Mancunian Blues
Created | Updated Aug 5, 2004
Oh well, there goes the neighbourhood or how I learnt to stop driving and
get the bus!
Okay, the cursed keys of the_jon_m have struck again, sadly it isn't the wastes of space and
musical equipment, Bruno, or even the pointless irritations First Half Second that have bit the dust,
no, this time it seems like the Bowling Green pub is closing down.
Read further back in these chronicles and you will see talk of Biggs, the Music King of Oxford
Road as I termed him. Since that article he has lost both his gigs at The Attic and The Retro Bar
and now it seems that the Bowling Green pub will be no more.
Why, I hear you cry! Okay, I don't hear you exactly, but there are some voices in my head that
are continually shouting 'why' !!
The Bowling Green is at one corner of the group of 3 hospitals, the MRI, The Royal Eye hospital
and St. Mary's. These are supposedly becoming Manchester's super hospital. The Bowling green is
in line for demolition because of these expansion plans.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against expanding the hospital, but the problem I have it that
exactly is being built in its place; a car park.
Yep, hospitals need car parks, indeed, the hospital has a car park, they have just finished
building a large multi-storey car park. It must be a pretty good car park, cause now they want
another one !! (And I thought the NHS was under funded), Apparently they now want one so their
staff can park because they built over the staff parking to make the new car park. Why can't the
staff park in the brand new car park ??
Apparently the problem in this country is too many people don't get enough exercise, a very
simple solution to this is, stop building car parks, if people have nowhere to park, then they would
walk or they would get the bus. Then people would be fitter meaning less people would need hospital
treatment, meaning less need for car parking.
The hospitals themselves sit on the busiest bus route in Europe, on the other side of the hospital,
the busses run every few minutes well, and being only 20 mins. walk from the City Centre, it is not
exactly unreachable by foot.
They have coped for years with the parking they have, so when a multi-story car park is built,
they suddenly realise that there is not enough car parking a space for staff, this does not make
much sense to me.
Anyway, so bring on more congestion, more cars trying to fit down roads that are already at
capacity and bring on more pollution and fat people with heart conditions, not to mention even less
oil to go about.
With the disappearance of Bruins Bar and now this, South Manchester is losing to places that
went out of their way to give opportunities for people to play to a crowd without pressure, and
allowed people to come and watch good music for free.
Oh well that's progress for you.
And while I'm here, how about a plug, rated at least at 1 amp is Midland Railway's debut at the
Night and Day. I can't tell you how hot I think this act will be, but Thursday 12th of
August, it's a chance for you to find out what mid summer heat and no air-con feel like.
If you have any free Tuesdays left this month, come down to the Bowling Green to watch the
blues night there (free entry and free pool), with The Master Bluesman (www.mbluesman.com)
playing on the 10th. Or if Jazz is your thing, well get out more and visit the Jazz
night on a Thursday.
Till next time
Love, Peace and Blues
tjm
