Manchester's ability to welcome and embrace change throughout its history has given it a rare energy. Manchester was at the epicentre of the industrial revolution, and the spirit that brought the world into the modern age is evident in its trademark Victorian buildings and monuments, such as the gothic Town Hall in Albert Square. But over the last few years the city centre has undergone an extensive transformation. New public spaces have been created and imaginative buildings and developments have appeared, reshaping Manchester's skyline.
Manchester also sets itself apart in terms of sporting prowess with two of the biggest football clubs on the planet. The changes to the city's infrastructure as a result of the success of the 2002 Commonwealth Games has left first-class sports facilities for all the public to enjoy, especially students.
The University of Manchester is at the heart of this exciting city - geographically, historically and culturally. The campus is just a short walk from the city centre and all its attractions. And our own buildings and history are integral to Manchester's unique character.
Manchester has long been a city of innovation, with its notable achievements including:
- The UK's first free public library, set up in 1653;
- The world's first steam-powered mill, opened in 1783 by Richard Arkwright;
- Hosting the UK's biggest-ever art show - the Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition of 1857;
- The world's first professional football league created at a meeting in Manchester's Royal Hotel in 1888;
- The founding of the Women's Social Political Union by Emmeline Pankhurst at her Manchester home in 1903;
- The world's first computer, nicknamed The Baby, built in 1948;
- The debut edition of Top Of The Pops featuring The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, broadcast from a church in Rusholme in 1964.
Manchester (
i /ˈmæntʃɛstər/) is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 483,800, making it the seventh-most populous local authority district in England. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas; the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester had an estimated population of 2,600,100, the Greater Manchester Urban Area a population of 2,240,230,and the Larger Urban Zone around Manchester, the second-most-populous in the UK, had an estimated population in the 2004 Urban Audit of 2,539,100. The demonym of Manchester is Mancunian.Manchester is situated in the south-central part of North West England, fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south and the Pennines to the north and east. The recorded history of Manchester began with the civilian vicus associated with the Roman fort of Mamucium, which was established c. AD 79 on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the rivers Medlock and Irwell. Historically, most of the city was a part of Lancashire, although areas south of the River Mersey were in Cheshire. Throughout the Middle Ages Manchester remained a manorial township, but began expanding "at an astonishing rate" around the turn of the 19th century as part of a process of unplanned urbanisation brought on by a boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution.The urbanisation of Manchester largely coincided with the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian era, resulting in it becoming the world's first industrialised city.As the result of an early-19th century factory building boom, Manchester was transformed from a township into a major mill town, borough and was later granted honorific city status in 1853.
Manchester was the site of the world's first railway station, hosted the first meeting of the Trades Union Congress and is where scientists first split the atom and developed the first programmable computer. It is known for its music scene and its sporting connections. Manchester was the host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and its sports clubs include two Premier League football teams, Manchester City and Manchester United, both of whom hold English football blue ribbon competitions of the FA Cup and the Premier League respectively. Manchester is the third-most visited city in the United Kingdom by foreign visitors and the most visited in England outside London.
Etymology
The name Manchester originates from the Ancient Roman name Mamucium, the name of the Roman fort and settlement, generally thought to be a Latinisation of an original Celtic name (possibly meaning "breast-like hill" from mamm- = "breast"), plus Old English ceaster = "town", which is derived from Latin castra = "camp". An alternative theory suggests that the origin is Brythonic mamma = "mother", where the "mother" was a river-goddess of the River Medlock which flows below the fort. Mam means "female breast" in Irish Gaelic and "mother" in Welsh.Transport
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Main article: Transport in Manchester
See also: Manchester Airport, List of railway stations in Greater Manchester, Manchester Congestion Charge, and Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund (TiF)
Manchester and North West England are served by Manchester Airport. The airport is the busiest airport in the country outside the London region making it the 4th busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers, 3rd in terms of total aircraft movements and overall the 17th busiest airport in Europe as of 2009. Airline service exists to many destinations in Europe, North America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and Asia (with more destinations from Manchester than from London Heathrow).[99] A second runway was opened in 2001 and there have been continued terminal improvements. Despite being a regional airport, the airport currently has the highest rating available, "Category 10" encompassing an elite group of airports which are able to handle "Code F" aircraft including the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8.[100] From September 2010 the airport became one of only seventeen airports in the world and the only airport other than Heathrow Airport to operate the Airbus A380 in the United Kingdom .[101]Manchester is well served by trains. In terms of passengers, Manchester Piccadilly was the busiest English railway station outside London between 2007–08 and the third busiest between 2008-09.[102] Local operator Northern Rail and First Transpennine Express operates all over the North of England, and other national operators include East Midlands Trains and Virgin Trains. The city's other main central railway station, Manchester Victoria, had many more platforms prior to the arrival of the Manchester Arena than it nowadays has. Mainly serving destinations to the north of the city, Victoria station is urgently in need of a major upgrade to bring it into the modern era. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the first passenger railway in the world. Greater Manchester has an extensive countywide railway network, and two mainline stations. Manchester city centre is also serviced by over a dozen rail-based park and ride sites.[103] In October 2007, the government announced that a feasibility study had been ordered into increasing the capacity at Piccadilly station and turning Manchester into the rail hub of the north.[104]
Manchester became the first city in the UK to acquire a modern light rail tram system when the Manchester Metrolink opened in 1992. The present system mostly runs on former commuter rail lines converted for light rail use, and crosses the city centre via on-street tram lines.[105] The 23 mi (37 km)-network consists of three lines with 37 stations (including five on-street tram stops in the centre). An expansion programme is underway[106] which will create 4 new lines to add to the current 3 and will be at least 99 stops, 62 more than in 2010. Upon completion Manchester will have the largest tram system in the UK.[98]
The city has one of the most extensive bus networks outside London with over 50 bus companies operating in the Greater Manchester region radiating from the city. Prior to the deregulation of 1986, SELNEC and later GMPTE operated all buses in Manchester.[107] The bus system was then taken over by GM Buses which after privatisation was split into GM Buses North and GM Buses South and at a later date taken over by First Manchester and Stagecoach Manchester respectively.[108] First Manchester also operates a three route zero-fare bus service called Metroshuttle which carries commuters around Manchester's business districts.[109] Stagecoach Manchester is the Stagecoach Group's largest subsidiary serving operating around 690 buses and serving 87 million passengers a year.[110] and operate the 192 bus service, the busiest bus route in the UK.[111]
An extensive canal network remains from the Industrial Revolution, nowadays mainly used for leisure. The Manchester Ship Canal is open, but traffic to the upper reaches is light.[112]
Culture
Main article: Culture of Manchester
See also: List of people from Manchester
Music
Manchester’s main pop music venue is the Manchester Evening News Arena, situated next to Victoria station. It seats over 21,000, is the largest arena of its type in Europe, and has been voted International Venue of the Year.[115] In terms of concert goers, it is the busiest indoor arena in the world ahead of Madison Square Garden in New York and the O2 Arena in London, the second and third busiest respectively.[116] Other major venues include the Manchester Apollo and the Manchester Academy. Smaller venues are the Band on the Wall Roadhouse, the Night and Day Cafe, the Ruby Lounge, and The Deaf Institute.
Manchester has two symphony orchestras, the Hallé and the BBC Philharmonic. There is also a chamber orchestra, the Manchester Camerata. In the 1950s, the city was home to the so-called 'Manchester School' of classical composers, which comprised Harrison Birtwistle, Peter Maxwell Davies, David Ellis and Alexander Goehr. Manchester is a centre for musical education, with the Royal Northern College of Music and Chetham’s School of Music.[117] The main classical venue was the Free Trade Hall on Peter Street, until the opening in 1996 of the 2,500 seat Bridgewater Hall.[118]
Brass band music, a tradition in the north of England, is an important part of Manchester's musical heritage;[119] some of the UK's leading bands, such as the CWS Manchester Band and the Fairey Band, are from Manchester and surrounding areas, and the Whit Friday brass band contest takes place annually in the neighbouring areas of Saddleworth and Tameside.
Performing arts
Smaller performance spaces include the Library Theatre, a producing theatre in the basement of the Central Library; the Green Room; the Contact Theatre; and Studio Salford. The Dancehouse is dedicated to dance productions.[120] The Library Theatre closed in 2010, and will reopen in 2014 in a new custom built arts complex it will share with Cornerhouse.[121]
Museums and galleries
Manchester's museums celebrate Manchester's Roman history, rich industrial heritage and its role in the Industrial Revolution, the textile industry, the Trade Union movement, women's suffrage and football. In the Castlefield district, a reconstructed part of the Roman fort of Mamucium is open to the public in Castlefield. The Museum of Science and Industry, housed in the former Liverpool Road railway station, has a large collection of steam locomotives, industrial machinery and aircraft.[123] The Museum of Transport displays a collection of historic buses and trams.[124] Salford Quays, a short distance from the city centre in the adjoining borough of Trafford, is home to the Imperial War Museum North.[125] The Manchester Museum opened to the public in the 1880s, has notable Egyptology and natural history collections.[126]
The municipally-owned Manchester Art Gallery on Mosley Street houses a permanent collection of European painting, and has one of Britain's most significant collections of Pre-Raphaelite paintings.[127][128]
In the south of the city, the Whitworth Art Gallery displays modern art, sculpture and textiles.[129] Other exhibition spaces and museums in Manchester include the Cornerhouse, the Urbis centre, the Manchester Costume Gallery at Platt Fields Park, the People's History Museum, the Manchester United Museum in Old Trafford football stadium and the Manchester Jewish Museum.[130]
The works of Stretford-born painter L. S. Lowry, known for his "matchstick" paintings of industrial Manchester and Salford, can be seen in both the city and Whitworth Manchester galleries, and at the Lowry art centre in Salford Quays (in the neighbouring borough of Salford) devotes a large permanent exhibition to his works.[131]
Literature
In the 19th century, Manchester featured in works highlighting the changes that industrialisation had brought to Britain. These included Elizabeth Gaskell's novel Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life (1848),[132] and The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844, written by Friedrich Engels while living and working in Manchester. Charles Dickens is reputed to have set his novel Hard Times in the city, and while it is partly modelled on Preston, it shows the influence of his friend Mrs Gaskell.[133]Nightlife
The Madchester scene of the 1980s, from which groups including The Stone Roses, the Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, 808 State, James and The Charlatans emerged, was based on clubs such as The Haçienda.[138] The period was the subject of the film 24 Hour Party People. Many of the big clubs suffered problems with organised crime at that time; Haslam describes one where staff were so completely intimidated that free admission and drinks were demanded (and given) and drugs were openly dealt.[138] Following a series of drug-related violent incidents, The Hacienda closed in 1997.[134]
Gay Village
Public houses in the Canal Street area have had a gay clientele since at least 1940[134] and now form the centre of Manchester's gay community. Following the council's investment in infrastructure, the UK's first gay supermarket was opened; since the opening of new bars and clubs the area attracts 20,000 visitors each weekend[134] and has hosted a popular festival, Manchester Pride, each August since 1991.[139] The TV series Queer as Folk was set in the area.Education
See also: List of schools in Manchester
The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Royal Northern College of Music are grouped around Oxford Road on the southern side of the city centre, which forms Europe's largest urban higher education precinct.[142] Together they have a combined population of 73 160 students in higher education,[143] though almost 6 000 of these were based at Manchester Metropolitan University's campuses at Crewe and Alsager in Cheshire.[144]
One of Manchester's most notable secondary schools is the Manchester Grammar School. Established in 1515,[145] as a free grammar school next to what is now the Cathedral, it moved in 1931 to Old Hall Lane in Fallowfield, south Manchester, to accommodate the growing student body. In the post-war period, it was a direct grant grammar school (i.e. partially state funded), but it reverted to independent status in 1976 after abolition of the direct-grant system.[146] Its previous premises are now used by Chetham's School of Music. There are three schools nearby: William Hulme's Grammar School, Withington Girls' School and Manchester High School for Girls.
In 2010, the Manchester Local Education Authority was ranked last out of Greater Manchester's ten LEAs – and 147th out of 150 in the country LEAs – based on the percentage of pupils attaining at least five A*–C grades at General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) including maths and English (38.6 per cent compared with the national average of 50.7 per cent). The LEA also had the highest occurrence of absences, with 11.11 per cent of "half day sessions missed by pupils", above the national average of 5.8 per cent.[147][148] Of the schools in the LEA with 30 or more pupils, four had 90 per cent or more pupils achieving at least five A*–C grades at GCSE including maths and English (Manchester High School for Girls, St Bede's College, Manchester Islamic High School for Girls, and The King David High School) while three managed 25 per cent or below (Plant Hill Arts College, North Manchester High School for Boys, Brookway High School and Sports College).[149]
Sport
Main article: Sports in Manchester
The City of Manchester Stadium was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. After the games, a temporary stand at the northern end of the stadium was dismantled and a permanent structure matching the rest of the stadium was developed. In addition the ground level was lowered by approximately 10m and the entire level 1 seating area was constructed. The capacity for the Games was approximately 38,000. This increased in preparation for Manchester City's arrival in 2003, and the official capacity by April 2008 was recorded as 47,726 The stadium hosted the 2008 UEFA Cup Final.
Manchester City's former home Maine Road, now demolished, still holds a number of significant footballing milestones and records. These include the first World Cup qualifying match staged in England (1949); the record League crowd (83,260, Manchester United V Arsenal, 1948); and the record provincial attendance (84,569, Manchester City V Stoke City, FA Cup, 1934).
First class sporting facilities were built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, including the City of Manchester Stadium, the National Squash Centre and the Manchester Aquatics Centre.Manchester has competed twice to host the Olympic Games, beaten by Atlanta for 1996 and Sydney for 2000. The Manchester Velodrome was built as a part of the bid for the 2000 games.It hosted the UCI Track Cycling World Championships for the third time in 2008. Various sporting arenas around the city will be used as training facilities by athletes preparing for the 2012 Olympics in London. The MEN Arena hosted the FINA World Swimming Championships in 2008. Manchester also hosted the World Squash Championships in 2008, and also hosted the 2010 World Lacrosse Championship in July 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester
