MANCHESTER
The north west’s creative and media hub
The textile industry of the 18th and 19th centuries turned Manchester into a northern powerhouse long before the term was adopted as a political catchphrase. “Cottonopolis”, as the city became known, was one of Britain’s principal engines for economic growth during the Victorian era, and the wealth generated left its mark in the monumental buildings that still dominate the city centre, including the round, neoclassical 1934 Central Library and the neo-Gothic Town Hall (1877).
The huge, red-brick The Midland hotel – another neo-Gothic landmark – is home to one of the city’s top restaurants, Adam Reid at the French. Equally striking is the former Refuge Assurance Building, now the Principal hotel. Its decoratively tiled ground-floor interior houses destination bar and restaurant the Refuge. These buildings are complemented by loft-style developments in former factories, gleaming residential new-builds and office towers.
The city is also home to a multimillion-pound football industry. Its two world-famous clubs, Manchester City and Manchester United, both have impressively capacious grounds on the outskirts; the latter has been on its Old Trafford site for nearly a century. Man United is the world’s highest-earning
football club, with an estimated worth of £3 billion. David Beckham, George Best and Bobby Charlton have all worn the distinctive red shirts.
Manchester is also an increasingly important media hub, with BBC and ITV departments at Salford Quays, and the longest-running soap opera in the world – Coronation Street – filmed at MediaCityUK. Beyond sport and media, Manchester’s business life today is dominated by the digital, creative, healthcare and technology industries.
Greater Manchester is the country’s largest city-region economy outside London. As part of a devolution agreement, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority – consisting of the ten Greater Manchester councils – coordinates economic development and regeneration in the region. Perhaps the biggest fillip to the city’s growth will be the planned HS2 train development, which will see new lines built from London via Birmingham, eventually cutting journey times to the capital by up to an hour (from the current two hours and eight minutes). Transport within the city is already a cinch; the Metrolink trams pass through the city centre to many points across the Greater Manchester region, including to Manchester Central, a huge exhibition and conference centre inside a former Victorian railway station.
ON THE TOWN
Manchester is rightly famous for its bars, nightlife and music scene. The UK’s dominance of pop music has much to do with Mancunian bands such as Joy Division, The Smiths and Oasis, while the Happy Mondays were a product of Factory Records’ Hacienda club. Today, hipsters gravitate to the Northern Quarter, which is packed with small bars and shops. Spinningfields is a pedestrianised riverside complex containing many exclusive shops – along with the outstanding Manchester House restaurant. The city’s new cultural hub lies just to the south, in the First Street area: home to multi-use venue Home.
An easy tram ride away from the city centre is the modern canal-side district of Salford Quays. Highlights here are the Lowry, which incorporates a restaurant, theatre and gallery featuring local artist LS Lowry’s paintings; MediaCityUK; many al fresco drinking and dining venues; and architect Daniel Libeskind’s stunning Imperial War Museum North building.
Manchester remains a city with a firm sense of identity, epitomised by its population’s solidarity in the wake of the 2017 bombing of the Manchester Arena. Unbowed, the Arena – the UK’s largest indoor performance space – is still one of the best places to see major live acts.