Next tours: Sun 6 May 2012.
Meet: Victoria Station wallmap (the huge one inside the station, near the taxis), 11am.

“Dirty old town” sang the man. He was relaxing in between shows at Hyndman Hall on Liverpool Street, looked out the window at the old gas works and was suitably inspired to write the song of the same name, covered perfunctorily by Rod Stewart and memorably by the Pogues. His name was Jimmy Miller, but you’ll know him better as Ewan MaColl.

He was there at the dramatic demonstration outside the old Town Hall on Bexley Square when the crowd chanted “Down down down with the National Starvation Government!” and things got rather heated. That was in 1931, not 2012, but you never know…

We’ll probably hear a bit more about that and about Hobson’s Choice, the vegetarian church, Flat Iron Market, the Working Class Library, J. P. Joule, the Catholic cathedral, Exchange Station, the elegant Crescent, the flood-happy river Irwell, Greengate, the Real Tennis court, oh and of course L S Lowry.