Manchester is an extremely interesting British city. Probably, in most cases, it is associated with industry. It’s not surprising, as once, this city was the heart and driving force of the Industrial Revolution. In addition, many people associate it with football. Manchester United and Manchester City are top football clubs, which are based in the city.
The mentioned facts about Manchester are widely known. However, this city also hides a lot of less-known facts. Learn more about them at imanchester.info.
Founded by the Romans and named after the breast-shaped hills
It is believed that in 79 A.D., the Romans established a well-fortified settlement, a kind of outpost, on the site of modern Manchester. The settlement was named Mamucium. The name of the fortification came from the Latin word mamm, meaning “breast”. Researchers believe that the local hills reminded the Roman settlers of the shape of a woman’s breast.
Around 870, Manchester was captured by the Normans, who were often called the Vikings in Western Europe. By the way, the word chester comes from Old English and means “fortress”. For the most part, all the British cities that have the “chester” part in their names were once inhabited by Normans.
Manchester as an epicentre of the Industrial Revolution
Manchester’s textile production originated in the 14th century. At the same time, the city received the right to hold fairs. Thus, active trade in woollen and linen fabrics began. However, the city started to develop rapidly in the middle of the 18th century. It was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Actually, it was the British Manchester that started it.
During the Industrial Revolution, Manchester became a world-known cotton producer, which exported textiles all around the world. Manchester became the world’s largest producer of cotton in the 19th century. The city population grew rapidly, and thus, many migrants came to Manchester to find a better life.
“Cottonopolis” of the 19th century
Talking about the Industrial Revolution, it should be noted that in the 19th century, Manchester was called Cottonopolis. Of course, it wasn’t an official name, but rather a nickname. Obviously, it came from the main type of production in the city, the cotton industry.
Multilingual Manchester
The presence of more than 100 languages in the city is pretty obvious to explain. After all, Manchester used to attract many immigrants who wanted to work in numerous local factories.
About 35% of Manchester residents are of Irish descent
This fact is a result of the Irish Potato Famine, also called the Great Hunger, which happened in Ireland in 1845-1849. It was caused by the potato disease that destroyed such vital crops for Ireland at that time.
About a million Irish people fell victim to the famine and about two million were forced to leave the island. Many of them rushed to Manchester and settled in the city slums. Over time, they even created a whole district called Little Ireland.
Thus, nearly a third of Manchester’s native residents claim to be of Irish descent.
The world’s first long-distance scheduled railway
In 1823, the British began the construction of the railway connecting Liverpool and Manchester. Its opening took place on September 15, 1830. It became the first long-distance scheduled railway in the world. It was 56 kilometres long and served trains that were driven by steam locomotives.
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was used for the transportation of passengers and goods. However, the first passengers had to ride on a roofless train and sit on benches in cramped minicars. The carriages looked like those in an amusement park, but at that time, nobody considered such conditions uncomfortable.
The railway also transported raw materials and finished products between the Liverpool seaport and Manchester with its numerous factories and plants. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway turned out to be extremely successful. Therefore, soon after its launch, the British Empire, and later the whole world, was gripped by a railway-building mania. In the next decade, people built thousands of kilometres of railways.
By the way, the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was accompanied by a tragedy. William Huskisson, a British politician and Member of Parliament, went down in history as the first person to die under the train wheels.
Mr Huskisson was a clumsy man. He often fell, had many injuries and went through kidney surgery. The MP’s doctor advised him to miss the opening of the railway, but Mr Huskisson didn’t listen and did the opposite.
On the opening day, he walked straight onto the track to greet the Duke of Wellington and didn’t notice a train moving a few metres away. The man had no chance to escape. The steam train ran over him, causing Mr Huskisson serious injuries and resulting in his death.
The bee is the symbol of the city
You can often come across images of a bee in Manchester. For example, this insect is painted on the walls of houses. The bee, which is considered a symbol of hard work in many cultures, became one of Manchester’s attributes in the 19th century. The Manchester bee symbolises the diligence and perseverance of its residents. This industrious insect is depicted on the official coat of arms of the city of Manchester.
Manchester’s The Guardian newspaper
The Guardian has long won the title of one of the most respected global newspapers. It is read not only in Great Britain but all over the world. The publication takes an independent position and adheres to liberal views.
A few people know that this newspaper, whose articles are referenced almost daily by various Internet resources around the world and which is considered an unquestionable source, has originated in Manchester. This publication was founded by Manchester cotton merchant and part-time journalist John Edward Taylor in 1821. He strove to be politically neutral and maintain high journalistic standards. The newspaper was called The Manchester Guardian until 1959, and later, received its current name, The Guardian.
Charles Prestwich Scott was the most famous editor-in-chief of the newspaper and held the position from 1872 to 1929. He proclaimed the five most important principles of The Guardian newspaper, namely honesty, purity, courage, justice and a sense of duty to readers and the public.
The Rolls-Royce company originated in Manchester
Probably, everybody heard about the British Rolls-Royce cars, the production of which was once launched by the British engineering company of the same name. Although its headquarters is located in Derby, it originates in Manchester.
In this city, Charles Rolls, an aviator and engineer, and Henry Royce, an industrialist, inventor, and automobile designer, met in the famous The Midland hotel, near St. Peter’s Square, in 1904. In two years after that meeting, Rolls-Royce Ltd. appeared on the map of world car manufacturers.
In addition, there are rumours that The Midland hotel, where Rolls and Royce once met, was one of the most favourite English buildings of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Allegedly, he even banned the Third Reich air force from dropping bombs on the hotel during the massive bombing of Manchester. However, nobody knows whether it is true or not.
Mummy Studies in Manchester
At one time, the University of Manchester was the first and only place where you could get a degree in Mummy Studies.
Of course, this is far from the entire list of interesting facts about Manchester. This city is also known as the birthplace of the suffragette movement. Manchester’s Gay Village is one of the most LGBT-friendly communities. Also, the city appeared in some scenes of the movie The Crown. However, Manchester’s locations were presented as New York sites.
The multifaceted city of Manchester features a lot of interesting and little-explored facts.