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Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Manchester City - United Kingdom




Manchester City thriving and cosmopolitan city! This is my home.





The CIS building in the background was Manchesters first skyscraper.




The above is the Lowry. It is houses a theatre, and art gallery.




















JS Lowry
Far right His matchstick men painting.





The Bridgewater Hall a beautiful and modern concert hall.























The Ferris wheel that comes to the city once a year.



The Old Wellington Inn.






CLICK ON THE ABOVE PHOTO FOR THE HISTORY
OF THE INN.



On Saturday 15 June 1996, at a peak shopping time on Father's Day, a 3,000lb IRA bomb exploded in Manchester, injuring more than 200 people and ripping into the fabric of the city's main shopping centre. In a state of shocked disbelief, police had begun clearing people from the area some 40 minutes before the blast; fortunately, several telephoned warnings had been issued to newspapers, radio stations and to at least one hospital in Manchester an hour before the blast. Newspaper offices in Dublin and Belfast received similar warnings.
An army bomb squad employed a robotic anti-bomb device to check an illegally parked Ford van, which had been recorded by several closed circuit security cameras in the city, when the bomb exploded.
Manchester ambulance services counted 206 injured people. Most injuries were sustained from falling glass and building debris. In the immediately ensuing chaos, ambulances and private cars were used to shuttle victims to local and regional hospitals.
Local authorities had to close Victoria and Piccadilly railway stations for several hours and to seal off the city centre. The evacuation of shoppers immediately took place from the Marks & Spencer's department store, which was directly at the centre of the site, outside which the lorry-bomb was parked.
Initially, the evacuated staff and shoppers stood outside, right next to the bomb, but when the emergency services realised this they shunted them to the nearby Victoria Station. Why Manchester city centre was targeted by the IRA is uncertain, but it later became clear that the cause probably lay in the breakdown of the IRA "ceasefire" in the light of lack of progress with the British Government's ongoing talks about a permanent peace settlement in Northern Ireland.
It was estimated that up to 50,000 square metres of retail space and nearly 25,000 square metres of office space have subsequently needed to be reconstructed. Whilst much of the city centre has now reopened, the immediate area surrounding the blast site, including parts of the Arndale Centre, the Corn Exchange, the Royal Exchange, Royal Insurance's Longridge House and Marks and Spencer's remain cordoned off and a considerable amount of demolition has had to take place. Marks & Spencer's store, alas, was totally demolished, and the Royal Insurance Building is no more, as are several shops in the immediate vicinity.


This is my avenue where I live, just in the suburbs not to far from the city centre.
















Manchester city is very lively in the evenings lots of things going on. From heavy rock concerts to Classical.



Night life ... lots of clubs, modern and contemporary wine bars.


The young lady on

the right is my daughter.

:o)



We have a fantastic mueseum, art gallery and stadiums.

We were very lucky to be able to host the Common Wealth Games here.





We have a famous Football Team ... Manchester United ... to which the Glazier Family bought not too long ago. Manchester United had and has many brilliant players to name a few.

George Best ... Nobby Stiles ... Ryan Gigs ... David Beckham. David Beckham has now been bought by the Americans. :o(

Manchester is famous for its Curry Mile. Delights of Indian Food on a mile run, restaurant after restaurant with an array of neon lights.



















This is our China Town.





Anyone else like to share their photographs of their home towns.

ANYONE WANTING A GOOD LAUGH TODAY THEY MUST GO TO JAMES'S BLOG!


cat lovers----> http://under-the-ledge.blogspot.com/ <--- especially if you are cat lovers This is James's other blog http://thebuddhistblog.blogspot.com/

26 comments:

Bob said...

I lived briefly in Manchester in 1975.
I had a friend from Rochdale. We went to the Bridgewater Hall in 1986 for lunch....it was new then I believe.
Coming from the South of England I was amazed how friendly the Mancunians were. It seemed like a foreign country!

trinitystar said...

Hi Rob,
Are they still calling it the North/South divide?
Wonderful hall the Bridgewater ... home of the Halle Orchestra
Yep! we are friendly folk.
Northern folk are like that I guess.

Jim Wilkins said...

Thanks for the tour of the city. I shall post pictures and stuff for my town this week. And maybe a legend or two.
Jimmy

trinitystar said...

James, I shall lookout for that post.

Its nice to see where people are from ... their culture.
hugs for you.
:o)

ann said...

well you must know the expression.... "If you've never been to Manchester,you've never lived," said in appropriate accent of course.

My middle son went to UMIST for a while and daughter went to uni there...

I once made it to the Granada studios and met someone from the Street, oh I remember now, Percy, but since I don't watch soaps it was all a little wasted on me!!!

Great post

trinitystar said...

Nice to know that you have made a visit. Granada Studios are not there ... although Granada TV is.

polona said...

thank you for the interesting and informative tour of your city.
i've been a united fan for long :o)

floots said...

thank you for this
the intesting pix
and the reminder of the sadness
i don't know manchester at all
(looks great)
used to think it was as far north as one could go
then i moved to skye :)

QUASAR9 said...

Hi Trinity, awesome City
Thanks for sharing all that is new,
something old and a lot of you ...
subutbs covered in snow
21st Century Xmas picture card, even if it is February, we may 'feel' some here in Cambridge, though it may not get to hit or settle on the ground.

trinitystar said...

Oh Floots ... what neck of the woods do you originate from then?

trinitystar said...

Quasar!
Actually the photograph of my avenue is from the year before. We might get snow!
:o)

Bob said...

I have supported Man Utd since 1963.

Anonymous said...

Love the photo's.

I just dropped in to say HI.
http://www.freewebs.com/friendsareagift

http://www.freewebs.com/friendsareagift2

J. Andrew Lockhart said...

This is a wonderful history lesson! I would love to go there some day. :)

Keshi said...

some beautiful pics there!

I have a good friend living in Manchester.

Keshi.

Anonymous said...

This is soo wonderful and interesting post! Thanks for sharing!!! Your doughter is very pretty!!!
I wish you the best!

Liz said...

Thanks for the little lesson. Strange a couple of days ago I was talking to a friend about Manchester (football of course) and about what to do there.
:) think now I really have to come over and see someday.

Tracy said...

What a wonderful post. Thank you for sharing.

QUASAR9 said...

Hi Trinity,
truer words never spoken,
so the snow fell on Cambridge too.
Wow! when did the photo of the young ladies go up, I can't have missed them last time I visited surely - lol!

trinitystar said...

Quasar,

The photographs of the young ladies one of them being my daughter an added bonus ... :o)
Its always good to come back a second time.

Katie McKenna said...

I loved all of your pictures! So much wealth in the history.

Your daughter and her friend are beautiful!

Anonymous said...

hii there!!
it was really nice to read about it, and also the marvellous pics!! i hope i can land up in thre someday ;)
Take care!!!

trinitystar said...

Thank you everyone for drifting in ... it was so nice to see your comments.

its been a hectic week ... sorry if I have not managed to get round to everyone ...

hugs for you all.

Anonymous said...

hey marie!
interesting blog, it's really nice to see Manchester through all the pictures!at least I've had an idea of how it is until I come there one day!
and Manchester United is my favourite team too:-)))
take care!hugs

ps:you've got a beautiful daughter!

Natasha

trinitystar said...

Natasha,

What a wonderful surprise you paying a visit.
Yes, Perhaps you will come over here to Manchester one day.
Congratulation on your awards for your photography ... you really deserve them.
See you soon.
ps
have not been out due to weather.
still have not renewed the camera
looking at a fuji and one that has been recommended by flickr.
see you soon
thanks again.

Janice Thomson said...

Hello Trinitystar...I have never been to the UK but after reading this I would love to visit...so much info and wonderful pics!...thanks for the mini-tour!...and thanks for your visit too.