Cobbled Streets in Manchester in the alley ways mainly, why?
Posted by Swimming_Raccoon1361@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 17 comments
Many people up and down the country campaign to keep their cobbled streets but i do not know why.
On a night out there is a good chance you can twist your ankle and in Manchester they seem to have left them mainly in dark alleyways with poor street lighting. Is this to remind us of the Victorian times?
On holiday i have seen down south loads of cobbled streets in the middle of a market or tourist area outside pubs as if it is something to be proud of.
Do give an area some prestige or do they do it down?
If they are seen to be improving an areas heritage why only have them in dark alleyways?
Should we keep our cobbled streets?
ChelseaMourning@reddit
So you’re suggesting they remove the historic cobbles that have been there for generations doing a better job than modern paving because you can’t be trusted not to go arse over tit after a few Sherries?
Swimming_Raccoon1361@reddit (OP)
Well sherry is lovely but more thinking about people with walking sticks i have seen struggling on them and unsure if they do better job than modern paving - weren't they for horses and carts?
ChelseaMourning@reddit
Well they managed for hundreds of years.
nrsys@reddit
Tradition and history.
We haven't used cobbles as a road material since the adoption of tarmac and similar materials, so any cobbled street you walk on is almost certainly an old one.
And a lot of people like acknowledging our history - it is one of the things which differentiates somewhere like York or Bath with a long, histories existence to somewhere like Milton Keynes or Houston, which are widely considered as modern concrete hellscapes by many.
So removing cobbled streets is seem as a step away from that history towards modern blandness, removing the charm and interest that time gives a location.
No, they aren't perfect - they are uneven, horrible to travel over in a wheelchair or cycle on, not to mention the increased chance of ending up in said wheelchair thanks to the fact they are slippery and more likely to cause trips and falls. And while many roads have indeed lasted centuries, those centuries were before the invention of heavy modern vehicles and traffic levels which can cause issues like uneven settlement and movement. But they do look good.
Remember, you can also say the same about most old things too - pretty much any home pre-2000 is completely lacking compared to a modern property - poor insulation, old services, layouts based on dates layouts and construction standards, and would be well placed to be knocked down and replaced with new homes, yet we still keep the old properties, maintaining, upgrading and altering them as suits...
Sirlacker@reddit
They do the job that's intended and aren't deteriorating, so why waste money fixing them. They'll outlast tarmac roads and they aren't an eyesore. They don't need to be smooth for modern transport because modern transport shouldn't be frequenting down those alleyways.
AllThatIHaveDone@reddit
I'm not a fan of cobblestones. They're lethal in the wet if you drive a motorbike over them. I get the historical significance and you can't deny that they look pretty, the things that worked in Roman times don't always continue to work today.
Swimming_Raccoon1361@reddit (OP)
Exactly absolutely lethal in the wet - they were not laid with motor vehicles in mind - and the reason i think horses went through so many shoes!
morethanmyusername@reddit
Around my area, cobbles are seen as more durable than tarmac... not sure how true that is
UnhappyRaven@reddit
Well they are rock and they last hundreds of years, vs tarmac which is perpetually full of holes and in need of repair (anywhere I drive it is anyway).
West_Yorkshire@reddit
Because it's somewhat likely that those cobbled roads are the original roads the romans built.
They are of historical importance.
Swimming_Raccoon1361@reddit (OP)
I didnt know that. That must be why there is a lot in Bath!
Significant_Return_2@reddit
Bath is a Roman city. It’s important to keep as much of the old stuff as possible.
My family are from Bath. There are stories of them breaking ankles on the cobbles, along with horses. It didn’t happen too often, as people were used to them. It’s more likely to be a problem now, as people are used to smooth roads.
Just imagine Bath if they “improved” all the historic buildings and infrastructure. The city would die. Nobody would visit it, so their economy wouldn’t bring in any money.
It’s all part of history. Don’t tarmac all over it.
Swimming_Raccoon1361@reddit (OP)
Yes it is a beautiful place and i understand about preserving history especially somewhere like that but in Manchester they just seem to be left in random places!
Agathabites@reddit
To be fair, ones in cities and towns are more likely to be 11th century.
VolcanicBear@reddit
I guess it's because it's historic.
I don't care about your drunken ankles. In fact, I would like to see videos of drunk people falling over on cobblestones.
Swimming_Raccoon1361@reddit (OP)
Yes that's true - that can be entertaining.
However there are also people who use walking sticks etc. who are tee total who struggle on them!
AutoModerator@reddit
Please help keep AskUK welcoming!
When replying to submission/post please make genuine efforts to answer the question given. Please no jokes, judgements, etc. If a post is marked 'Serious Answers Only' you may receive a ban for violating this rule.
Don't be a dick to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on.
This is a strictly no-politics subreddit!
Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.