Manchester City Centre.html |
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| City Centre | |
| Manchester city centre, Central Manchester | |
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  City Centre shown within Greater Manchester |
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| Population | 11,689 (2001 Census) |
|---|---|
| - Density | 5410 mile² (2090 km²) |
| OS grid reference | |
| - London | 163 mi (262 km) SE |
| Metropolitan borough | Manchester |
| Metropolitan county | Greater Manchester |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MANCHESTER |
| Postcode district | M1 |
| Dialling code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Manchester Central |
| List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester | |
Manchester city centre – known formally as City Centre1 – is the central business district of both Manchester and Greater Manchester,2 in North West England. The City Centre, as defined by Manchester City Council, lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, straddling the River Irwell, and thereby encompassing part of the neighbouring City of Salford.3 The electoral ward of Central has a population of 11,689.4
City Centre is the historic core of Manchester, around which the modern city grew. It evolved from the civilian vicus associated with the Roman fort of Mamucium, which was established c. AD 79 on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the River Medlock and River Irwell, in a position defensible from the Brigantes.5 Once the Romans abandoned Britain, the focus of settlement in Manchester shifted to the confluence of the rivers Irwell and Irk.6 During the Dark Ages which followed – and persisted until the Norman Conquest – the settlement at Manchester was in the territory of several different petty kingdoms.7 In the Middle Ages, what is now the City Centre was the township of Manchester.
Extensively redeveloped since the 1996 Manchester bombing, the city centre is now the commercial and cultural centre of Manchester, the site of most of its retailing, office space, and heritage centres. The majority of the tallest buildings and structures in Manchester are located in the city centre, including Manchester Town Hall which houses the city's administrative functions, and Beetham Tower, the tallest building in the United Kingdom outside of London.
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History
Manchester Castle – a medieval fortification, probably taking the form of a ringwork – is located on a bluff where the rivers Irk and Irwell meet.8 The castle was first mentioned in 1184 and was recorded in 1215 as belonging to the barons of Manchester, the Grelley family.9 It has been described as "of no political or military importance".10 The Grelleys replaced the castle with a fortified manor house, which in turn was replaced by a college of priests.11 This became the site of Chetham's School of Music.
Economy
There are a variety restaurants in the City Centre including a number owned by famous chef Paul Heathcote. There is also a stock of hotels in the area with Manchester's first five-star hotel, the Lowry Hotel opening in the City Centre in 2001.
Manchester city centre is home to Marks and Spencer, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols stores. Deansgate and Market Street are the centre's principal retail streets. There is also a large indoor shopping mall called the Manchester Arndale Centre. There are many leisure facilities in the City Centre including the Printworks, a large facility containing a cinema (including an IMAX screen), numerous bars, clubs and restaurants and also Manchester's first Hard Rock Cafe and Hard Rock Casino.
The Northern Quarter, centred around Oldham Street, is known for its bohemian atmosphere and independent shops and cafes.
The landscaping of the City Centre has provided several public spaces including the newly developed Piccadilly Gardens, which incorporates fountains, green spaces and a Metrolink station. Exchange Square is located near Urbis, which is an exhibition centre focusing on city life. Both Picadilly and Exchange Square are used for screening public events. Two of the City Centre's oldest buildings, The Old Wellington Inn and Sinclair's Oyster Bar, were dismantled, moved 300 metres and re-erected in 1999 to create the new Shambles Square adjacent to Manchester Cathedral12
There are other museums in Manchester City Centre including the Manchester Museum which contains many ancient artifacts and natural history items and the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry which includes many hands-on exhibits.
Night life
Manchester City Centre has many nightclubs, many of which following in the footsteps of the Haçienda nightclub which has now closed; the site has been redeveloped as a housing complex. There is a large gay village around the Canal Street area of the city centre, which plays host to an annual Gay Pride Festival, and a large Chinatown with numerous places to eat.
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Ordnance Survey. "Source data - 1:25,000 Scale Colour Raster; Grid reference at centre - SJ 837 981 GB Grid". Retrieved on 2008-11-07.
- ^ Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority. "The Greater Manchester Area and its Regional Context". gmltp.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-04-11.
- ^ Manchester City Council. "City Centre Zoning Map" (GIF). manchester.gov.uk. Retrieved on 2008-06-09.
- ^ Central (Key Figures), neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. URL accessed March 20, 2007.
- ^ Gregory (2007), pp. 1, 3.
- ^ Hylton (2003), pp. 3, 8.
- ^ Hylton (2003), p. 7.
- ^ Newman (2006), p. 141.
- ^ Nevell (2008), p. 41.
- ^ Kidd (1996), p. 13.
- ^ Nevell (2008), p. 42.
- ^ Greater manchester County Records Office: Wellington Inn
Bibliography
- Gregory, Richard (ed) (2007). Roman Manchester: The University of Manchester's Excavations within the Vicus 2001–5. Oxford: Oxbow Books. ISBN 978-1-84217-271-1.
- Hylton, Stuart (2003). A History of Manchester. Chichester: Phillimore and co. Ltd.. ISBN 1-86077-240-4.
- Kidd, Alan ([1996] 1993). Manchester. Keele: Keele University Press. ISBN 1-85331-028-X.
- Nevell, Mike (2008), Manchester: The Hidden History, The History Press, ISBN 978-0-7524-4704-9
- Newman, Caron (2006). "Medieval Period Resource Assessment". Archaeology North West 8: 115–144. ISSN 0962-4201.
External links
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