29 October, 2007

Manchester: where I fear for my life!

Yet another visit to Manchester. I had to go there for a conference but didn't have much time for pleasure while there.

If you're familiar with the band 'The Hidden Cameras', you'll be aware of the lyrics to High on the Church Grounds http://www.thehiddencameras.com/lyrics/L-high.jpg. Certainly the cathedral grounds are being described well by this. The actual cathedral has some nice modern stained glass but photographs are not permitted except with written permission of the dean and chapter and any photographs taken remain their property. I'm not sure they can do that - if the photos were not their property in the first place how can they remain their property?

Back to the cathedral grounds, debauched students and others congregate to deal drugs (although maybe not the other thing) in broad daylight. Even allowing for the fact that they are possibly music students from the nearby Cheethams School of Music, they tend to look excessively debauched, looking at my pictures of student days I'm not sure that the students of my generation were as debauched. Fewer seem to be smoking or have the malnourished look that only excessive drinking can promote. They were smoking and drinking like it was going out of fashion: if anything here ever had been in fashion that is.

I suppose London is just as bad but at least the drug dealing in London is well out of sight.

It's one of the few places where I haven't felt safe.

The picture shows the Manchester Daily Express Building in Gt Ancoats Street

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