Taken firstly because I liked the light (it’s been a damn good month for it) and secondly for the novelty factor of actually being able to see across Oxford Road without a bus being in the way. The tower block in the background has appeared on the blog before, by the way.
My perambulations through the centre of Manchester do seem to get later and later, don’t they. If the city has a symbolic centre, Piccadilly Gardens is probably it — no, not Old Trafford (which isn’t actually in Manchester anyway). This shot makes it look vaguely pastoral, which is why I like it: actually the place is a concrete jungle. A pretty intense rain shower stopped a couple of minutes beforehand.
Although there are other eminent candidates, Alan Turing is probably the most famous single scientist ever to have worked at the University of Manchester. If it wasn’t for his work on the philosophical-technological basis of computing – the idea that a machine did not have to be built to perform one task, but could perform many, if it were given the right instructions – we might not be sitting here doing all these things we do with ICT. On the other hand, if he hadn’t been persecuted for his sexuality, and committed suicide as a result, who knows how much further the technology could have advanced. This memorial to him sits (literally) in Sackville Gardens, at the corner of Whitworth and Sackville Streets, Manchester.
John Owens made his fortune in the early 1800s, it seems in two ways — first through cotton trading, and secondly by “keeping no company whatsoever” and spending every evening in, reading books (according to contemporary accounts). On his death, with no children — unsurprising, with those habits — he left a substantial sum of money towards the foundation of Owens College, now a part of the University of Manchester, and also made it a condition of his will that no student nor member of the faculty in that institution would ever have to “pass a religious test” to achieve their status. He might not have been much of a party animal, but at least he had a sensible lack of zealotry along with it.
This marquee sits outside my building at uni, where thousands of people currently wander around looking half-lost and half-excited. Whatever was going on in here yesterday, though, it’s moved on, though no one has yet thought to clear up the balloons.
In case this hasn’t been apparent from the pictures, it’s been raining for about three days now: not heavily, but persistently. As it always seems to around now, just in time to welcome the new year’s students to Manchester: hi, here’s that grey rainy city you were being warned about. Wanted to get a picture today that encapsulated their arrival, but with such flat grey light it was better, in the end, to do one like this. I know I could have been more at the necessary right angle to the facade, but hey.
I’m a little disappointed with the sharpness of the background but there’s a long zoom on it to get the right depth of field so I guess one can’t have everything. The focus is just a bit further forward than intended. Otherwise I like the sinuous sweep of these tramlines, as they come down past the G-MEX centre and head towards the city.
Just another one of those corners that pop up at the periphery of my life. I had very little time as I half-ran back through Manchester today, to catch the best train home, but I did pause along the way to catch this shot. It’s not of anything in particular, it’s just a combination of cloud and architecture and light that I like.
Returning from my week working away was encouraged by the chance to join Clare at her photo shoot at Alt.studios in Manchester. I should in fact call it ‘our’ shoot because I also had my first experience of being in front of a professionally-wielded camera. Whether you get to see the results or not depends on how well I know you.
Officially I’m still on sabbatical. So you didn’t see me. I wasn’t here today. Nor, really, is anybody else. This is of course the time of year we like the most.
Being 42 