Discovering Manchester’s industrial revolution.

At the south-west corner of Manchester city centre is the area of Castlefield. The area is not large but its importance to the industrialisation of Manchester and the north west of England has been immense.

The Bridgewater Canal terminates here. It was constructed to service the coal mines around Worsley, that were owned by the Duke of Bridgewater. It was later extended to connect Runcorn, Worsley and Leigh. The Rochdale Canal and other shorter canals join the Bridgewater Canal in Castlefield. The area is still home to many warehouses that were built at this time. Many of these served the cotton industry that dominated Manchester.

Later came the railway. Consequently, Castlefield is a criss cross of routes to serve barges and trains. There are many notable landmarks, including the former Liverpool Road Railway Station. Opened in 1830 it was the terminus for the worlds first inter-city passenger railway, connecting Manchester and Liverpool.

If you are in Manchester it is worth a visit, and try to make time to see the Science and Industry Museum.

An afternoon at the home of The Gunners with Perry Groves.

Royal Academy.

Somerset House.

A must for culture vultures.

My visit to Somerset House to see “The Art of Breaking the Rules”, was eagerly anticipated. It is an exhibition that charts the history of and pays tribute to The Beano.

The Beano has been making us chuckle since it was first published in 1938. In those days many children were brought up to learn about the British empire, to tug their forelock to a person of higher status or older age, and later be conscripted into national service. A child’s first reading of The Beano must have had a similar impact to hearing Little Richard or seeing The Sex Pistols for later generations.

Many of the characters in The Beano are subversive, railing against the authority of their parents, their teachers and anybody wearing a uniform. However, on almost every occasion things don’t work out like they wanted them to do and they suffer the consequences, which often was a dam good whacking.

All the characters are celebrated at the exhibition. Dennis the Menace, Roger the Dodger, Minnie the Minx, Billy Whizz. Lord Snooty and many others.

My own favourites are the anti swots of British education, The Bash Street Kids. Every week we have been able to enjoy their constant attempts to undermine and reject the dull and lifeless curriculum that has been presented to them.

Poor old teacher. No matter how hard he tries, his plans always end in chaos.

I would not want to take his register and teach all of his lessons!

The Jones Gang at the 229 Club.

The 1970s are not over yet.

The UK’s motor city.

A visit to Symphony Hall to see The Pretenders. A marvelous evening. The band was in great form.

Birmingham is a fascinating city to visit. Of course, it was at the hub of the industrial revolution and you don’t have to look very hard to find evidence of its manufacturing heritage.

A great way to explore Birmingham is to follow the miles of canal towpaths that slice through the city. You can start your journey from Gas Street Basin, smack in the middle of town. There are lots of routes to follow and within a few minutes you will have left the bustle of the bars and the business districts and be strolling through peaceful countryside.

However, wherever you are, there will be a piece of social history to notice and investigate. It might be a neglected factory, a wonderful pub, a chapel, a boatyard or a spectacular bridge that crosses the waterway.

The Jewellery Quarter has an abundance of Victorian and early 20th century buildings devoted to the manufacture of jewellery and similar small goods. There are still many shops and businesses in the area. I noticed the factory of Thomas Fattorini Ltd, a company well known for the manufacture of famous sporting trophies, including the original F.A. Cup.

If you do visit, make time to relax in the grounds of St. Paul’s church, a wonderful place to relax and to appreciate the local history. A wonderful place to have a lunch.

Autumn 2021.

The River Lea is London’s second river. It rises near Luton and meets the River Thames at Leamouth, close to Docklands. A walk along its banks may surprise you. Especially as it flows through the area formerly known as Stratford-at-Bow, but is now known as Bow.

It is an area that has changed radically this century. The 2012 Olympics stimulated that change. There are many new buildings in addition to The Olympic Park.

The final couple of miles of the River Lea are known as Bow Creek. The river is tidal and it has a big impact on the economic and social history of this end of the capital.

The area was heavily industrialised. It was a site for shipbuilding, coal wharfs and the Thames Ironworks. The workers at the ironworks formed a football club that developed into West Ham F.C.

Between the Greencore Sandwich Factory in Bow and the London Stadium in Stratford is Three Mills, an island on the River Lea. For hundreds of years mills on this site produced grain, not only for bakers but also distillers of gin.

Many of the mill buildings survive. Some have been converted into “3 Mills Studio”. Many films and television shows have been recorded here including MasterChef. Yes, this is the lair of Gregg Wallace.

Not far away is Abbey Mills Pumping Station. This is a splendid Victorian building that has been called ” a cathedral of sewage”. Very nice.

A little away from the river is the former Bryant and May Match Factory. At the end of the 19th century this huge building was London’s largest factory and had a workforce of around 5000 employees. Many of the employees were women and children. They were known as ‘Match Girls”. Any readers who have studied Victorian social history may be familiar with these workers and the famous strike that they held in response to their working conditions and in particular the risk of catching “Phossy Jaw” as a consequence of working with sulphur.

It may not be in all of the tourist guides but a visit to this corner of the east end will give you an insight into the struggles of working people.