Friday, July 16, 2010

more Manchester

Arial Photograph of the City of Manchester
The City of Manchester--located in northwest England and comprised of 25 districts/suburbs by 1938 (now 30+). Some background: Manchester dates back to before Roman times and been the setting of many British historical events through the medieval and industrial periods. {wiki} Manchester was an epicenter of manufacturing (beginning with the cotton mill); mobilization of its factories caused the city to be blitzed in 1940. During Turing's stay, Manchester would have been mostly restored and back to cotton/textile processing. Its port was growing into the 3rd largest in the UK (before closing down in the 80s).
[note: "Greater Manchester" is a county consisting of 10 boroughs, of which the City of Manchester is one.]
DEPRIVED: Windows are boarded upModern Harpurhey, a Manchester district that has changed little since the 50s and is considered one of the most deprived neighborhoods in all England.
The Northern Quarter of Manchester is considered very hip these days with its cafes/bars, music, and clothing shops. The architecture, however, has changed little.
Manchester town hall in Albert Square.
Canal street manchester.jpg Canal St. The center of what is now considered Manchester's Gay Village. Home to many bars and clubs that originally served canal workers, it became a "lesbian-oriented area" around the 1960s and is now one of the most successful gay villages in Europe. Queer As Folk is set here. Oh, the irony...
Brass band music has always been huge in Manchester, but one gets a better feel for the youth/music scene in the city from it's later products: the Smiths and Oasis in the 80s, Herman's Hermits and the Hollies, before them. Manchester is a rock'n'roll city.

And let us not forget the pride and joy of the city...
http://www.independent.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00055/Manchester_City_55470t.jpg
..its football teams! Manchester United and Manchester City. Both teams were formed in the 19th C. Man U is the former team of Beckham, and has been consistently ranked first amongst British and European club teams-a big deal! Turing would had been witness to football fervor during his time in Manchester.
and again, the University of Manchester.

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