At Manchester Airport with Les Entremets et Canapes

Now I first flew in 1982 and I have to admit I was 33 which these days is I guess quite old.

But my dad was in his mid 60s and my mum and three of my sisters never took to the air.

So by the time I walked through the doors of Manchester airport it had become a big place and today is even bigger.

I was reminded of all of this when I came across a menu for the restaurant at the airport which I think dates from either the late 1950s or early 1960s.

And right away we are in a different era, for the whole thing is in French with of course an English translation. So the Les Entremets et Canapes [sweets and savouries] consisted of 21 dishes including Parfait Ringway [Vanilla and Strawberry Ice, Cherries, Chopped Nuts, Fruit salad], Campe aux Sardines [Sardines on toast] both at 3s 6d.

There was a Guide to Culinary terms and that invitation to elegant dining with the food “cooked beside your table” which included Tournedos Ringway at 10s 6d, Poulec a la Broche at 21s and Steak Tartar for 12s 0d

There was “VIN EN CARAFE, Rouge [red] at 10s 6d, or 5s 6d and Blanc, [white] for 10s 6d or 5s 6d”

Now I am fascinated by the firm who did the catering.  This was The House of Smallmans who were based in Rushholme and in 1962 at Heald Green, and will be worth a little research.

But in the mean time I shall close with some other images of the airport in the 1950s  ranging from the restaurant to the departure lounge.

Pictures; menu cover, courtesy of Jan Crowe, and airport pictures, Manchester Restaurant, m6219, and Manchester Lunge at Passenger Check in, m62618, 1953, Courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council

Badge of the week no.3 .......... celebrating Manchester Airport

The third in the series featuring badges from the collection with a bit of a story.

Now I have to be honest these two are not from the collection but were recently posted by Stephen Marland who like me revels in all things odd, interesting and different.

So here are two badges celebrating Manchester Airport which Stephen thinks date from the late 1960s.

And they offer up a host of supplementary questions from who made them to why were they created.

Of course there will be someone who recognises them and will have their detailed history ready to be told.

I hope so.

Location; Manchester











Picture; Manchester Airport, courtesy of Stephen Marland

Summer in the city ..... July 2018 no. 7 .... Airport shapes

Location; Manchester

Picture; Manchester Airport, 2018, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Flying in to Manchester ………..on the long haul from Calgary

Now I never have presence of mind to capture that moment when the plane heads towards the city.

But Peter flying in from western Canada, did just that, and I rather like what he recorded.

Enough said.

Location; “Coming in to Manchester”, August 19th, 2019, from the collection of Peter Armistead

Travelling alone, at the airport

I have never lost my thrill of travelling, and it all starts at the airport.

I guess for the Victorians it would have been the railway.  That mix of noise, bustle and promise of faraway places.  Of course there can also be the delays, cancelled flights and crowds.

Still whether it’s the station or the airport there is the excitement of watching the trains and planes.

And so to the picture.  I have no idea where we were flying to or what year it was except that it was morning on air side and some had already taken to the beer.  For some I guess it is about settling the nerves and for others just because you can.

Picture; from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Summer in the city ..... July 2018 no. 9 .... more Airport shapes

Location; Manchester










Picture; Manchester Airport, 2018, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Wishing I had a letter to post .............. waiting at the Airport for the plane from Milan

Now of all the bits of street furniture I have come across these two do not rank very highly.

At T3 waiting for the plane from Milan, 2016

They are not that old and are not even on a street.

If you wanted to use either of them it would involve a trip out to the airport and a wander across to the arrivals area of T3.

But they are nevertheless post boxes and deserve a place in the category of “post boxes I have known.”

That said they may at some point in the future be on the move as the future plans for the airport unfold.*

Which just leaves me to wonder if my old friend David Harrop will get involved given that he “arranged the installation of the George V1 boxes.”

Location; T3, Manchester Airport, Manchester

Picture; at Manchester Airport, 2016, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*Manchester Airport Master Plan to 2030, file:///C:/Users/Andrew/Documents/Downloads/AirportMasterplan.pdf

£1bn Manchester Airport transformation: Super-sized terminal, faster security, more passengers, more routes, Charlotte Cox, Manchester Evening News, June 16 2015
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-airport-expansion-plan-security-9370929

Just a little later, travellling to the airport by tram

So Saturday was the day of the adventure, when I set off on the new tram route from Chorlton to Wythenshawe there by making a little bit of history.

Now in the great sweep of history I doubt that the event will even feature as a full stop in a book recording the story of public transport in Manchester but it was my little moment.

True it should have been last week when the service began and if I had lived along the route the Sunday before when residents were offered their own tram ride for putting up with the aggravation of years of construction work.

But Saturday it was and it was worth it not least for the views over the meadows and golf course but also because of the ingenious route which opened up a lot of Wythenshawe.

And that is where I think the line will be judged, for I suspect a lot of people flying out from the airport will still opt for a taxi, the train or a lift from a friend but for those living along its route it will be a quick and direct route to Civic and more importantly to town.

As someone who spent many years travelling by bus into and out of Wythenshawe the tram is a better alternative even given the need to change at Cornbrook for town.

A choice which seemed to have been made by quite a few people travelling the two or three stops either side of Civic and as the tram headed closer to town the number of passengers increased so that just beyond Sale Water Park some had to stand.

So despite some reservations about the tram crossing the meadows I have to say it is a benefit and reminds me of how the Corporation trams which began running at the beginning of the 20th century helped open up the suburbs of south Manchester.

Picture; the metro stop at Barlow Moor Road, 2014, and Deansgate from the collection of Andrew Simpson