The Manchester reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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Manchester

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This article is about the city in England. For other articles subjects named Manchester, see Manchester (disambiguation).

Manchester
Image:EnglandManchester.png

Manchester is a city in North West England, with a population of 422,300 (2001). The city is situated in the centre of a large conurbation - Greater Manchester which has an aggregate population of 2,438,000.

The term "Manchester", is normally used in reference to the entire Greater Manchester conurbation, rather than the city proper.

Table of contents
1 History
2 Culture
3 Transport
4 Places
5 External links

History

Manchester was occupied by Romans (it was then known as Mancunium or Mamucium, hence the term for a resident of Manchester, "Mancunian"). A facsimile of a Roman fort exists in Castlefield.

In the 14th Century Manchester became home to a community of Flemish (Dutch) weavers, who settled in the town to produce wool and linen.

Manchester was a key part of the Industrial Revolution. Its damp climate made it and the surrounding area ideal for cotton mills, such as Quarry Bank Mill. Its growth was also aided by its proximity to Liverpool's ports and the emerging rail and canal networks.

At 11:20 a.m. on Saturday 15 June 1996, the IRA detonated a bomb containing 1500 kg of explosive in a van on Corporation Street, near the junction with Market Street. This was the largest IRA bomb ever detonated on the British mainland. Fortunately warnings received in the previous hour had allowed the evacuation of the area, but 206 people were recorded by the ambulance service as having been injured, mainly by falling glass and building debris. A large area of the city centre was devastated, and over 50,000 square metres of retail space and 25,000 square metres of office space subsequently had to be rebuilt. Since then the city centre has undergone extensive rejuvenation along with the more general efforts to regenerate previously degenerated areas of the wider city (such as Hulme and Salford).

In 2002, the city hosted the Commonwealth Games very successfully, earning praise from many previously sceptical sources. The event's facilities included a velodrome (now the National Cycling Centre) and an athletics stadium since converted to become the home ground of Manchester City F.C.

Culture

Art

Manchester was home to the artist L.S. Lowry after whom the Lowry Centre in Salford Quays is named, one of Manchester's many theatres.

Music

The Hallé Orchestra is based in Manchester, often playing from their own concert venue, The Bridgewater Hall (named after the Duke of Bridgewater). Before that they performed at the Free Trade Hall, which was for many years a focal point for public debate and cultural activity in the city. The city is also the home of the Royal Northern College of Music and Chetham's School of Music.

Manchester has played a significant role in British youth and counterculture throughout the 1980s and 1990s, coining the phrase Madchester. The rock bands Oasis, New Order, Inspiral Carpets, Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and The Smiths came from Manchester, as well as New Wave outfits such as Joy Division, Buzzcocks, Magazine and electronic music outfits such as 808 State.

Theatre

The city is noted for its excellent theatres, among them the Library Theatre, the Royal Exchange, Manchester and the Contact Theatre. It is also home to two highly-regarded drama schools; The Manchester Metropolitan University School of Theatre and the Arden School of Theatre.

Architecture

Buildings of architectural interest in Manchester include:

Media

The city's main newspaper is the Manchester Evening News and is home to local radio stations such as BBC GMR, Key 103 Century FM and Smooth FM, as well as some smaller stations.

Universities

Manchester is home to three Universities: The University of Manchester (sometimes known as "Owens", after its founder John Owens), UMIST, and Manchester Metropolitan University. Together with nearby Salford University these give the area the biggest student populations in Europe. The first two institutions are to merge in autumn 2004 to form the largest university in Britain.

Football

Football is a an important part of Manchester culture. Two major football clubs, Manchester United F.C and Manchester City F.C, bear the city's name. United's ground is just outside the city, in the borough of Trafford. These two football teams are just two examples, according to the Urbis centre Manchester has the highest concentration of football clubs per capita anywhere in the world.

Transport

There are several canals in use around Manchester: the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal, Rochdale Canal, Manchester Ship Canal, Bridgewater Canal, Ashton Canal and the Leigh Branch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

Manchester International Airport is one of the largest airports in the UK.

Serco operates the Metrolink light rail system.

Places

Nearby towns include Altrincham, Ashton-under-Lyne, Sale, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport and Stretford.

Places in the borough of Manchester include:

See also:

External links


Districts of England - North West England
Allerdale | Barrow-in-Furness | Blackburn with Darwen | Blackpool | Bolton | Burnley | Bury | Carlisle | Chester | Chorley | Congleton | Copeland | Crewe and Nantwich | Eden | Ellesmere Port and Neston | Fylde | Halton | Hyndburn | Knowsley | Lancaster | Liverpool | Macclesfield | Manchester | Oldham | Pendle | Preston | Ribble Valley | Rochdale | Rossendale | St Helens | Salford | Sefton | South Lakeland | South Ribble | Stockport | Tameside | Trafford | Vale Royal | Warrington | West Lancashire | Wigan | Wirral | Wyre

Administrative counties with multiple districts: Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside