The Best Bit of Manchester...

[Warning:  loads of photos, presented in no particular order.]

This has to be the best part of Manchester, well, the best bit we found on this trip (aside from Charlotte, of course).  

Every alcove had these wonderful light fixtures.

Each alcove had book shelves and desks...and real live 
students - how I envied them getting to study here.

A stone carved ceiling

I saw this place, the reading room of John Rylands Library, in a list of beautiful libraries and have wanted to visit for ages.  

From the labyrinth of hallways

Ceiling panel from an alcove

Art nouveau radiator grill?

The John Rylands library is part of the University of Manchester.  

I do miss card catalogs...

Each alcove either side of the central passage
is a wonderous and somehow private place.

I've saved this post to the last, and so we'll be done with this trip to Manchester. (But first more pictures!)

White statue is Mrs. Rylands

A domed ceiling

The amazing thing I discovered in drafting this post is that John Rylands had nothing to do with this place other than providing the money to build it.

Out in the halls.

I mentioned earlier that textiles were big in Manchester following the industrial revolution.

Rylands was Manchester's first multi-millionaire and he made his money in the family's textile firm.

Charlotte liked the library, too.  She even knew to be quiet.

Rylands was married three times.  

His first wife gave him his six children, but all pre-deceased him, as did his first two wives.

I couldn't decide which was her best side...

This library was built in his memory by his widow, Enriqueta Augustina Tennant Rylands, the daughter of a Cuban mother and a Yorkshire merchant father.

John Ryland at the other end of the room.

She inherited the bulk of his estate, worth anywhere between £224 million and £1.1 billion (retail price index vs. average wages) in today's money, and became a major shareholder in the family textile company and in Manchester Ship Canal.

I'm thinking that it should be called the Enriqueta Rylands Library or at least the John and Enriqueta Rylands Library.  

In my next life, this will be the way to my office

Or maybe the Manchester Harry Potter Library.

And this will be my office door.

Don't you think?

Barton Arcade

One of our serendipitous finds in Manchester was Barton Arcade, built in 1871.

I associate 'arcade' with pinball or other amusements, but the term had another use before those developed.  

Instead, shopping arcades seem to have been the forerunner of the mall.  And the word 'mall' meant 'sheltered walk or promenade' before it had anything to do with retail therapy.

There is a splendid arcade in Newcastle that I've photographed but neglected to show you.  Shame on me!  But I have shared the Block Arcade in Melbourne.

Anyhow, we happened on this lovely building in the midst of a bunch of ugly and ordinary and were enchanted.

I was astonished that office space on the top floor is relatively inexpensive.  I would think I was going to heaven each day.  Then again, without insulation it might be a bit chilly even with any heat rising.

If you like jazz music, you might find this fashion video from an event at Barton Arcade amusing.

Manchester MOSI

I can't say I loved the Museum of Science and Industry, other than the outside of the building. 

As with most museums in Britain, entrance was free.

The textile part was good, if you wanted to see a thistledown coat, map shoes or fruit clothes. 

It was mainly geared to kids, though I did enjoy watching the old braiding machine. 

There was also a sliding demonstration that showed wool to be smoother than cotton and both smoother than polyester.  Three cheers for wool!  (I know, I'm obsessed).

I think Helen was intrigued by the idea of visiting sewers, which turned out to be a brick tunnel with a lot of posters explaining the history of the water and sewerage systems in England.  It actually is a pretty interesting subject, much related to public health, but I know about it already.  

Bill's favourite part was easily the huge building filled with trains and engines.   Charlotte, Helen and I both wandered around practicing patience. 



 After all, Bill tags along to a lot of things he's not excited about.



The best thing I saw was this the toy train set up. And even better, watching a child's wonder at it.

Manchester City Centre

You may or may not recall that, along with a 'few' photos of Charlotte, I promised to share the sights of Manchester.  When we got back I was asking my friend Lucy if she'd ever been to Manchester.  Not surprisingly, her answer was "No.  When you live in the South of England, Manchester just isn't anywhere on the list of places you think to visit." Truth be known, if you live in the South of England, the whole of the North isn't on that list.  But that's fine; it makes it less crowded for those of us who know about it.

I think Helen was feeling a bit housebound as she was keen to get out and about.  There was a library I was hoping to see and Bill liked Helen's suggestion of visiting the Museum of Science and Industry.   We took the car and then walked around the city, snapping photos as we went.  Helen hasn't toured her home town properly since she took a job and moved there, so it was all new to her as well.

As we passed Manchester Cathedral (I got it confused with Winchester - the silly song, you know), Helen said it wasn't very big for a cathedral. 

Turns out it dates back to the 13th century and is also called Christs Church.  

This area is called the Medieval section. Manchester didn't really blossom until the industrial revolution fueled the enormous textile industry in that area.

I was intrigued by this very skinny building with the multi-story conservatory at the back.  So far as I can tell, it may be the Hanging Ditch Wine Merchants. Apparently there was a bridge built across this ditch and parts of it can be seen if one tours the Cathedral.  The Middle Ages must have been such a charming time to live, don't you think?  Me, neither!

Bill and I both took photos of this lovely Art Deco building.  Turns out it has an interesting history as well, with a pub license dating back to 1730.

Manchester has shopping opportunities such as a Harvey Nicks and Armani; don't you know I'd been hanging out there  were it in Newcastle (That's a joke, son).  

There is an All Saints in Newcastle and funny enough, the crafting ladies were just talking about how all those antique sewing machines they had in their window had disappeared.  Maybe they all went to Manchester?

I just loved this little building.  Apparently other people do as well, as it is a Grade II listed building.   St Matthew's Sunday School building used to be part of this grand structure, now gone.

We stopped for a coffee and saw other grandparents about.  That was kind of fun.  Maybe like ticking the next age category box, that experience felt like I moved into a new demographic category.

The category that has no desire to visit the Cloud 23 Bar that hangs on the side of Beetham Tower, to look down from the tallest building in Manchester.