OUS Manchester

 

The Manchester group organises several events for members each year – typically these include an informal meal and a speaker from Oxford, a May Bank Holiday walk, a visit to a place of historic interest and a lecture in the autumn.

The following events are being planned for 2022 

  • Historic walk in Manchester

A guided walk in the centre of Manchester to look at the varied architecture and the planning of the city.

  • Visit to Gladstone's Library and associated buildings

This event in Hawarden, Flintshire, which was postponed due to Covid, will hopefully take place in summer 2022. More details will be published once we can be sure of the dates.

  • Autumn Lecture

We will return to a face-to-face meeting for this year’s autumn lecture.

Invitations to our events are sent out to our membership approximately 6 weeks before each event. To find out more about our events, please email the group's Secretary, giving your contact details, Alumni number, Oxford college, subject and year of matriculation, so that we can add you to our mailing list and keep you informed.

 

 

Bank Holiday Walk May 2022

We were able to return to our traditional May Bank Holiday walk this year with a fascinating six-and-a-half-mile trip involving industrial heritage in the High Peak of Derbyshire, led by treasurer Chris Hirst. The weather stayed fine.

A party of 16 started at Bugsworth Basin, the head of navigation of the Peak Forest Canal, which was the largest and busiest inland port on Britain’s narrow canal system and is the only one to have survived intact. The canal was built by Benjamin Outram to transport limestone and gritstone from quarries in Derbyshire. It has been restored by volunteers, starting in 1968 and culminating in reopening the canal and basins to navigation in 2005.

The first part was along the canal and the River Goyt to Whaley Bridge, whose population almost trebled during the Industrial Revolution, in which cotton mills become the dominant industry. After negotiating a collapsing stone stile, we climbed 550 ft to the summit of Eccles Pike, from where there was a fine 360-degree panoramic view over the Pennines. The name “pike” means pointed hill, though it is unknown where the “Eccles” comes from.

Then it was downhill for lunch at the Navigation Inn beside the basin. It became an inn more than 200 years ago and still retains its character. It was once owned by Pat Phoenix, who played Elsie Tanner in Coronation Street. Thanks to Chris for such a fascinating walk in a beautiful part of the world.

AGM and Informal Dinner