the centre of a very urban conurbation and presented them in an interesting and colourful way. The only drawback was the accommodation. Plastic lined marquees are too hot in sunshine - too damp in the rain! It is a great loss that the Show is no more.
These days the planners would no doubt describe Platt Fields as one of the city's "lungs". It was interesting to hear the plans for continuing its vital role and to improve the facilities. There is no reason to allow the criminal and drug dealing element to destroy an amenity as vital to inner Manchester as Regents Park, Hyde Park or St James's Park are to London and any cost in achieving the aim of offering a safe and pleasant environment will be more than offset by benefits accrued to the joggers, walkers or those who just wish to sit, relax and take a moment or two away from a busy schedule..
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