Bella Donna

To anyone busy filling a container - or planning what to put in it - please seriously consider bringing your *Manchester* items with you. I brought all my duvet sets and most of my serviceable towels, but left things like pillows and I wish I hadn't.

I've found that Manchester here is very expensive, and imho not of the same quality as back in the UK. Duvets are expensive and you don't get the choice of weights/warmth as you do in the UK. Duvet covers are expensive and not that impressive in quality, towels tend to be less dense so less fluffy and less durable, and pillows are a joke. When we were shopping for our new bed, I was astonished to find pillows here upwards of $50 *each*. (I used to buy a pack of 4 from Argos for £10 or so!). The cheapest pillows I've been able to find are $25 a pair, and frankly they're not that great. If you are a family of four or five, it could work out expensive to replace.

So if you can squeeze room in your container, possibly by vacuum-packing the bedding/towels, I think it's worth doing. I wish I had....

Sue

ljj

Hi Bella,

We have found the pillows over priced etc. Just thought it may be worth changing the title of the thread as people not living here would not know that bedding/ towels etc is called Manchester and it would miss the people that would like to know about it before moving here.

I only looked at the thread because I moved here from near Manchester!

Good point though.

Louise

ABCDiamond

I orignally came from near Manchester too

Our old UK summer quilts come in handy during the wnter here, rarely use the UK winter ones now though, but we did in Sydney.

I do find it a pain that they don't fit the Australian sized quilt covers properly though.

232Bar

why is it called manchester?

We brought all of ours anyway, but have found since getting here in September last year that we don't really need the quilts LOL

mand8002

The story goes, be it true or not, that a shipment came over from Manchester of linen etc and the carton was stamped Manchester so that is what people thought it was called.

Bella Donna

Someone told me - again, don't know how true it is - that items like rugs fall under the heading of *Liverpool*....

232Bar

That sounds so ludicrous it is most likely true LOL.

A bit like the one about kangaroos getting their name from the Aboriginal word for "I don't understand you" or something like that - ie, white man to Aboriginal "What's that odd looking animal over there?" Aboriginal to white man "Kangaroo'

Sye

Hiya

I found it expensive too.. until i shopped around!

From one end of the scale... to

KMart, 2x pack pillows $10, but have individuals at $10 ea.
Woolworths Q/S quilt $15..
Spotlight/KMart & Big W shops are pretty cheap for the bedding n towels

Karen

NickyC

Even in the UK, household linen was called Manchester back in Victorian times. The expression died out in the UK but has stayed current in Australia.

The name came about because Manchester produced most of the cotton goods (cotton from India and elsewhere and then spun at the Lancashire cotton mills).

232Bar

Most of us aren't old enough to remember back that far LOL

moneypenny20

We had no problem finding really comfy pillows in Target reasonably priced. Also the towels we bought there are lovely and fluffy and that is without a tumble dryer. Same old same old, need to shop around. Went into Pillow Talk the other day and was really impressed by their stock. Maybe I am easily pleased

lacey21

you don't have to be old enough to remeber lol you just have to live in the place lol

Hmmm.. you can see the trade around you for miles. especially where I live and there are still old mills in use.

I am going to take some stuff over that is new. My sister told me too as I would find it expensive over there, however, my sister used the packing company sevenseas and they only allow 40kg for £40 is this good?

lace xx

232Bar

Aren't you shipping a container?

lacey21

No, we don't have enough of anything decent to ship lol. The beds are falling apart, the settee is ok and the dining room furniture but we want to go on an extended long holiday before we come and settle so we have no where to put the container either lol

lace xx
we are poor people lol

karenjc

In the old days of the cotton mills Manchester was a vast exporter of linen.