Landlord Voice Magazine April 2015 - Manchester | Seite 18

AD 79 Manchester is born Roman fort of Mamucium is established between the banks of the rivers Medlock and Irwell 14th Century The invasion of the weavers The town welcomes an influx of Flemish weavers, often considered the foundation of the area’s textile industry. Lord of the manor Thomas de la Warre has a collegiate church built for the parish. This will later become later Manchester Cathedral and home to Chetham’s Library, which opened in 1653 and is Europe’s oldest. 16th Century Manchester 18th Century Through the Years... Manchester in focus T�� f��nda�i�n� � � ��ea� �i�� 20th Century present day Page 18 19th Century Wool & linen trade boom Manchester grows rapidly to become the most populous town in Lancashire as a result of its heaving trade in woollens and linen Bridgewater canal opens Manchester’s cotton industry flourishes, helped along by the opening of the Bridgewater Canal in 1761 which brings much-needed coal to the rapidly industrialising town. A commodities exchange is opened in1729, large warehouses are built and in 1780 Richard Arkwright begins constructing Manchester’s first cotton mill. The rise of the machines Manchester expands at a furious pace as people flock to the city from all over the British Isles. Engineering firms diversify into general manufacture, having started out making machines for the cotton trade. Discontent among the busy mill town’s working class leads to a riot and the Peterloo Massacre in 1819. Manchester continues to grow The city centre is decimated by Luftwaffe bombing raids in late 1940 as its machining expertise is put to use in the Second World War effort. The raids destroy 165 warehouses, 200 business premises and 150 offices. Heavy industry suffers a downturn from the 1960s onwards and is greatly reduced under the economic policies of the Thatcher government after 1979, but regeneration in the late 1980s gives birth to the Metrolink and the rebranding of Manchester’s port as Salford Quays. The 1996 IRA bombing of Manchester City Centre rouses a regeneration effort aided by the 2002 Commonwealth Games which sees the Arndale become the UK’s largest shopping centre, the location of the BBC at the Salford Quays, the construction of the 47-storey Beetham Tower and Manchester’s resurgence as one of the UK’s most thriving city economies.