There is something pretty magical about walking the history of a place.
And it works on a number of different levels.
First there are the stories of the people and the places which are all the more vivid because you are there where they were and with just a little imagination it’s possible to touch their past.
All the better when what you can see is still almost exactly what was there a century and a half ago.
Added to all this is the opportunity to ask questions and in the process go down avenues of discovery which might not be available from a book or those increasingly popular virtual trips.
And above all you get to meet people.
So last Sunday over 50 of us set off from Hough End Hall to walk through the Chorlton of the 1840s finishing at the Lloyds which was hosting an exhibition on the house Sir Nicholas Mosley built in 1596 and which in its 400 years has been a status symbol, a farm house and latterly a restaurant and even a set of offices.
During the two hours that we strolled across the old township we talked about the Mosley fish pond the much believed set of tunnels leading away from the hall and just who in 1847 you would have to be polite too.
Amongst those on the first of the two Hough End Hall walks was Steve Roman who leads groups around the Manchester Peace and Social Justice.
Steve has kindly offered to lead a walk as a fund-raiser for the Friends of Hough End Hall which in his own words
“I helped put together and I now lead groups around the Trail on a bespoke basis, including for the Manchester Histories Festival, for Chester Civic Trust, for post-grad students and international visitors to the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute and for the annual Peace History Conference and other conferences. I also lead the walk as a fund-raiser for voluntary groups, most recently for War on Want, Manchester Community Choir and the Ancoats Dispensary Trust.
The tour usually lasts 2 ½ hours but is flexible to suit your group’s requirements, and can cover sites connected with the growth of Manchester as the world’s first industrial city and its importance as a centre for radical political activity, including
• Peterloo and the popular reform movement
• The Free Trade Hall, suffragettes to the Sex Pistols
• Abraham Lincoln, Manchester Cathedral and the campaign against slavery
• The Hidden Gem and religious tolerance
• Migration and the movement of peoples
• Alan Turing and gay rights
• Historic libraries and public art”
And for those who want to sample a walk before booking with Steve there are two up coming ones which are open to all, both starting at Victoria Station under the tiled map and finish at Piccadilly Gardens .
Sunday 31 May, 1.30 – 4.30: Cost £5 (£3 concessions). All proceeds go to Manchester Friends of the Earth.
Pay on the day or email office@manchesterfoe.org.uk if you would like to book, or to find out more.
http://macf.ontheplatform.org.uk/event-calendar/day/2015-05-31
Sunday 7 June, 1.00 – 4.00: Tickets are priced at £7 (£5 concessions). All proceeds will go to Amnesty International.
The walk will end at Gullivers in the Northern Quarter, where people can enjoy a cup of tea, sign some appeal cards, and find out more about the Stop Torture campaign, http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stop-torture-one-step-at-a-time-a-guided-walk-around-the-manchester-peace-justice-trail-tickets-16377565740
Steve Roman
0161 434 2908
Pictures;On the Hough End Hall walk, Sunday May 24, 2015 from the collection of Peter Topping, and Peace Statue, in the former Peace Garden, 1986, m58455, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
 |
| Outside Hough End Hall, built in 1596, on a May day in 2015 |
First there are the stories of the people and the places which are all the more vivid because you are there where they were and with just a little imagination it’s possible to touch their past.
All the better when what you can see is still almost exactly what was there a century and a half ago.
Added to all this is the opportunity to ask questions and in the process go down avenues of discovery which might not be available from a book or those increasingly popular virtual trips.
And above all you get to meet people.
 |
| At Brookfield House an elegant 18th residence, 2015 |
During the two hours that we strolled across the old township we talked about the Mosley fish pond the much believed set of tunnels leading away from the hall and just who in 1847 you would have to be polite too.
Amongst those on the first of the two Hough End Hall walks was Steve Roman who leads groups around the Manchester Peace and Social Justice.
Steve has kindly offered to lead a walk as a fund-raiser for the Friends of Hough End Hall which in his own words
“I helped put together and I now lead groups around the Trail on a bespoke basis, including for the Manchester Histories Festival, for Chester Civic Trust, for post-grad students and international visitors to the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute and for the annual Peace History Conference and other conferences. I also lead the walk as a fund-raiser for voluntary groups, most recently for War on Want, Manchester Community Choir and the Ancoats Dispensary Trust.
 |
| The Peace Statue, 1986 |
• Peterloo and the popular reform movement
• The Free Trade Hall, suffragettes to the Sex Pistols
• Abraham Lincoln, Manchester Cathedral and the campaign against slavery
• The Hidden Gem and religious tolerance
• Migration and the movement of peoples
• Alan Turing and gay rights
• Historic libraries and public art”
And for those who want to sample a walk before booking with Steve there are two up coming ones which are open to all, both starting at Victoria Station under the tiled map and finish at Piccadilly Gardens .
Sunday 31 May, 1.30 – 4.30: Cost £5 (£3 concessions). All proceeds go to Manchester Friends of the Earth.
Pay on the day or email office@manchesterfoe.org.uk if you would like to book, or to find out more.
http://macf.ontheplatform.org.uk/event-calendar/day/2015-05-31
Sunday 7 June, 1.00 – 4.00: Tickets are priced at £7 (£5 concessions). All proceeds will go to Amnesty International.
The walk will end at Gullivers in the Northern Quarter, where people can enjoy a cup of tea, sign some appeal cards, and find out more about the Stop Torture campaign, http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stop-torture-one-step-at-a-time-a-guided-walk-around-the-manchester-peace-justice-trail-tickets-16377565740
Steve Roman
0161 434 2908
Pictures;On the Hough End Hall walk, Sunday May 24, 2015 from the collection of Peter Topping, and Peace Statue, in the former Peace Garden, 1986, m58455, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
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