An ill-kept muddy lane, held in place on one of its sides by wild hedgerows

That was how Oldham Street, at the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, was described in the early 18th century. Following an extremely pleasant Tweetup at North Tea Power on Tib Street (on the right there), I took my camera on a #wander around Manchester’s Northern Quarter, described nowadays in Wikipedia as “a centre of alternative and bohemian culture”. 

This is a fascinating area of the city, often overlooked by the daily visitor which is a shame since it nestles between both major rail stations and is therefore easy to find. This photograph shows David Kemp’s “Tib Street Horn” opposite the eclectic shopping emporium that is Affleck’s Palace. Kemp says “It's not really a saxophone, nor a dragon, coiled on the gothic stump of a Victorian hat factory. Perhaps it's a listening device, filtering the left-over sounds from the street corner below, where the past bumps into the future, shooting the lights”.

Many of the pavements here are metal edged, the extreme wear on the studded strips indicating their age. They were built during the area’s industrial heyday, when warehouses and mills abounded. Their purpose was to act as protection against wear and tear by horses hooves and cartwheels, and also possibly to act as a sort of Victorian ‘rumble strip’, since cart drivers could not see the wheels of their vehicles.

Friedrich Engels in The Condition of the Working Class in England described this area as insanitary and down at heel, where houses were "dirty old and tumble-down, and the construction of the side-streets utterly horrible … pigs walk about in the alleys, rooting in offal heaps". I saw no pigs, and people take much more pride in the appearance of the streets, even calling in Totoro to help with boring shop shutters. Bare brick walls seem to be an anathema round here, and are more usually used to present brightly-coloured and cheerful graffiti (although that seems to ordinary a word for many of the artworks).

Just round the corner is the Manchester Craft & Design Centre, a collection of eighteen small studios lurking in the shell of an old fish market, and housing artistic types producing jewellery, sculpture, clothing, furniture and god knows what else. All a bit pricey for me, mind, although I did enjoy the opportunity to drop stuff off the balcony (not really).

I’ve tried to find out why the gable end of The Wheatsheaf pub displays these somewhat chubby acrobats, but all I unearthed were glowing reviews of it as a pub to visit if you want to get away from trendy types called Farquar. Nothing about the blue tumblers.

More industrial memories now, with the preserved frontage of the old Smithfield Fish Market. What was once a busy, bustling Market Hall has been pulled down to make way for modern apartments and shops. The slender sliver of the front wall has been left standing as a reminder of times past.

Just off Shudehill is Withy Grove Stores, which has always looked as if it has seen better days, and offers a delightful contrast with the modern Arndale buildings just across the road. Home to some of the most amusingly boring window displays in the world, it’s always worth a look, though it’s hard to tell now whether they are still actually trading. Look closely at this pic, and you’ll see the Manchester Wheel peeping into the corner.

Speaking of modern buildings, while you’re in this area, pop in to the old Printworks which is an old, well, print works. The inside has been tarted up into a neon-fetishists delight, and provides us with a night-life experience at any time of day. The emporia therein are somewhat meh (cinema, Nandos, big screen showing adverts), but it is worth a look.

Finally, I can’t finish without a couple of shots of Victoria Station, where I catch the tram to Bury. Admire the fine wood-panelled ticket offices, and the intricate tiled railway map towering above your head at the far end. Wonderful stuff. Don’t buy food from the hot dog stall though, cos ew.

Forres

This is a #wander from last summer, as you’ll quickly see since there’s a photo of Ben in here somewhere. Forres is a small town about thirty miles east of Inverness.

There’s lots of stone and impressive monuments on show here. That’s the Tolbooth at the back, and the forty foot high Mercat Cross in front of it. This 1844 structure was erected around the original and the old Mercat Cross of Forres is now at its heart. In the foreground is a streetlamp, showing the effects of the prevailing winds in the High Street.

 

 

Also on the High Street is the RBS buiding, which features a tree growing out of the roof.

 

 

They don’t make churches like this any more – wonderful carving and impressive stone on the High Street. A plaque notes that the building was used as an Auxiliary Hospital in the Great War.

 

 

 

Across the road we bought chips from Miele’s, which were really good. Ben liked them too.

 

 

 

At first glance, Sheena’s Women’s Lingerie doesn’t seem too interesting (other than the obvious lingerie). Look closely at the chimney, though (pic below), and you’ll see inscribed there two names and a date – “John Young, Marg Elder, 1778”. I’ve tried to find out more on t’internet, but failed. Anybody got any info?

Next up, the spectacular St Laurence Church (photo below) stands on a site which has been used for Christian worship since the middle of the 13th century, when Scots King Alexander III erected a chapel in honour of St Laurence as a memorial to his late wife Margaret. The present building is relatively modern. Its foundation stone was laid on 17th August 1904 and the building was first opened for worship on 28th February 1906

Finally, because I’m a filthy-minded 13-year-old at heart, I couldn’t resist posting a photograph of the street opposite the church, simply because of it’s name. Click on the picture for a closer look – (it’s “Cumming Street” fnarr)

Lancaster

Here’s just a few photos from our #wander round Lancaster while Wombette Major was being interviewed, to go with the previous Lancaster #Wander. Hopefully this will flex my blogging muscles, and a few more will follow shortly.

I have no idea what this house (the one on the left)is up one of the back streets of Lancaster, but I did enjoy the crenellations, the arched windows, and the creeping ivy. Shame about the traffic cones in the front garden, but I suppose they keep the vans away. And yes, that’s @little_mavis wandering past.

 

Here’s another impressive pile, the Girls Grammar School. They don’t build ‘em like that any more, do they? Impressive pillars, and sweeping steps leading up to the front door.

 

This photograph shows Penny’s Hospital Almshouses, which are opposite the indoor market, and were built under the will of William Penny in 1720 to provide homes for twelve old people, and included a chapel at the end of the courtyard. In 1974 they were restored and modernised, and are now serving their original purpose again. An inscription above the chapel door reads “FORGET NOT THE CONGREGATION OF THY POOR”

 

Carving and inscription above the door of Windermere House – “This school was rebuilt and ???? by the bounty of R. Newsham Esq. of Preston…. 1849”. The babe on the left is rather attractive, and jutting her hip in a suggestive manner. Or is that just me being a pervy old git?

 

 

 

I couldn’t resist including an alley, since Thom likes them so much. This one leads to the enticing Whaletail Café and a shop selling organic produce

 

 

And finally – not really a true Wander-type shot, but I couldn’t resist the thought that Poundworld (where everything costs just a pound) were having a Sale. As if they needed to!

Elgin

“In this rich country is the city, or town rather, of Elgin; I say city, because in antient time the monks claim'd it for a city; and the cathedral shews, by its ruins, that it was a place of great magnificence”. So said Daniel Defoe of Elgin in 1717 when visiting Scotland. These days it is no more nor less than a pleasant little town, although reminders of its past shine through here and there.

There are several stone pillars dotted around at various approaches to the town centre. This one appears to celebrate fishing.

 

Lovely weathered old stone carvings on a building that bnow hosts an estate agency.

 

 

 

 

Atop St. Giles Church in the centre of town sits this column encircled small tower, complete with little door for would be suicides – or more likely, stone masons and cleaners.

 

High fashion is de rigeur in this trendsetting Scottish metropolis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This highly-detailed metal pyramid, featuring moments from Elgin’s proud history, sits in the town square right next to the parking area.

 

Ben, as he always did, made friends. In fact, Scottish folk are amongst the friendliest you’ll find anywhere. No, honestly – they’re generous as well.

 

 

 

 

 

There’s St. Giles Church in the background, behind the statue, and the fountain which has been decorated with traditional Scottish chip papers, plastic cups and beer cans.

 

The salubrious and attractive entrance to a Haberdashery (love that word), and a Beauty Salon.

 

 

 

 

 

Little Mavis discovers an ancient hole at the cathedral.

 

 

 

 

The cathedral entrance. We decided not to go in, cos it was bloody expensive.

 

 

 

The cathedral ruins, and monuments to the dead. The stone you probably can’t quite read is to Isobel Young, of Millbank, who dies in 1910.

Lossiemouth & Spey Bay

Here we go with another catchy-up Wombat #wander. Lossiemouth is a smashing little place; here’s a few pics of there and the nearby Spey Bay.The River Lossie (obviously) reaches the sea here. This is the footbridge across the river to the dunes with the sea just beyond them.

Almost across – there’s the sea!

RAF Lossiemouth is close by (for now) and low-flying jets often buzz the town. Or at least they did on the day we were there.

The town, where we bought some rather nice sausage rolls (not pictured).

The beach, and dunes, and sea, and dog. 

Sing, little birdie, sing!

Fresh water in the river on the right, salt water in the sea on the left.

We took the next batch of pics at Spey Bay, a little along the coast. The landscape here is fascinating and unusual, lots of white rocks, and old dead trees.

Ben appreciated the many shallow pools.

Pebbles galore, and natural driftwood sculptures.

Beachcombing.

Ben and tree.

Sculpture by the car park.

Findhorn

Back in August, The Wombats visited Findhorn in Moray – and of course I grabbed the chance at a few Wander-style photographs. Findhorn is a tranquil coastal village, with miles of wonderful duney white sandy beaches. LOTS of boats, as you’d expect – look, that lot’s all upside-down.

 

 

There are plenty of rules to be observed in and around the bay. Keep your flapping halyards quiet. Also, “watch your wake”? Shouldn’t you be watching where you’re going?

 

 

 

 

The James Milne Institute, apparently, complete with thrilling bunting.

 

 

 

 

There are some very pretty houses – note the fishing reference.

 

 

 

 

 

Sky, trees, boats, water, tracks, sand, stump.

 

 

 

 

 

Findhorn has a fascinating history, in fact. The original village has long disappeared under the water.

 

 

 

And here’s @goodboyben leading us through the dunes to the rather wonderful and huge-skied beach.

 

 

 

 

There are real proper wooden groynes – picturesque, historic. I love the texture of weather-beaten wood on beaches.

 

 

 

 

 

Also, some brilliant pebbles for skimming and skipping on the water.

 

 

I’ll finish with a gratuitous panorama shot of the beach…