All content of this website is available under the terms of Creative Common Attribution 2.0
|
||
| EASY DESTINATION |
||
All content of this website is available under the terms of Creative Common Attribution 2.0 |
||
| MANCHESTER TRAVEL GUIDE Manchester is one of the major cities in the UK. It is the main city in the North West of England. For most of the last two hundred years it was the largest city in Lancashire, but is now the centre of its own metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, which has a population of over 2.5 million. Manchester is world-renowned for its influence on the histories of industry and music, and for its sporting connections. It is one of the most gay-friendly and multicultural cities in Europe, and boasts the largest university in Britain. A report commissioned by Manchester Partnership, published in 2007, showed Manchester to be the "fastest-growing city" economically. It is the third most visited city in the United Kingdom by foreign visitors and is now often considered to be the second city of the UK. Manchester was the host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and among its other sporting connections are its two Premier League football teams, Manchester United and Manchester City. Historically, most of the city was a part of Lancashire, with areas south of the River Mersey being in Cheshire. Manchester was the world's first industrialised city and played a central role during the Industrial Revolution. It was the dominant international centre of textile manufacture and cotton spinning. During the 19th century it acquired the nickname Cottonopolis, suggesting it was a metropolis of cotton mills. Manchester City Centre is now on a tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, mainly due to the network of canals and mills constructed during its 19th-century development. There are few signs of prehistoric occupation of the city. The only major Bronze Age finds have been to the south, where the remains of an extensive farming community were discovered during the construction of Manchester Airport's second runway. Central Manchester has been settled since at least Roman times. The Roman general Gnaeus Julius Agricola constructed a fort called Mamucium in the 70s AD on a defensible hill where the River Medlock meets the River Irwell, at the junction of roads to Chester, York, Buxton, Ribchester, and Melandra. A stabilised fragment of foundations of the final version of the fort is visible in Castlefield. The Romans withdrew in the early fifth century, and by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 the focus of settlement had shifted to the confluence of the rivers Irwell and Irk. Much of the wider area was laid waste in the subsequent Harrying of the North. Thomas de la Warre, lord of the manor, founded and constructed a collegiate church for the parish in 1421. The church is now Manchester Cathedral; the domestic premises of the college now house Chetham's School of Music and Chetham's Library Around the 14th century, Manchester received an influx of Flemish weavers, sometimes credited as the foundation of the region's textile industry. Manchester became an important centre for the manufacture and trade of woollens and linen, and by about 1540, had expanded to become, in John Leland's words, "The fairest, best builded, quickest, and most populous town of all Lancashire." The cathedral and Chetham's buildings are the only significant survivors of Leland's Manchester. During the English Civil War, Manchester strongly favoured the Parliamentary interest. Although not long lasting, Cromwell granted it the right to elect its own MP. Charles Worsley, who sat for the city for only a year, was later appointed Major General for Lancashire, Cheshire and Staffordshire during the Rule of the Major Generals. He was a diligent puritan, turning out ale houses and banning the celebration of Christmas; he died in 1656. Significant quantities of cotton began to be used after about 1600, firstly in linen/cotton fustians, but by around 1750 pure cotton fabrics were being produced and cotton had overtaken wool in importance. The Irwell and Mersey were made navigable by 1736, opening a route from Manchester to the sea docks on the Mersey. The Bridgewater Canal, Britain's first wholly artificial waterway, was opened in 1761, bringing coal from mines at Worsley to central Manchester. The canal was extended to the Mersey at Runcorn by 1776. The combination of competition and improved efficiency halved the cost of coal and halved the transport cost of raw cotton. Manchester became the dominant marketplace for textiles produced in the surrounding towns. A commodities exchange, opened in 1729, and numerous large warehouses, aided commerce. In 1780, Richard Arkwright began construction of Manchester's first cotton mill GENERAL INFORMATION Sovereign state United Kingdom Constituent country England Region North West England Ceremonial county Greater Manchester Founded 1st century Town charter 1301 City status 1853 Area 44.7 sq mi (115.65 km²) Elevation 256 ft (78 m) Population 452,000 Density 9,880.8/sq mi (3,815/km²) PLACE TO VISIT The Manchester Wheel - in Exchange Square in the Millennium Quarter is a good way of seeing Manchester from an elevated height The Village - also known as the Gay Village, has built up around Canal Street out of the many cotton warehouses in the area. It is home to one of the oldest and most-established gay communities in Europe and is known for its tolerance toward all kinds of people. Many of Manchester's most famous bars and clubs are to be found here, most of which are as popular with heterosexual party-animals as they are with the gay crowd. The Village hosts a major Pride festival every year (around the end of August), when the whole region of town is closed to the public for an expensive and exclusive weekend for gay and gay-friendly people from all over the UK. Castlefield - is the site of the original Roman settlement Mamucium and has been known as Castlefield since Medieval times, the walls still standing to over 2 metres as late as the 16thC. It is the centre of Manchester's canal network and a transport nexuss of unique historical importance. The Castlefield Basin, joins the Rochdale and Bridgewater canals, the latter being the first cut canal in Britain and the nearby Museum of Science and Industry contains Liverpool Road station, the first passenger railway station in the world. Very important in industrial times, it became run down in post-war times until it was completely regenerated in the 1990s and designated Britain's first Urban Heritage site. These days the area is like a small country oasis in the heart of the city, with regular events and a handful of great pubs around the canals and the neighbouring streets. It is also the only place to see wildlife in Manchester's centre. The University of Manchester - on Oxford Road, where amongst other things, the atom was first probed by Rutherford, the first computer was built and where radio astronomy was pioneered. It was here too that the element Vanadium was first isolated. St Mary's The Hidden Gem - near Albert Square. The oldest post-Reformation Catholic church in the counry, dating from 1794. Contains one of the greatest pieces of art in Manchester. Manchester Cathedral - near the Millennium Quarter. The widest cathedral in England with important carved choir stalls (school of Lincoln) and pulpitum. Manchester Town Hall - near Albert Square. This imposing and beautiful neo-Gothic masterpiece by Alfred Waterhouse is a symbol of the wealth and power of Manchester during the Industrial Revolution. Tours can be arranged and the state rooms are generally open to visitors (and free) when not otherwise in use. The Great Hall contains a series of pre-Raphaelite wall paintings by Ford Maddox Brown depicting historical scenes (some rather fanciful) from Manchester's past. The corridors are often seen on television dramas standing in for the Palace of Westminster, although the Commons chamber itself is usually depicted in a permanent set at Granada TV studios. John Rylands Library - on Deansgate. The bequest to the people of Manchester by the world's richest widow, Henriquetta Rylands, in memory of her husband John, but now administered by the University of Manchester. It Contains the 'Manchester Fragment' the earliest known fragment of the New Testament, part of St. John's gospel found near Alexandria and dating from the first part of the second century, shortly after the gospel itself was first written. Tours can be booked around lunchtime. The library was designed by Basil Champneys and is the last building built in the perpendicular gothic style. Imperial War Museum North - at The Quays Great museum with great architecture designed by Daniel Libeskind. The museum focuses on the people involved in war, whether it's the people who worked in the factories in WW2, or the soldiers who suffered in the battlefield. Bridgewater Hall - near Albert Square. Completed 1996 is the home of the Halle Orchestra world's first municipal symphony orchestra. The centrepiece of the hall is the 5500 pipe organ by Rasmussen. An elegant bistro and restaurant are open at normal meal times to the general public. Manchester Art Gallery - near Albert Square. Designed by Sir Chrles Barry architect of the Houses of Parliament. The city has a particulalry fine collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings. HOW TO REACH By plane - Manchester International Airport in the South of the city is the largest airport in the UK outside of London. Nearly 100 operators fly to and from hundreds of locations worldwide, including most major cities in Europe, along with services from North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Direct trains run from the airport station (reached by Skyway, between terminals 1 and 2) to Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations about every 20 minutes and cost about £3. Taxis are available from outside each terminal, costing about £15 and taking about 30-45 minutes. By train - Manchester city centre is served by two major railway stations, Victoria in the north and Piccadilly in the south. These stations are well-connected with the rest of the UK, although it is more likely that you will arrive at Piccadilly as it deals with the most services in and out of Manchester. Fares vary dramatically depending on time of day and rail operator. Other stations close to the centre are Deansgate/G-Mex, Oxford Road and Salford Central but generally only local services will stop at these stations. By car - The outer ring road of the Manchester conurbation is the M60. It is accessible from Leeds or Liverpool by the M62, and from Scotland and the South by the M6 (followed by M61 and M56 from the North or South respectively). Bear in mind that parking in the city centre of Manchester can be very expensive (£10-20 per day). Avoid the multi-storey car parks if you can and look for some open-air car parks just outside the centre, such as in Castlefield or on Bridge Street in Salford. Ladywell Park & Ride[10] is situated near Eccles (M602, Junction 2); the car park is free and there is a tram station. Similarly, parking at the Trafford Centre (M60, junctions 9 and 10) is free and there are buses to the centre and Stretford tram station. By bus - Chorlton Street Coach Station is the central coach station in Manchester, located close to the centre, between Chinatown and The Village. Coaches run from all over the country and are generally the most reasonably-priced way to get into Manchester. London to Manchester on the coach can take about 4 hours, but it depends on the time of day and number of stops. National Express is a comfortable and frequent service which runs 24 hours a day from some cities, including London. Stagecoach Megabus is less comfortable but can be very cheap (some cities have buses to Manchester for as little as £1). You must book in advance over the web. |