In 1969, Manchester Exchange train station closed, primarily due to a reduction in congestion at Manchester Victoria (which made the station redundant) and partly because of unrepaired bomb damage from WW2.
Soon after, recent immigrant, Martin Lee, took advantage of this opportunity by a setting up a car repair workshop beneath the arches of the obsolete station in 1971, when Lee's Motors was born.
In the 1980s, however, small business like Lee's began to lose trade to national companies and so, upon acquiring most of the arches beneath the former Exchange station, Lee branched out into the car parking business.
To this day, the car park remains and retains the name of Lee's Motors. It's split into a main tunnel with several bays running off it, with two similar overspill off-shoot tunnels (signposted 'Tunnel 1' and Tunnel 2').
However, there's a hidden, non-public tunnel behind Tunnel 1, which houses relics of the original Lee's Motors business. Photos below:
Light shining in from New Kings Head Yard.
A closer look at the workstation that can be seen in the centre of the above photo:
Electrics:
Light shining in from Greengate:
Far left: toilet; left: room (office?) plus storage cupboard to right; centre: workshop with storage area above.
Inside the room:
Toilet and washbasin:
Finally, a photo I took of what I assume is an original Lee's Motors sign, with a photo of Lee showing off the very same sign here.
Ta
Soon after, recent immigrant, Martin Lee, took advantage of this opportunity by a setting up a car repair workshop beneath the arches of the obsolete station in 1971, when Lee's Motors was born.
In the 1980s, however, small business like Lee's began to lose trade to national companies and so, upon acquiring most of the arches beneath the former Exchange station, Lee branched out into the car parking business.
To this day, the car park remains and retains the name of Lee's Motors. It's split into a main tunnel with several bays running off it, with two similar overspill off-shoot tunnels (signposted 'Tunnel 1' and Tunnel 2').
However, there's a hidden, non-public tunnel behind Tunnel 1, which houses relics of the original Lee's Motors business. Photos below:
Light shining in from New Kings Head Yard.
A closer look at the workstation that can be seen in the centre of the above photo:
Electrics:
Light shining in from Greengate:
Far left: toilet; left: room (office?) plus storage cupboard to right; centre: workshop with storage area above.
Inside the room:
Toilet and washbasin:
Finally, a photo I took of what I assume is an original Lee's Motors sign, with a photo of Lee showing off the very same sign here.
Ta
