Destination Outbound

A theatre of dreams

Manchester is a play of sights, a succession of images - each revealing a little more of the city's history and where it's headed. By Hazel Jain

Trying to know the city of Manchester without knowing its past would be a little like scratching the surface to find out what's at the core. Among its many claims to fame - it has an entire list of 'firsts' from the field of industry to science, art and even politics - is the Industrial Revolution that it trailblazed in the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries.

It has been tagged to have led the world into the modern age, whether it liked it or not, and earned the moniker of Cottonopolis when it grew to become the world's cotton centre after a steam-powered cotton-making machine was fired up in 1783.

The rest, as they say, is history - and an important one that cannot be ignored. The invention of steam-powered machines sowed the seeds of other industries and the economy flourished. Fortunately for Manchester, its commercial success resulted in cultural prosperity as the city celebrated its wealth and fame by investing in art galleries, theatres, libraries, and proud civic structures like the Town Hall - an evidence of architectural superiority that the city strove for.

Comment should also be made of the City Council's initiative in refurbishing old (often derelict) buildings. It is heart-warming to see old, beloved buildings being used again, often in new and imaginative reincarnations - the Corn Exchange became the Triangle Shopping Centre, Watts Warehouse, a large, ornate Victorian Grade II structure is part of the Britannia Hotels chain, Joshua Hoyle's warehouse converted into the beautiful Malmaison Hotel in Piccadilly. This is evidence of a city in a state of constant flux.

Contrast these features with the modern-day Manchester and one gets the succession of images mentioned earlier. While admiring the neo-Gothic architecture of Town Hall we are distracted by a distant sound of violins playing an oldie accompanied by a bass voice emanating from a big white tent just outside. Further investigations reveal a St Patrick's Day parade party with beer and fish n' chips on sale, and everyone's invited!

Loudly Lowry

The Lowry, Salford's architectural flagship named after artist LS Lowry whose matchstick-like portraits of factory workers draw a lot of attraction, is a quirky metal structure that has the best in entertainment. Places like this dot the Manchester skyline, which is obstructed at one point by the Wheel of Manchester - the city's answer to the London Eye.

But none of the above was the trip's highlight; that honour was earned by the Old Trafford Lodge overlooking the historic expanse of Old Trafford Cricket Ground that was our home for three days. Any cricket fan will know that waking up to a sight of the early morning sun (or rain-heavy clouds, whichever the case may be) looking over the aforementioned was what dreams are made of. Imagine our surprise when while taking a tour of the stadium we ran into Andrew Flintoff at the practice nets!

If that dream had an icing, it would most definitely be a Manchester United match at Old Trafford. In our share fell the ManU versus Portsmouth game where the host team saw a humiliating 1-0 defeat! For a newbie though, the synchronised cheering, the loud singing and the eccentric clothing did the trick. This, and a visit to the Manchester United museum, fondly called Theatre of Dreams. I, personally, was tickled by its latest addition - the hologram of Sir Alex Ferguson, who talks about the club's history and its greatest victories while cracking football jokes.

However, sitting on the twenty-third floor of Manchester's newest addition to the skyline, Beetham Tower that houses Hilton's sky bar aptly named Cloud 23, all we could do was feel the city's expanse spread out before us; its history merged with its modernity in the darkness punctuated by city lights before the Mancunian horizon.