Piccadilly Gardens tram stop as we know it today was constructed in 1991 and was opened as part of 'Phase 1' of the Metrolink network, on the much-needed city crossing linking Manchester's two main rail stations, Piccadilly and Victoria.
The large bus station at Piccadilly Gardens has existed since 1931, but the 'gardens' weren't created until 1945. Before then, up until 1908, the site was occupied by the Royal Infirmary. Looking at pictures of the same place from different years gives a sense of how massively the area has changed, especially the loss of such a large, grand building.
1. The Royal Infirmary in 1905, along with many original Manchester Corporation Tramways trams.
2. The sunken gardens in their original iteration
Disappointingly, what is left of Piccadilly Gardens is taken up partially by large office buildings, and a concrete wall often nicknamed the 'Berlin Wall'. The tram stop, however is one of the most used on the Metrolink network, and connects directly to three different lines. Although maybe not as picturesque, the hustle and bustle as seen in the first picture has mostly returned to Piccadilly Gardens, complete with the tram lines following their previous incarnation's route.
3. The other stops that used to exist surrounding Piccadilly Gardens
4. Construction of the tram stop platforms in 1991
5. The 'Berlin Wall' with the Wheel of Manchester in the background (it was closed in 2015)
The cache is a small box, with labelling visible once you remove it from its hiding place.
You must sign the logbook to log a find online. Although there is a small pencil in the cache, incase it goes missing you will need to bring your own pen. I will remove any logs which do not correspond to a signature in the physical logbook.
Please message me if you're stuck or think something's gone wrong with the cache, I'm happy to help :)
About SideTracked Caches
This cache belongs to the SideTracked series. It is not designed to take you to a magical place with a breath taking view. It's a distraction for the weary traveller, but anyone else can go and find it too. More Information can be found at the SideTracked Website
Proogs has a list of caches hidden near Metrolink stations, if you'd like to find more :)