I am here.
The clouds broke up enough on the short flight to Manchester so that I could get a good look at the Pennines – they’re beautiful!
Manchester Town Hall lives up to its reputation. Also there’s Sackville Hall, part of the University of Manchester, just across the canal from the central downtown area – some drop-dead gorgeous Victoriana. The doors were locked (it was after 6) so I couldn’t go in to gape at the amazing stained glass and ceiling decorations; I plan to go back today and do that.
Geoff and Rick took me along to their Skeptics in the Pub yesterday evening – an excellent talk on Burzynski. Unfortunately the jet lag kicked in and I kept falling asleep – but now that I’m not exhausted any more I’m glad I went.
Manchester is fine but, you have to come across the Pennines into Yorkshire to really appreciate the North of England! ;o)
Ian
Welcome to the UK. 🙂
I know, I know – but pending that, I have spent a lot of time exploring the Dales via Google Earth, especially the area around Gunnerside.
Welcome to Madchester.
Welcome to England. I hope you have an umbrella.
My flight is in 6 hours, first time in years my wife and I have a weekend without kids. Now I just have to feign doing work for a couple of hours more 😉
I’d be interested to see if you notice any underlying sexism within British culture (especially Manchester) during your visit.
Have you seen the Peterloo massacre plaque/memorial? See http://www.peterloomassacre.org/index.html
Dan
Dan – yes – saw it this morning (i.e. after I wrote this post) – while admiring the Free Trade Hall.
Walked down Oxford Road as far as the U. of Manchester. Saw a magpie – I love magpies, and we don’t have them.
One magpie! That’s terribly bad luck.
One for sorrow
Two for joy
Three for a girl
Four for a boy
Five for silver
Six for gold
And seven for a secret that’s never been told.
Visit the Dales in person if you can, it’s a beautiful part of the world. Astonishing, beautifully stark scenery and great people.
And then there’s this:
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1487068_digging-up-the-past-archaeologists-reveal-grim-secrets-of-angel-meadow-manchesters-filthiest-slum
In today’s money it would have cost between £40 and 50 million. Manchester was a seriously wealthy city in the C19th.
I know – all this stuff just screams money. “Look at us we got lotsa moneeeeeeeeee!”
Don’t want to be a downer, because the Industrial Revolution truly gave us some awesome heritage, but Vijen’s link highlight’s one aspect of the human cost incurred by the Victorian 1%ers who created such a beautiful legacy in Cottonopolis. Liverpool has an even denser concentration of historical architecture and beauty, much of it founded on the slave trade (as fundamentally was Manchester’s textile wealth).
Ophelia, one of the best ways to find out about our heritage, as you know, is through the folk music and the Spinners (That’s the Liverpool Spinners) are, without doubt, the best. If you can get hold of any of their CDs that would be great.
Not just money, but loads of civic pride. Glasgow is the same. Sometimes I think this country lives on its nineteenth century capital architecturally, philosophically and in literature as well.
The murals in Manchester Town Hall are marvellous – the ones by Ford Madox Brown. They show a very positive attitude towards immigration – Flemish weavers are greeted with enthusiasm. The art gallery is great as well. The people are very friendly – at least in my experience.
AsqJames: so the cities were built on money made using slave labor. So what? Long time ago, brother. I suggest you don’t visit Italy, Greece, Spain, North Africa, Japan, China, NYC, Vegas, LA, or anywhere in the South.
Damn, but depending on your definition of “slavery”, you’re probably best moving to a self-built ranch and living off food you grow/catch yourself, because we live in the middle of one of the most exploitative ages ever devised by man.
“One magpie! That’s terribly bad luck.”
Simple enough to inoculate yourself against the effect: just repeat ‘where’s your wife Mr Magpie?’ three times and you’re done.
My favourite fact about Manchester Town Hall is that its design is by the same architect who did he equally lovely Natural History Museum in London, my all time favourite building.
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