Balloon Street

Whenever I go by Balloon Street in the centre of Manchester I always think of the Cooperative. I've never really thought of why Balloon Street is called Balloon Street, although I'm always aware that a street called 'Balloon' must be slightly quirky.

In 1785 a chap named James Sadler ascended in a balloon, in what was one of the the first such activities in the world, from some waste ground by a house in Long Millgate, and the alley behind this ground became Balloon Street.

Son of a pastry chef and confectioner, James Sadler became interested in science and was inspired by stories of manned balloon flights in France in 1783. He experimented with gas filled balloons in his father's laboratory and this culminated in the first Manchester balloon ascent. Mr Sadler had done this the year before in Oxford in a 170 foot hot air affair and clearly caught the bug. In Manchester he rose 13,000 feet, travelled 50 miles and ended up in Pontefract.
His final flight some time later went horribly wrong - he tried to land at Lichfield in Staffordshire whilst being dragged cross country but was never seen again. A true pioneer.

Air mail

On Liverpool Road in Castlefield stands a blue post box. It's in service - you can post your letters here and the posties at Royal Mail will work like mad things to deliver them to any address in Britain.

It was painted blue in 1983 to commemorate the association of the Post Office (now a separate entity from Royal Mail who put your mail through your letterbox) with British aviation and also, as it it states on the plaque on the side of the box, in support of the Manchester Aerospace Museum, now the Air and Space Hall, Museum of Science and Industry.

This box was painted blue because blue post boxes did exist once, it wasn't just a fancy whim - they were in use for only eight years, from 1930 to 1938, until air services had expanded to the extent that such pillar boxes were essentially redundant. There is an original blue air mail box outside Windsor Castle, which I'm sure is lovely, but without as much love that has gone into this one. Below is a design from a poster advertising the Air Mail service (thanks to Postal Heritage for the image) - I don't know who designed this (if anyone knows please let me know) but it puts me in mind of the great Abram Games.

The blue pillar box is a beautiful reminder of a bygone era and the wonder of aviation.

Graffiti I love #3

When you absolutely have to get it off your chest make sure you have a felt-tip handy.

Flippin' 'eck

I'd just like to say thanks to anyone who nominated me for the Manchester Blog Awards - much to my surprise I've scooped Best City and Neighbourhood, and Blog of the Year!! My personal faves were Manchester Photography (not shortlisted) and the Zedders. I'd also like to thank Caroline's Miscellany and Unmitigated England who inspired me to do something similar about Manchester, so I pinched the idea! Thanks!! I'll be having a pint or three in celebration. Cheers everybody - here's to you all.

I'll be here. Or somewhere nearby...

406/406a Wilbraham Road, Chorlton

Around 16 years ago, my girlfriend at the time used to go on about a shop doorway in Chorlton with some lovely tiling that read 'drink milk'. She was right - it is lovely, and it was thinking about things for this blog that reminded me of it. I decided to get the bus round to Chorlton this morning to see if it still existed. Much to my surprise it did.

The place was obviously a creamery once-upon-a-time. I can't remember what the building housed when I first came across it, but the 'British Hardware Federation' sticker in the window suggests that it was once a hardware shop. There's a possession notice in the window dated from May - hopefully whatever the landlord decides to do with the building the tiling will remain. Other than that, I've had no luck in dating the creamery. Never mind - just enjoy the tiles. And drink your milk.

Hacienda postscript

Left outside the Hacienda on the announcement of Tony Wilson's death.

Hacienda history, Rochdale Canal #3

The final part of my trip along Rochdale Canal...

"THE HACIENDA MUST BE BUILT" from 'Formulaire pour un urbanisme nouveau', Ivan Chtcheglov - activist and theorist, the man who tried to denconstruct the Eiffel Tower, inspired the Situationists and Tony Wilson and his nightclub, committed to a mental institution for 5 years (Ivan, not Tony) he survived and lived on until 1998.

Just the guy for for anyone bored in the city.

Ghost signs #1

I love the way a ghost sign is like a little time warp sweeping you away into another time and place. This one is on the side of Trof, 5 -8 Thomas Street, in the Northern Quarter. There was clearly something covering up this ghost sign but now the beauty has been liberated after having been preserved for so long. I've failed to find out any more about it other than the obvious fact you could get a shave, a haircut and a bed for the night.

If you're partial to a good ghost sign, you'll love this.