Views from Victoria

Here's a few shots taken at Victoria Railway Station in Manchester whilst I waited for my train.  Some quite good views are afforded from the footbridges across the railway lines.  Please click on the images to get a larger and more detailed view ... they look a little "pixelated" in the post and seem much better when they've been enlarged.  Perhaps leave me a message and let me know what you think?

Looking towards Machester's cathedral with Chethams School of Music on the left.

Impressive ironwork facades to the railway bridges as the bridge the gap into the station.

Old and new.  The Arndale Centre, Chethams School of Music and Manchester's wheel.

7 shot HDR image looking away from the station.

Hmmm.  Is that my train?

Wigan ... and the pier!

Wigan?  Well, not just yet.  I thought I'd show you another image from Manchester before I take you to Wigan.  I mentioned before the excellent public transport system and used the trains, buses and trams as I journeyed in and out of Manchester.  However, many people use their cars and I can recall my frustrations when I used to drive into the city and then try to park my car.  there always seemed to be those double yellow lines on the side of the road indicating that parking was prohibited!  That's what amused me about the first image in this post.  Here's a wee alleyway, just wide enough for one car and they'd got double yellow lines on BOTH sides of the road.  I can't work out how you could park on one sode of the road without being parked on the other ... perhaps they use the pavement?  Anyway, it amused me :-)

So, Wigan!  Many New Zealanders think of rugby when you mention Wigan, but there's more than rugby to Wigan.  Wigan is a very old town that played a significant role in the areas coal and cotton industries.  However, this was subsequent to its previous reputation for porcelain and clock making.  Much of the coal and cotton industry's transportation needs were addressed by the canal (the Leeds and Liverpool) and then railway system and you'll see examples of this in the other images in this post.  Besides canals and railways, several of the old warehouses, stores and mill buildings remain, and a number of these can be seen alongside the canal.  Most of these buildings no longer fulfill their original purpose and have been converted into museums, apartments, hotels or bars.

The image above shows what is apparently Wigan's Pier.  Made famous by George Orwell in his book, "The road to Wigan Pier" the notion of a pier in a place such as Wigan was always seen as a bit of a joke.  Now the name Wigan Pier refers more to an area than the original very short wooden jetty from which coal wagons or tipplers were unloaded into the waiting canal boats.

The last two images in this post are HDR images taken in the Wigan Pier area.  Not too bad a place for a pleasant stroll down the canal.  What do you think?

Manchester ... look what I missed!

I'd lived near Manchester for over thirty years, yet had never been inside the town hall.  Sure, I've seen the outside ... the grand old building you see in the first image in the post.  I'd even sat in the square outside the town hall, but I'd never actually walked through the doors and into the building to see the treasures inside ... and let me tell you, visual treasures aplenty are inside Manchester's town hall.

The exterior is impressive anyway, and it's well worth looking at the statues and carvings on the exterior prior to entering the building, but once inside ... well ... the idea of a bland and bleak building is soon shattered as you walk down gloriously high vaulted ceiling passage ways and admire the colours, paintings, tapestries and mosaics.  I was amazed with what I saw on the visit and so disappointed that whilst living in the Manchester area I'd never taken the trouble to step inside this wonderful treasure of a building.  It makes you question just how many other people are unaware of just what there is around them.

 Visiting England now as a tourist makes things that were once familiar seem special.  The very efficient and regular light rail service, the impressive Salford Quays, the historic areas of Ordsall Hall as well the excellent shops, museums and galleries.

Impressed with the place?  You bet.  Take a ride up to the top of the Hilton at the end of Deansgate to get a view over the city whilst enjoying a coffee ... 23 floors high affords great views.  Haha!  Take your binoculars and you may even catch some of the Coronation Street stars strutting their stuff outside the Rovers Return ;-)

I'll close this post with a couple more images from inside the town hall.  If you're in Manchester ... or close to it I strongly encourage you to visit ... you won't be disappointed.  Let me know what you think, and give me some tips of other places I may have missed and should visit on my next trip back to the UK.