In the 1950s, even modest sized towns took pride in their civic buildings - the parish church, chapels, town hall, railway station, library, public baths, hospital, maternity home, police station, ambulance station, fire station, general post-office and perhaps an historic grammar school. These were the facilities by which we measured civilised life. The civic buildings and chapels often dated from the late Victorian or Edwardian period, and can now be seen as a product of an age before mass car ownership when services had to be provided locally. In the last 50 years, many of these buildings have fallen into disuse, been demolished or converted for other purposes. In the 1960s, some smaller towns lost their railway station in the Beeching cuts. Local government reorganisation in 1974 eventually led to rationalisation and concentration of police, ambulance and fire services into larger units. The same process was at work in the health service with the loss of small local hospitals and maternity homes. The new unitary authorities did not require all the town halls of the constituent boroughs and new comprehensive schools required larger and more modern premises than provided by some of the old grammar schools. Small local postal sorting offices were replaced by regional centres. Everywhere one sees chapels derelict, for sale, or turned into warehouses or dwellings and larger towns and cities have lost churches in the same way. Bit by bit the urban landscape has changed until now, with the perspective of half a century, we see that the old townscape has passed to be replaced by the supermarket, chain store and out-of-town retail park. Small towns have had their shopping streets badly eroded by supermarkets and the increase of online shopping, particularly during the pandemic of 2020-2022. The butcher, baker and greengrocer have been replaced by the charity shop, cafe, tattoo parlour and hair dressing salon. Now, with changes in the way information is distributed and the pressure on budgets, libraries are under threat too. To the degree that the urban facilities of the 1950s formed part of our culture, community and social cohesion, these have been eroded. Some of these trends are shown in the pages that follow, with surplus town halls, chapels for sale, banks turned into pubs and empty town centre properties but I celebrate our historic buildings, and some new ones too, wherever they are to be found.
MANCHESTER MISCELLANY 12003-2010Picadilly, St. Peter's Square, Bridgewater Hall |
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Bridgewater Hall | ||
MANCHESTER MISCELLANY 22011-2014A selection of images from around the city centre
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G-Mex Centre | ||
MANCHESTER MISCELLANY 32015-2020A selection of images from Manchester area |
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BOLTON TOWN HALL28 July 2011A tour of the town hall with the Alston Hall College |
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Bolton Town Hall | ||
BURY19 August 2009A walk around the town centre |
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Library, Museum & Art Gallery | ||
LEEDS TOWN HALL27 July 2011A tour of the town hall with the Alston Hall College |
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Leeds Town Hall | ||
LIVERPOOL, ST. GEORGE'S HALL26 July 2011A tour of St. George's Hall with the Alston Hall College |
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St. George's Hall, Liverpool |
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LIVERPOOL TOWN HALL26 July 2011A tour of Liverpool Town Hall with the Alston Hall College |
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Liverpool Town Hall |
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LYTHAM4 October 2010Some close-up shots of the town |
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Market Hall at Lytham | ||
OLDHAM8 February 2010A short walk around the town centre starting in Union Street |
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St. Mary's, Oldham | ||
PRESCOT, MERSEYSIDE8 March 2010A walk round the town centre taking in the church, |
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Deanes House, Church Street | ||
ROCHDALE TOWN HALL28 July 2011A tour of the town hall with the Alston Hall College |
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Rochdale Town Hall | ||
SALE, TRAFFORD, GREATER MANCHESTER24 February 2010A short walk from Northenden Road along School Road |
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Sale Town Hall | ||
SALFORD QUAYS & MEDIA CITY11 July 2012A walk from the Lowry Centre to Media City |
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Salford Quays | ||
ST. ANNES ON SEA14 April 2010A short walk around the town |
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The pier at St. Annes | ||
STOCKPORT28 Nov 2008Railway Road, Wellington Road South and |
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Stockport Market Hall | ||
THE TRAFFORD CENTRE2007 to 2021Architecture and Decorations |
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Trafford Centre | ||
WATERLOO, LIVERPOOL10 February 2010A walk around the town starting from Beach Lawn |
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Beach Lawn villas | ||
WIDNES8 March 2010A walk from Lacey Street to Albert Road via |
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St. Paul's, Widnes |
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WIGAN1 February 2010A walk around the town centre starting in King Street |
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Market Place, Wigan | ||
WHITEHAVEN, CUMBRIA28 September 2011A walk round Whitehaven looking at historic buildings |
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Roper Street, Whitehaven | ||
WREXHAM, NORTH WALES30 August 2011A walk round Wrexham looking at the architecture |
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Hope Street, Wrexham |