A Brief History of Manchester
Before the Industrial Revolution took hold in Britain Manchester was nothing more than a market town, but has since has since become one the UK’s leading and most innovative cities. It all began with the importation of cotton which was brought to Manchester from Liverpool via the Mersey and Irwell Navigation. This transformed the textile industry as well as Manchester.
Manchester is a pioneering city when it comes to transport. The Duke’s Canal, also known as the Bridgewater Canal, built in 1761 was the first ever canal. In 1824 the Northwest city had one of the first bus services that ran between Market Street, Manchester and Pendleton, Salford. Finally, in 1830 the first ever steam passenger railway began operating between Liverpool and Manchester.
The population began to grow as Manchester offered more and more opportunities for people. People began to move into the city from the surrounding countryside and also from Ireland, particularly during the Irish potato famine in the 1840s. Manchester also welcomed Jewish immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe and later, Levantines, Germans and Italians.
The city was rejuvenated after the 1996 IRA bomb after a massive regeneration project and is often arguably regarded as Britain’s second city.
