By Liana Jacob
VINTAGE photographs that cast a glimpse into the evolution of Manchester during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have been revealed in a new book.
The incredible pictures show Albert Square during the Kitchener’s Parade in the Town Hall in 1915, while another shows the busy environment in Market Street from Cross Street in 1900.
A beautiful landscape of Piccadilly Gardens in 1961 shows a woman in a hat taking in the stunning scenery and another image reveals what the Town Hall looked like in 1877 compared to the present day.
Further photos show the statue in John Rylands Library and the Old Town Hall in 1860 and a rare insight into the landscape of St Ann’s Square and Church in 1741.
The striking pictures are part of a book called Central Manchester History Tour by Jean and John Bradburn, who were both born in North Manchester, UK. The book is published by Amberley Publishing.
“Although Manchester is renowned for being a Victorian city, our walk will take us from Roman Manchester through Georgian Manchester to the medieval centre, and, of course, passing the great Victorian buildings of the city along the way,” they said.
“Manchester proved to be radical at a very early stage. In 1301 the Great Charter of Manchester gave rights to women.
“They could now trade in their own right and be members of a guild – privileges that were denied to women elsewhere. There were no restrictions on who could trade and from then we see the early signs of Manchester’s free trade tradition.”
Manchester, the home to one of the world’s most famous football team Man United, has a population of 530,300 as of 2015, it’s located in Greater Manchester, the UK’s second-most populous urban area, with an overall population of 2.85 million.
During the Middle Ages, Manchester remained a manorial township but began to increase at a rapid rate around the turn of the 19th century. It was brought about by a boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution.
In March 1915, Lord Kitchener reviewed a parade of troops outside the Town Hall in Albert Square. He was featured in the famous war poster with the words ‘Your Country needs YOU’, which garnered nearly two-and-a-half million male volunteers between August 1914 and December 1915.
“Piccadilly is surrounded by modern buildings today and is an important transport hub for the city. It is the site of the Manchester Infirmary, which was erected in 1775 and demolished in 1909 to make way for sunken gardens,” Jean and John said.
“John Rylands was born in St Helens in 1801. His family were cotton manufacturers. He quickly became the owner of the largest textile manufacturing concern in the United Kingdom and was also Manchester’s first multimillionaire.
“A fine view of the Georgian square, which was originally called Acres Field. A fair was held here from 1227 in the days of Henry III.
“In 1709 Lady Ann Bland laid the foundation stone of St Ann’s Church. In 1712 the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Chester, and John Wesley preached here in 1738.”
Central Manchester History Tour is published by Amberley Publishing and is available here: https://www.amberley-books.com/central-manchester-history-tour.html
