The Manchester we know and love today, at least on the surface, is not the Manchester that existed 30, 20 or even 10 years ago.
The rate at which the city has transformed, particularly in the last decade, is almost mind-boggling. Victorian-era slums are now sought-after apartments, a train station is now a multi-purpose entertainment venue, and once derelict dockyards are now home to the BBC. And this is just the beginning.
Here is a look back at some of the city’s biggest and most important developments in recent memory.
1. First Street
The area that is now home to cultural hub HOME and several restaurants used to be home to the Gaythorne Gasworks which stopped operating in 1929 and became a gas distribution point. The building that is now 1 Tony Wilson Place was briefly used by the British Council and BT. but was mostly brownfield for decades before HOME was completed in 2015. Development continues with a new £400m mixed-use scheme about to start. (Photo: Marketing Manchester)
2. Mayfield
Mayfield was left mostly abandoned after the last train left its platforms in the 1980s. Today it is one of the coolest venues in the city, home to Sacha Lord’s Warehouse Project, as well as the multi-purpose Escape to Freight Island and now Backyard Cinema.. Last year saw the opening of the 6.5-acre Mayfield Park, the city centre’s first new green space in 100 years. Development continues in the area under the Mayfield Partnership between the council, Transport for Greater Manchester and developers U+I and LCR. (Credit: Mark Waugh)
3. Castlefield
The trendy waterside neighbourhood was a forgotten wasteland before Manchester bookmaker-turned property developer Jim Ramsbottom saw its potential and began its regeneration process in the eighties and nineties. It is now home to bars, restaurants, flats and an outdoor amphitheatre, Castlefield Bowl. (Photo: Marketing Manchester)
4. Exchange Square
In 1996, Manchester was devastated by the IRA terrorist attack. As part of the city’s reconstruction and recovery, Exchange Square was created. Two historic pubs, the Old Wellington and Sinclair’s Oyster Bar were relocated, the Corn Exchange was redeveloped into what was known as the Triangle, and redevelopment also began on the Arndale Centre, including the construction of the Marks and Spencers and Selfridges building. The area is also home to one of the city’s most unique buildings – Urbis, or the National Football Museum as it is now known, built in 2002. (Photo by ANTHONY DEVLIN/AFP via Getty Images)