Abstract
In living memory, Manchester was black from air pollution caused by burning coal.
Today only fragments of that blackness remain, although its former presence can
be inferred from precautions taken at the time to protect buildings from soot.
At Canal Street in Miles Platting the colouring caused by consuming coal was
blue, the result of contamination with a by-product of the purification of
coal-gas. It is argued that because the blue street can be seen as beautiful
then so can the black walls, which should be treated as an authentic part of the
city. The most significant remains are 22 Lever Street and the inner courtyards
of the Town Hall, which ought to be preserved in their dirty state.
Publisher
Manchester University Press
Subject
Library and Information Sciences,General Arts and Humanities