Half a World Away
So what distracted me the other night from blog duty?
Well, as many who've met me in person or online will know, I'm highly fond of Manchester. That's the large, dirty, rainy city in the UK, not one of the other 36-ish Manchesters that exist around the world. It's a bit of a dump sometimes, the people can be rude, and yeah, it's a bit wet out. But it's my spiritual home on Earth. All the music I grew up with - Happy Mondays, New Order, Joy Division, Oasis, The Smiths - all from Manchester. Even my favourite two TV shows, Red Dwarf and Cold Feet, have been filmed there. And, of course, I'm currently living right in the centre, doing the student thang. Maybe it was destined to be that my first uni, the admittedly posher Warwick, shunned me at the last minute. I didn't belong there, obv.
Anyways, on with the waffling. I found this website the other night on a random web trip: www.rebuilding-manchester.co.uk
And, I'll admit it, some of the photos on there brought a tear to my eye.
For those who don't know the story, see here or if you want to hear it from me, here it is. On Saturday 15th June 1996, terrorists planted a bomb outside Marks and Spencers in the city centre. It was just before Father's Day, and in the middle of Euro 96, so it was a busy day even by Saturday Manchester's standards.
And guess who was there that day?
Me and my friend Katherine had gone shopping because her birthday was a few days ago and hey, shopping was the best thing to two 12 year olds at the time. Kat hadn't been to Manchester much then, but I'd pretty much been there every weekend of my childhood. Saturday = Manchester. It was my second home (now I guess it's literally my 2nd home). I remember were coming out of a shop (a clothes shop called Heaven. No kidding.) when we bumped into Kat's mum who'd let us go off alone. But then some woman came out of nowhere, and took Kat's mum aside. Already it was a bit weird then. Kat's mum came back to us saying Strange Lady had been wittering something about a bomb. She'd overheard the security guards or something. Hang on - a bomb? But looking around, there was absolutely nothing amiss. No one else looked remotely concerned. So, we all figured Kat and me would just pop into Top Shop (then still with it's black and white 80s-ness) and then we'd go outside, y'know, just in case.
Well, as soon as we walk into Top Shop, these security guards move towards us, doing the shooey-shooey hands thing. We turn around, dumbstruck. Some shop across it (nope, can't remember what it used to be) has even brought down their closing metal grille thing. People are starting to gather, looking a bit lost. Oh dear. Bugger. And just to confirm, a security guard starts shouting that, if people could just move to the ground floor, out of the exit...don't panic...just, y'know move quite quickly....
Well, when we get outside (guards ushering everyone away from the Corporation Street entrance), two guards are insisting it's a false alarm. Many people point out that it doesn't look too false when we're all stood outside the Arndale centre like that. But they reckon there's been a check, and no bomb was found. But they're taking precuations. Some bloke said maybe it was a experimental safety drill. At that point, me and the Ashleys figure we'll all act on our Very Bad Feeling About This. We gather together, get to the car parked outside the Corn Exchange (which was a bit difficult considering they were trying to keep people away from Corporation Street), move quickly through the traffic as is humanly and car-ly possible and Getthahellouttahere. We get to some traffic lights, discussing how weird the morning was, and hmm, that's buggered, shall we go to Oldham instead? When there's this ultra weird rumble. Like some giant's picked the car up and jiggled it in their hands. Judging by the look on people's faces in neighbouring cars, it's not just us. At this point, I have to point out that no one could really believe there would be a bomb.
But five minutes later, a radio newsflash confirmed that a bomb really had just gone off in Manchester. Now, I think everyone who was there that day thanks their lucky stars that no one was killed, and in the light of the horrific 9/11 events it was small potatoes. I'm certainly thanking my lucky stars. To give you some idea of distance here's a crude diagram:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v105/astrokini/bombdiagram.png
*shudder* Ten minutes. That's all it takes. If we'd hung around ten minutes later, we wouldn't be travelling along in a car being blase about a bomb threat. And it really hit home when I went back, and my Mum was so relieved to see me. Imagine being at home, knowing your daughter's off out shopping in Manchester with her friend in the Arndale centre....then hearing on the radio that a bomb has gone off outside the Arndale. Me poor Mum was trying to ring up a helpline all day to find out what the situation was (this was before everyone owned a mobile phone. Yep, those days existed).
So, I was shaken but ultimately not stirred. Or something. Sadly Manchester wasn't so lucky. The last 8 years have seen even more building work than usual, and it's only when I looked at that website that I realised just how much it had changed. I think Bovis (as far as I know, they're the company most responsible for all the work) have done an incredible job, and the Arndale looks flash and futuristic now. But there's that bit of my heart that hurts when I remember the city centre of the 1980s and 90s that I grew up in. With it's dodgy 1960s cream and brown tiles. And the Arndale interor, with it's fountains and 80s tacky neon arches everywhere. That's what I loved. It's dodgyness was what gave it it's character, and I wouldn't have changed it in my wildest dreams. Sadly, it had no option but to change. I remember when Marks and Spencers was only two quite small floors. And Shambles Square! Oh, that's what made me finally tearful when I saw old photos of it. Shambles Square and it's old Oirish style pubs doesn't exist anymore. Designer shops now - absolutely the opposite of what it was. And even the Corn Exchange has drastically changed. It used to be a student haven - full of punks and hippies, vinyl records, crystal ball shops. I even bought my first (goth) nail varnish there, lol. And now it's the 'Triangle', designer place too. And a bit crap.
So, finally, quick comparison (with fantastic pics by Aiden O'Rourke):
1992 Corporation Street. Old orange bus! Old TopShop logo!
2004 Corporation street. Ohmigod. Is this the same city?