What you do on a sunny Saturday ……… in Manchester

Yesterday was one of those early April days when the weather could go either way.

Dining in at Pizza Express, St James's Building, 2022

The forecast promised sun in the morning and showers in the afternoon which was pretty much how it turned out.

Dining out in the Square, 2022

And of course, given the time of year, the sun couldn’t quite banish the cold.

That said there were enough people in shorts and summer dresses to make you feel that this was one of the days that you just had to get out and walk the walk.

And as the restaurants were getting ready for the mid-day rush, more than a few people chose to eat out in St Peter’s Square, while others gathered for a guided tour of the city, and one women sat patiently by the statue of Mrs Pankhurst, alone with only a suitcase for company.

Meanwhile along Oxford Road the steady procession of people heading into the city centre had to pick their way past an angry man who alternated between shouting abuse and chanting the names of both our local football teams.

Bike park, 2022

But once past this "embarrassment" there were those  interesting buildings to clock, from the terracotta Tootal Broadhurst and Lee Building, the equally magnificent St James's Building to  that former public lavatory which many years ago was converted into a bar.

I have to confess it is a drinking place I have never visited, but have always been amused by the idea of ordering a glass of superior white wine in an old urinal while reflecting that it stands on Great Bridgewater Street which seems a very grand name for what is an indifferent thoroughfare favoured by those who want to leave their bikes in a safe place.

Location; Manchester

Pictures; What you do on a sunny Saturday ……… in Manchester, 2022, from the collection of Andrew Simpson