Second star to the right and straight on ‘till morning ……. travelling by tram and discovering our history*

There are plenty of ways of telling the history of Greater Manchester, but no one has set about it using the metro tram.

Chasing the tram south, Lower Mosley Street, 2023

So, with that in mind here is the official launch of the new series the History of Greater Manchester by Tram.

It is another of those collaborations with Peter Topping where he paints the pictures and I tell the stories.

An interesting tale at each of the stops on the network will be painted by Peter and I will find a story for each, which tells a bit of the history of Greater Manchester.

The books will wander along the network, taking in five or so Metro stops allowing readers the opportunity to jump on and off the tram traveling the routes.

Market Street bound for East Didsbury, 2010

My friend David muttered darkly about one stop on the way to Oldham which offered just a car park and a sign.

But he underestimates us, and there will always be a story, from the one about the 27 Steps, to "The Dog, the Donkey and the car boot sale".

And we shall start with the line that takes you south to East Didsbury, taking in Old Trafford, Firswood, Chorlton, St Werburghs, Withington, Burton Road, West Didsbury, Didsbury Village and ending at Parrs Wood.

Some will remember we floated the idea back in 2017 and the plan was to produce one big bumper book, but we chose to wait till the Trafford spur had been built and then Covid got in the way.**

And now we have gone for a series of smaller books which take just a bit of the network, and cost less than the price of a day travel card.  They will be pocket size and will be colour coded to match each of the lines.

It is the novel and a fun way to learn about the past.

Always arrive in pairs, St Peter's Square, 2022

The East Didsbury edition will be out in May.

Just leaving me to say in the fullness of time we will also have a look at all the old Corporation tram departments which did the business from the late 19th century into the middle of the next century.

Location Manchester

Pictures; scenes from a tram stop, 2017-2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*J.M Barrie, Peter Pan, 1904

**A new book on the History of Greater Manchester by Tram, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/A%20new%20book%20on%20the%20History%20of%20Greater%20Manchester%20by%20Tram