Celebration

MariainWales and I met in Manchester today to celebrate the 40th anniversary of our first ever meeting – as Manchester students. We wandered round old places, tried to map the buildings that are there now onto our uncertain memories of what was there then, stood by trees we knew as saplings, marched into the students’ union and, having held open a door marked ‘No access to the public’ so that a worker could go through, went through ourselves unimpeded to find a music venue where the showers, the cockroach-infested cloakroom and a very tacky bar used to be.

We then went to our first concert in the new Bridgewater Hall. (Karl Jenkins's 70th birthday celebration). In our time, Manchester concerts were held in the history-laden Free Trade Hall. Despite its useless acoustics, I used to enjoy listening to music on the site of the Peterloo Massacre, in a building constructed to celebrate the repeal of the Corn Laws, where Charles Dickens had performed; Disraeli had given his One Nation speech; Christabel Pankhurst’s ejection from a meeting had led to the founding of the Women's Social and Political Union and its campaign for women’s votes; and someone had shouted ‘Judas’ at Bob Dylan.

But seventeen years ago the Free Trade Hall was sold so a property developer could hollow it out to make a hotel. The Bridgewater Hall, cunningly built on earthquake-proof steel springs to insulate it from the road and tram noise, replaced it as Manchester’s concert hall. It’s a delight: the acoustics are magical, the sight lines are superb and doubtless someone has shouted ‘Judas’ at somebody. I’m very glad it’s there. It's just... well... I was fond of some of the old things.