Craig Thornber, Photograph Albums, England, United Kingdom

In the 1950s, even modest sized towns took pride in their civic buildings - the parish church; chapels; town hall; railway station; library; public baths; hospital; maternity home; police, ambulance and fire stations; general post-office and perhaps an historic grammar school. These were the facilities by which we measured civilised life. The civic buildings and chapels often dated from the late Victorian or Edwardian period, and can now be seen as a product of an age before mass car ownership when services had to be provided locally. In the last 50 years many of these buildings have fallen into disuse, been demolished or converted for other purposes. In the 1960s some smaller towns lost their railway station in the Beeching cuts. Local government reorganisation in 1974 eventually led to rationalisation and concentration of police, ambulance and fire services into larger units. The same process was at work in the health service with the loss of small local hospitals and maternity homes. The new unitary authorities did not require all the town halls of the constituent boroughs and new comprehensive schools required larger and more modern premises than provided by some of the old grammar schools. Small local postal sorting offices were replaced by regional centres. Everywhere one sees chapels derelict, for sale, or turned into warehouses or dwellings and larger towns and cities have lost churches in the same way. Bit by bit the urban landscape has changed until now, with the perspective of half a century, we see that the old townscape has passed to be replaced by the supermarket, chain store and out-of-town retail park. Small towns have had their shopping streets badly eroded by supermarkets; the butcher, baker and greengrocer have been replaced by the charity shop, cafe and hair dressing salon. Now, with changes in the way information is distributed and the pressure on budgets, libraries are under threat too. Some of these trends are shown in the pages that follow with surplus town halls, chapels for sale, banks turned into pubs and empty town centre properties but I celebrate our historic buildings, and some new ones too, wherever they are to be found.

MANCHESTER MEANDERS No. 1 Portland Street, Princess Street then down Mosley Street to St. Peter's Square then Albert Square, St. Ann's Square, The Royal Exchange
		China Town
MANCHESTER MEANDERS No. 2 Minshull Street, across Portland Street to Charlotte Street then down Mosley Street. The Town Hall, Arndale Centre, Corporation Street and Picadilly Gardens
		Sinclair's Oyster Bar
MANCHESTER MEANDERS No. 3 From Picadilly Station along London Road to Picadilly Gardens, down Mosley Street to Spring Gardens then down King Street to Cross Street
		Picadilly and Oldham St.
MANCHESTER MEANDERS No. 4 Around the Trafford Centre in November
		The Trafford Centre
MANCHESTER MEANDERS No. 5 Beetham Tower to the Midland Hotel via Deansgate, St. John Street, Byrom Street, Quay Street and Peter Street
		The Midland Hotel
MANCHESTER MEANDERS No. 6 Exchange Square, a turn around the Manchester Wheel
		Manchester Wheel
ST. ANNES ON SEA 14 April 2010 A short walk around the town
		The pier at St. Annes
LYTHAM 4 October 2010 Some close-up shots of the town
		Market Hall at Lytham
SALFORD QUAYS 23 March 2010 A walk from the Millenium Bridge around the Quays
		Media City
SALFORD QUAYS & MEDIA CITY 11 July 2012 A walk from the Lowry Centre to Media City
		Salford Quays
STOCKPORT No. 1 Railway Road, Wellington Road South and Hillgate to the Market Hall
		Stockport Market Hall
BURY 19 August 2009 A walk around the town centre
		Library, Museum & Art Gallery
OLDHAM 8 February 2010 A short walk around the town centre starting in Union Street
		St. Mary's, Oldham
PRESCOT, MERSEYSIDE 8 March 2010 A walk round the town centre taking in the church, Vicarage Place, Derby Street & High Street.
		Deanes House, Church Street
SALE, TRAFFORD, GREATER MANCHESTER 24 February 2010 A short walk from Northenden Road along School Road to Washway Road and Cross Street
		The Town Hall, Sale
WATERLOO, LIVERPOOL 10 February 2010 A walk around the town starting from Beach Lawn
		Beach Lawn villas
WIDNES 8 March 2010 A walk from Lacey Street to Albert Road via Victoria Square.
		St. Paul's, Widnes
WIGAN 1 February 2010 A walk around the town centre starting in King Street
		Market Place, Wigan
ROCHDALE TOWN HALL 28 July 2011 A tour of the town hall with the Alston Hall College course on Civic Pride given by David Brazendale
		Rochdale Town Hall
BOLTON TOWN HALL 28 July 2011 A tour of the town hall with the Alston Hall College course on Civic Pride given by David Brazendale
		Bolton Town Hall
LEEDS TOWN HALL 27 July 2011 A tour of the town hall with the Alston Hall College course on Civic Pride given by David Brazendale
		Leeds Town Hall
ST. GEORGE'S HALL, LIVERPOOL 26 July 2011 A tour of St. George's Hall with the Alston Hall College course on Civic Pride given by David Brazendale
		St. George's Hall, Liverpool
THE TOWN HALL, LIVERPOOL 26 July 2011 A tour of Liverpool Town Hall with the Alston Hall College course on Civic Pride given by David Brazendale
		Liverpool Town Hall
WREXHAM, NORTH WALES 30 August 2011 A walk round Wrexham looking at the architecture of the upper storeys in the main shopping streets
		Hope Street, Wrexham
WHITEHAVEN, CUMBRIA 28 September 2011 A walk round Whitehaven looking at historic buildings
		Roper Street, Whitehaven

TOWN & CITY SCENES

By CRAIG THORNBER

MANCHESTER MEANDERS

MANCHESTER MEANDERS

MANCHESTER MEANDERS

MANCHESTER MEANDERS

MANCHESTER MEANDERS

MANCHESTER MEANDERS

ST. ANNES ON SEA

14 April 2010

LYTHAM

SALFORD QUAYS

SALFORD QUAYS & MEDIA CITY

STOCKPORT

BURY

OLDHAM

PRESCOT, MERSEYSIDE

SALE, TRAFFORD, GREATER MANCHESTER

WATERLOO, LIVERPOOL

WIDNES

WIGAN

ROCHDALE TOWN HALL

BOLTON TOWN HALL

LEEDS TOWN HALL

ST. GEORGE'S HALL, LIVERPOOL

THE TOWN HALL, LIVERPOOL

WREXHAM, NORTH WALES

WHITEHAVEN, CUMBRIA

© Craig Thornber, Cheshire, England, UK. Main Site Address: http://www.thornber.net/