History of Manchester
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History of Manchester
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During the Industrial Revolution Manchester became the focal point of the northern cotton trade. Inventions like Hargreaves’ Spinning Jenny and Arkwright’s water frame changed the face of the world and Manchester was at the forefront of that of the technologically advancement of the 18th century. In 1757 the official census put the population of Manchester at 17,101 and for any of those citizens wishing to make the 180-mile journey to London they would have the dangerous three-day coach journey, constantly at risk from attack from highwaymen.
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By the end of 1853 Manchester was a declared a city and eight years later the city was showing off its wealth courtesy of the cotton industry with the opening of Watt’s warehouse, by far the grandest of cotton warehouses yet erected. It is now the Britannia Hotel on Portland Street. 1877 saw the grand opening of the Town Hall in Albert Square at the same time the first horse-drawn trams were introduced, by 1901 these became the first electric trams running in the city.
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During the war Manchester was hit hard during the Christmas Blitz with the city devastated by the German assault. It took years to rebuild and after the war people began moving out of the city and by the early 1970s the figure was at 541,468. 1986 saw the completion of the renovation of Central Station to turn it into the G-MEX exhibition centre, the venue for the Gymnastics and Judo at the Commonwealth Games.
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With the City seemingly in a state of stasis it took the largest ever bomb on mainland Britain in June 1996 to galvanise the population and begin a rebuilding and redesigning process that still goes on to this day. Miraculously nobody was killed in the IRA attack on the city but within days the spirit of Mancunians was bursting through with billboards on the streets declaring “They went for our heart – but they’ll never get our soul”.
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| Now with the centre modernised for the 21st century, locals and visitors alike can enjoy the pleasant, friendly surroundings in a city that many people would name as their favourite in the UK.
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