Manchester: Past to Present
A country’s ‘second city’ is normally the one considered to be the next most important to the capital city, in terms of population and economic and commercial importance. Whilst there are a few worthy contenders in the UK, Manchester has emerged as the country’s second city and it’s perhaps worth looking back at the history of what has become one of Britain’s true great cities.
Manchester can be traced all the way back to Roman times, when a wooden fort was built by the Roman army in 80 AD. The fort was reconstructed in stone a hundred years later and a settlement soon sprung up around the fort.
However, in the fourth century AD, the Romans left and with it the settlement soon vanished. It was another three centuries before the Saxons came along and created a new village on the site which was sparsely populated and surrounded mainly my forest. The Saxon word for any Roman town or fort was ‘ceaster’ and, combined with the Roman name for the fort which was ‘Mamuciam’, the settlement became known as ‘Mamm Ceaster’ which in time became Manchester.
Manchester was a small village by the time of the Normans in the 11th century, but with increasing trade and commerce throughout the Middle Ages, the population of England grew significantly and Manchester was made into a town in the early 13th century.
By the 16th century, Manchester had grown somewhat bigger which subsequently meant it became more important too, however, its importance was limited to the region rather than nationally. It became renowned for its wool and cotton production in the 17th century, whilst silk was produced locally too.
A civil war broke out in 1642 between royalty and the elected parliament, with Manchester eventually siding with Parliament. Ramparts were erected around the town to protect it from attacks from royalists and after fending off several attempts to take the city by force, the royalists gave up and Manchester remained in control of parliament thereafter.
The key to Manchester’s growth into the city we see today lay in the industrial revolution in the 18th century. The population soared from 10,000 at the start to around 70,000 at the end and with a thriving textiles industry, the first city newspaper and the building of the Bridgewater canal to help the transportation of coal, this laid the foundation for Manchester to blossom into a major metropolis and it became an official city in 1853.
Today, Manchester is a bustling hub of international activity and it’s the third most visited UK city from overseas after London and Edinburgh.
Because of this, hotels in Manchester are always in great demand, with almost a million international visitors rushing to take in the city’s vibrant cultural attractions. With perhaps the world’s most famous football club calling Manchester home, it’s little wonder that Britain’s second city is so firmly ingrained on the world tourist map.
Victoria Cochrane writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
