The new way to learn about the history of Greater Manchester ......

If you think about it the idea of telling the story of where we live by using the tram network has a lot going for it.

You can now catch a tram from the south, the east, the north and west into the centre of Manchester, and along the way each of the 99 stops will have a story to tell, and being the tram you can just jump off explore this little pocket of history and move on. Or skip to the end destinations and discover interesting historical things about Ashton-Under-Lyne, Rochdale, Oldham, Salford and bits of Trafford, Altrincham and Bury.

And this is the new project  Peter and I have chosen for a series of new books.

Each book will wander along the network, taking in nine stops or so at a time, with original paintings by Peter, old photographs and stories by me. 

The first book is due back from the printer's on Monday and follows the line that takes you south to East Didsbury, taking in Trafford Bar, Firswood, Chorlton, St Werburghs, Withington, Burton Road, West Didsbury, Didsbury Village and ending at East Didsbury.

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 fun way to learn about the past.

And while you wait for the arrival of the tram book to hit the bookshelves we are happy to announce that our book on the Horse and Jockey this much loved inn on the green has proved very popular.  

The pub started its long association with beer and cheer in the 1790s, in a building which was built just  a decade or so after Henry VIII walked down the aisle with Ann Boleyn, leaving us to promise tales of the dramatic, the sad and the funny with some myths and mysteries which tumble from the pages.

Both books along with the other twelve we have written together are available from Chorlton Bookshop, and from us at www.pubbooks.co.uk

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