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I was unnecessarily excited when I
found this sign and it put a spring in my step all day (so my wobbly hand was even
wobblier than usual - apologies for the blurry shot). It’s on the Mancunian Way
in Manchester, otherwise known as the A57(M). I love the very sixties design of
the plaque, which goes perfectly with the brutalist structure I was walking
under. Opened by Prime Minister Harold Wilson in 1967, the Mancunian Way is
just two miles long and arches over Manchester giving great views of the city. It
won the Concrete Society’s first award in 1968. Rather wonderfully, the A57(M)
features on a fab website called Pathetic Motorways (http://www.pathetic.org.uk/current/a57m/
- a better read than you might at first imagine; have a look). Manchester’s concrete
superiority has been recognised a few more times in the 45 years since that
first award: the MMU’s School of Art and Design won the Education category this
year, and its Student School won the Sustainability Award last year. Other
notable winners include the Beetham Tower Hotel (2007) and the City Art Gallery
(2003). You can see the full list on the Concrete Society's website here
.
