Waiting in St Peter's Square for the tram and pondering on the future

Everyone has their favourite metro stop in the city centre.

For me it is St Peter’s Square surrounded by Central Ref, the War Memorial and with clear views across to the Midland Hotel, the Bridgewater Hall, and down Oxford Street with the City Art Gallery thrown in as an extra.

By comparison Market Street is too busy and Piccadilly will forever be scarred by that concrete wall which leaves Shude Hill and Deansgate Castlefield.

Now I will concede there is a lot to see from the elevated platform facing Central Station and it runs St Peter’s Square a close second, but my first choice pretty much calls the tune.

That said I wonder if I will feel at home after the completion of the Second City Crossing and the relocation of the platforms.

“The existing stop in St Peter's Square will be relocated to the northern end of the Square, near the Mosley Street/Princess Street junction and the existing tracks will be realigned between Elisabeth House and the Central Library. 

This will provide the opportunity to create a major civic space.”*

And given that “St Peter's Square is anticipated to contain the busiest tram stop on the Metrolink network”


I can see the logic of moving the Cenotaph “which would provide better opportunity for contemplation. The area of the square by the Cooper Street entrance to the Town Hall provides an appropriate setting for this hugely important memorial, with strong civic focus and much improved views from around the square.”

We shall see.  Certainly this fits with the artist’s impression of how the new area will look when finished.

After all the traffic flow and the present metro can be pretty distracting for anyone wanting just to sit in the space around the memorial, while its new location in front of the eastern entrance of the Town Hall seems fitting.

In turn this will free up the space opposite the Ref as a broad open area free of all traffic save the tram.

Well we shall see.  With all such open spaces there is that real danger they become wide expanses full of litter and devoid of any beauty.

On the other hand Albert Square works so perhaps will St Peter’s Square.

Pictures; from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*The Second City Crossing, Manchester Metrolink, http://www.tfgm.com/Corporate/Consultations/Metrolink2cc/Pages/second_city_crossing_stops.aspx