Manchester - old and new

Another weekend in Manchester - and more new places to discover.

First off, Salford Quays. I've heard a lot about this area (in fact people seem surprised that I've never been on previous visits to Manchester), so as our daughter was at a Maker's Market in the area, I wanted to have a look around - both outside, and then round the Lowry Gallery itself.









The old quays have completely gone, their warehouses replaced by funky new housing developments.

Even the bridges are futuristic! 

This is definitely one of Manchester's modern areas, but it's more brutal concrete than, say, the high-rise glass buildings of Spiningfields, and it's not a look which appeals to me.















Inside the Lowry was confusing and very busy with a national gymnastics competition taking place in part of the building, but someone was on hand to point us in the direction of the gallery. As you might guess, a lot of space is given over to the paintings of LS Lowry. Oddly I found myself more attracted to his later works, scenes of industrial desolation, rather than the better known 'matchstalk men' paintings. The temporary exhibition - The State of Us - proved to be uncomfortable for both of us; very low level lighting plus flash of light and random noises from the displays played havoc with my sight and hearing, so we didn't stay long.




We'd stayed, as we often do, in an Air BnB and accidentally discovered that we were just a few hundred yards from  Ordsall Hall.












Once a manor house in the middle of fields and orchards, it's now an odd oasis of Tudor charm surrounded by modern houses and factories. This was much more my kind of thing!

Inside the rooms have been recreated much as they would have been in Tudor times - beds with hangings, a curtained bath, and (imitation) food waiting to be prepared in the kitchen.

















Outside there's a Tudor knot garden, an allotment demonstrating how the land was used during WW1, and a moat, usually dry under the wings of these wooden swans, but not last weekend.

It's that odd juxtaposition of old and new that always startles me in Manchester though.

Onward, on our way home, on the other side of Manchester, lies Lyme (famous for the Mr Darcy swimming exploits of the BBC/Colin Firth series of Pride and Prejudice) 

I didn't spot Mr D, not even when looking through this hidden peep-hole, or walking by the lake, but the house was fascinating - more elaborate and richly decorated than the severe straight lines of its exterior might lead you to expect.

It's now owned by the National Trust, and visitors encouraged to almost feel at home - to play the piano in the entrance hall, or billiards in the Long Gallery, or sit and read in the library. It's a large house though, with lots to explore and if we'd attempted any of them we'd probably never have got home.







As it was, we only had time for a brief look at the gardens before heading off. I'll be back in better weather to see more.