Manchester is often described as the Capital of the North and nowadays is a centre for the arts, media, higher education and commerce. It is the third most visited city in the UK by foreign visitors.
Manchester dates back to Roman Times and in 79AD a base camp called Mancunium was set up. It grew and was a prominent town in the late 18th century. 1894 saw the Manchester Ship Canal opened this then allowed ships to travel six miles inland.
In 1819 factory working conditions were so awful that on the 16th August 50,000 workers met in St. Peter’s Field to oppose the Corn Laws. The meeting started peacefully but when the mood changed the mounted troops, unsure of what to do, charged the crowd with swords at the ready. Eleven were killed and many more injured. The Factory Act came into operation the same year.
This city was the first to introduce massive slum clearances and smokeless zones in the 1950’s.
Manchester Central Business Centre is in the city centre mainly around Mosley Street, Deansgate, King Street and Piccadilly. Spinningfields is a new business centre that will be home to several headquarters with squares and cafes. The first building on site was the Royal Bank of Scotland’s new headquarters.
There is plenty of property to rent in Manchester with costs averaging £550pcm for a studio apartment, £620pcm for a l bed flat, £850pcm for a 2 bed flat and £830pcm for a 2 bed house.
There are many places of interest to visit in and around Manchester and include the Victorian Gothic Town Hall that can be found in the city centre. Inside there are sculptures and ornate decorations whilst the outside has an eighty-five-metre tower.
The triangular glass building on Corporation Street is the Urbis, a museum showing how the city works. There are walls of photos and statistics over three floors but the best are the videos showing real individuals who have had to come to terms with homelessness or those no longer having roots including people who for one reason or the other have had to live rough and sleep on park benches.
Castlefield lies in the heart of the city with its large brick buildings and rusty remains of canals, viaducts, bridges, warehouses and market buildings. It has now been turned into a heritage park. The Bridgewater Canal runs through the area and many people can be found walking round or having a drink in one of the pubs or meal in a trendy restaurant.
Manchester Docklands are now Salford Quays. They are situated west of the city along the Manchester Ship Canal.
The War Museum North has exhibits of the main conflicts of the 20th century and every half hour the halls are plunged into darkness and a film is projected all around. Visitors are asked to keep moving around in the dark to get the true feeling of how things were.
The Lowry is a gallery devoted to the North’s most famous painter, L S Lowry.
The University of Manchester is not only a top class university but also houses a great museum and a fantastic art gallery.
The Goodlee Observatory was built in 1902 and can be seen by appointment only. Few people visit but great views can be seen from the balcony. The original telescope is still in place as are the ropes and wheels that move it. On a clear day good views of the sky can be seen.
As with all University cities the night-life in Manchester is very good. With a wide selection of places to drink, pubs, bars and a large amount of nightclubs.
Some of the bars are out of the ordinary like the Kro Bar, its of Scandinavian design with a good lunch menu and DJ’s every evening.
Socio Rehab boasts of having one of the best cocktail menus in the city.
The Temple of Convenience is a tiny basement bar with a total capacity of around thirty. It has a good variety of spirits and is in what was one a public convenience.
Briton Protection is a pub that serves Tudor type meals including boar and venison.
Dukes 92 overlooks lock 92 of the Rochdale Canal. It is a great place to sit and have a drink or three especially if the weather is fine.
There are plenty of clubs to choose from plus a variety of live music venues.
There are a multitude of restaurants and cafes in Manchester serving every type of cuisine anyone could wish for. Plus many of the city’s pubs also serve food.
Sport in general is important to Manchester but it is best known for its two professional football teams, Manchester United whose ground is Old Trafford and the City of Manchester Stadium is home to Manchester City.
As well the football grounds the city has the Manchester Velodrome, The National Squash Centre and Manchester Aquatics Centre. Various arenas around the city will be used for training grounds for the 2012 Olympics. The city also hosted the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
Shopping in Manchester is fabulous with the Millennium Quarter’s Triangle Shopping Centre that is full of boutiques and a Harvey Nicholls. The Northern Quarter is given to the retro type of clothing and Afflecks Palace is a four-storey building where Manchester’s goth teenagers can spend the day. Also in this area is Oxfam Original that sells retro clothing from the 1960’s and 70’s.
Upmarket shopping can be done in West End and here is where clothes from English and international designers can be seen and purchased.
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