Trafford Bar to East Didsbury by tram with a heap of history ……

As promised the first of our series on the History of Greater Manchester by Tram is in the book shops today.

A cornucopia of stories, 2024

It is one of those original ways of telling stories of Greater Manchester and fits in with that slightly quirky way that me and Peter Topping have brought you  the history of where we live.

So back to the new book.

The idea of telling the story of Greater Manchester by using the tram network has a lot going for it.

You can catch a tram from the city centre and go south, east,  north, and west 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 Didsbury, Ashton-Under-Lyne, Rochdale, Oldham, Salford and bits of Trafford, Altrincham and Bury.

Tram People, 2018

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 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.

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

The book along with the other thirteen we have written together are available from Chorlton Bookshop, and from us at www.pubbooks.co.uk

South  to Didsbury, 2013

Pictures, a cornucopia of stories, 2024, Tram People, 2018, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Painting; south  to Didsbury,© Peter Topping 2013 www.paintingsfrompictures.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