Lunch in the City in May ..... with a bit of history thrown in

Now I doubt there will be many who remember when this bit of St Peters’s Square was a slab of buildings which at the beginning of the last century comprised a number of shops, a restaurant, two social clubs, a wine and spirit store, all of which sat below a heap of offices.

St Peter's Square, 2022

The rear of the buildings backed on to West Mosley Street.

This was one of those narrow thoroughfares which the sun struggled to break through, and if it did would illuminate another set of buildings, occupied by more offices, and the premises of Smith Youle and Company.

These were swept away in the 1930s for the impressive Town Hall Extension

And the place where our three ate their lunch on a May day was a nursery with an interesting set of building just south of the Peace Gardens.

And now it is one of our open squares, which at pretty much any time of the year will be full of people. 

Sitting, talking or just watching the passing trams,.

And of course, if you happen to hit the place at midday you can add sandwiches, home made meals and takeaways to the list.

I happened on the spot at lunch time, took the picture of the three eating and talking, and then made the picture two.

The two in the Square, 2022

Later I wandered down to the bottom of Peter Street where it joins Deansgate and caught a group of office workers enjoying the May sun.

Lunch amongst the railway offices, 2022

It’s a favourite place, and like them I like to sit on the stone steps looking towards the former Deansgate Warehouse and reflect that a century and a bit ago on this location stood the offices of the Great Western Railway and an open space.

Lunch amongst the railway offices, circa 1900

I could write more but I won’t for now.

Location; Manchester

Pictures; lunch time in Manchester, 2022, from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and the Peter Street and Offices of the Great Western Railway, 1900, Goads Fire Insurance Maps, courtesy of Digital Archives Association,  http://digitalarchives.co.uk/