where should I go when having (half) a day in Manchester

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Member for

20 years 1 month

Posts: 129

Hi,

Will have to go to Manchester (in fact some place 25m North of Manchester) in a couple of weeks. Just a couple of days. Where should I go supposing I would have (half) a day spare?

Regards,

Benno

Original post

Member for

17 years 11 months

Posts: 2,024

Museum of Science and Industry, The East Lancashire Railway, Manchester Airport ...

Member for

13 years

Posts: 228

Mosi worth a visit, view park at the airport for a short stay, IWM North not to bad - all as above. Is the avro heritage site open at Woodford at all?

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 2,841

Avro/Roe Heritage are closed at the moment. The old building is cleared out and all their stuff in boxes, stored ready for the move over to the "new" site (the old fire station) next spring when work's finished.

MoSI's a good call though it's a pity you haven't got a bit more time, Benno. What sort of aviation stuff you interested in?

Anon.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,000

Great pictures Rob.

The MoSI's Spitfire recently moved to RAFM Hendon and it's now on display in the Bomber Command Hall, so as far as I know MoSI is now without a Spitfire.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

Where should I go supposing I would have (half) a day spare?

Almost anywhere else in the world, Somalia apart, would be better ;)

Moggy

Member for

17 years 11 months

Posts: 2,024

Almost anywhere else in the world, Somalia apart, would be better ;)

Moggy


Spoken like a true Scouser :)

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

Damn!

Bang to rights :D

Moggy

Member for

15 years 11 months

Posts: 151

The only good thing to come out of Manchester is the M62 East bound.

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

A580 westbound.

Moggy

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16 years 10 months

Posts: 455

Manchester Ship Canal.

Takes all the rubbish where it belongs.................. Scouseland....

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

As one of no fixed abode who has worked in both places I endorse the last post. Although the M6 - North or South gets my vote!

Member for

11 years 1 month

Posts: 313

The Manchester Museum at the university is brilliant if you choose something without an aviation aspect, as is the People's History Museum. MOSI is looking a little tired nowadays, they are losing public support hand over fist due to some really aggressive 'Chugging' when you enter. The Hunter and the Spit have been reclamed by the RAFM, yet the Tornado and the Provost that are in the collection (together with all of the 146/RJ and 748/ATP stuff) remain in storage. The volunteers at the museum do a fantastic job, the Shackleton is a joy to behold if you can get the unofficial tour, but it feels like they are there to make the place a pretty backdrop to conferences and weddings. Most of the full time conservators have been made redundant, everyone else is employed in revenue generation rather than education and preservation.
There is also a lot of bitterness locally over their u-turn regarding the objections to the 'Ordsall Chord'. If you don't know about this, it is worth having a look in to! In a nutshell, Notwork Rail are going to sever the railway connection in to the museum and cut the available running line by two thirds. This new line that they are building is going to take advantage of an oversight in the listing of the buildings at the museum and go straight through the middle of the Station approach, severing the Grade 1 listed station from the grade 1 listed viaduct. This is the oldest intercity railway station in the world, for god's sake. There are very few places in the world where you can stand on a spot and say 'This is where it all began', but this was the absolute epicentre of the public transport revolution. It would be akin to turning the meadows at Kittyhawk in to a carpark and flattening the dunes to get a better sea view! MOSI were vehemently opposed to this scheme right up until the NR chequebook came out. Now it is down to a handful of us local history buffs to support English Heritage.
If you get a chance, the Anson museum http://www.enginemuseum.org/ is well worth a visit.

The Mersey runs through Liverpool because if it were to walk, it would get robbed at knifepoint.

Member for

16 years 7 months

Posts: 564

Theres always the "Hat museum" in near bye Stockport!!

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 1,528

There are very few places in the world where you can stand on a spot and say 'This is where it all began',

Technically Liverpool Road is where 'it all ended', as the inaugural train started from the Liverpool end and finished at the Manchester end whilst managing to kill an MP enroute. Manchester celibrated the arrival of the train by greeting the Prime Minister (The Duke of Wellington) with the tradditional Manchester riot.:highly_amused:

Member for

11 years 1 month

Posts: 313

Indeed the good Mamcumians did (correct spelling btw!) achieve what Boney failed to and forced Wellington to retreat. It was a well earned reward for his involvement in the Peterloo massacre 11 years before. Coincidentally, the place where NR intend to bulldoze is the very spot at which the loving crowd assembled to ballistically offer the gifts of rotting vegetables and a rich and varied selection of local building materials to the Duke. This was one of the reasons why Manchester maintained a Yeomanry for far longer than most British cities, we were far too good at civil disobedience for comfort.

Member for

14 years 9 months

Posts: 699

Definitely go to MOSI. It has it's weaknesses, but what museum doesn't. I went in August and was most impressed.

I would take issue with the remark earlier that implied that the museum isn't well attended. When I was there Hurricane Bertha was doing her best to dampen spirits but the museum was full, chocker.

Aviation wise it could do with a Fairey exhibit, it used to have a Firefly cockpit section but that's gone to be replaced with motor cars. An excellent collection of motor cars it is true, but not in the aviation hall please.

Regards