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A brief history of Manchester

The first records of Manchester are from Roman times, noted as a moderate settlement called Mamucium or Mancunium in AD 79. The town remained modest throughout the middle ages, it was the textile manufacturing during the 19th century’s industrial revolution that saw huge growth for the city, it became the world’s first industrialised city. The main process was cotton spinning, the city was dubbed Cottonopolis. Across the world ‘manchester’ is the term used for linens such as sheets, pillowcases and towels.

The Manchester Ship Canal links Manchester to the Irish Sea. The 36 miles waterway starts in Liverpool then travels through the historic counties of Chester and Lancashire. The route includes the world’s only Swing Aqueduct. Construction began on the canal in 1887 at a cost of 15 million pounds. The 6-year project saw the Port of Manchester become the 3rd busiest in the country.

In the 1970’s and ‘80s containerisation increased meaning most of the ship were too big to pass through the canal leading to the canal becoming privately owned in 2011, the new owners are planning a renovation to increase traffic 10-fold by 2030.

Manchester has a history steeped in left wing politics, the city set the stage for the Labour party and the suffragette movement. Off the back of this Manchester led the way in promoting new ways of thinking that inspired visitors from all over the world, the saying ‘what Manchester does today, the rest of the world does tomorrow’ is still captured in the City today.

Not all rose tinted however as Manchester was ravaged with poverty in the Industrial Revolution and the people described as ‘crushed, lying, bleeding fragments’ by an American visitor.

65% of all the worlds cotton was processed in the county until the 1913.

During the second world war the ‘Christmas Blitz’ destroyed 100s of warehouses, business premises and offices, 376 people were killed and 30,000 home devastated. The Cathedral and Royal Exchange were also destroyed in the 1940 Christmas Blitz.

The University of Manchester saw, first person to split the atom in 1917,the first stored-program computer in 1948 and isolated the first graphene in 2004.

Manchester held the 2002 commonwealth games after a successful redevelopment brough on by several vicious IRA bombings.