Manchester's hidden river that runs under an unassuming back street

There are many things lurking under the streets of Manchester – the abandoned Market Centre, tunnels and a bomb shelter, to name but a few. But perhaps one of the more unusual things you’ll find down there is the long-forgotten River Tib that runs right through the heart of the Northern Quarter.

Starting at a spring in Miles Platting, the River Tib runs underneath Oldham Road, West Mosley Street, across Princess Street, underneath the Manchester Town Hall Extension, the Central Library and the Midland Hotel’s dining room, before eventually joining the river Medlock.

The River Tib hasn’t always been an underground river, though. Around 1783, at the height of the Industrial Revolution, the river was culverted – or directed underground – as the river would frequently flood the streets, according to the Manchester City Council website.

Manchester’s hidden river also has a secret connection to the Rochdale Canal via underwater trap door. You can find an arrow pointing to the location at Lock 89 (near Rain Bar) also known as Tib Lock.

But the river’s history goes much further back than the Industrial Revolution. During the Roman era, the River Rib marked the boundary of Mamucium, which was the Roman name for Manchester. Some even say that the River Tib got its name from a homesick Roman soldier, who named it after Rome’s Tiber River.

Although it is unlikely you will ever get to see the river in person, there are signs of its existence above ground – and you’ve probably never even noticed them. Originally installed in 1998, and then restored and replaced in 2021, extracts of Manchester poet Lemn Sissay’s poem Flags line the pavement at intervals down the length of Tib Street. You can also find references to the river on the planters outside Tib Street car park.