One of the
largest cities in England, Manchester is becoming
increasingly important, as major airlines now fly here from
North America, making the city a gateway to northern England. In
recent years, Manchester has made great strides to shake its
image as an industrial wasteland. Though chimneys still spike
the skyline, they no longer make the metropolitan sky an
ash-filled canopy. Abandoned warehouses are being renovated to
provide sleek new loft apartments for yuppies. Rustic factory
equipment turns up in museums rather than piling up in salvage
yards. Even the old Victorian architecture has been given a
face-lift. The overall effect is a gritty kind of charm.
Manchester's roots date from A.D. 79, when the Romans settled
here. It remained under Roman occupation until A.D. 410 when the
empire began its storied fall. The west gate has since been
reconstructed upon its original site. Little is known of
Manchester's Middle Ages.
But then in the mid-17th century, the city began to
capitalize on the wealth of opportunity that the burgeoning
textile industry offered. Manchester eventually became the
Dickensian paradigm of the industrial complex and the plight of
cities. The railways were equally responsible for catapulting
the city to the forefront of the industrial movement. England
found Manchester both a convenient terminus and refinement
center through which raw goods became viable exports. It is apt
indeed that the Museum of Science and Technology resides here.
Many of the factory laborers were immigrants who flocked to
the city for the promise of work. The atrocity of their
conditions is well documented. But these immigrants had a
profound effect on the city's culture. Today, Manchester's
nearly 20,000 descendants of Chinese immigrants constitute
England's highest Chinese population outside London. The Chinese
residents have amalgamated their surroundings to fit their
heritage. Falkner Street, particularly the monumental Imperial
Chinese Archway, is brought to life by the murals, gardens, and
vibrant decor that pay homage to the once-displaced working
force.
The most recent stars of Manchester have been Oasis, best
known in America for their album (What's the Story) Morning
Glory. These rock stars haven't exactly done for Manchester
what the Beatles did to put Liverpool on the map, but they
certainly have made an impression. Of course, these self-styled
"hard-drinking, groupie-shagging, drug-snorting geezers" make
the Beatles seem like choirboys. As Manchester is increasingly
cited for its hipness, Oasis, whose Definitely Maybe was
the fastest-selling debut album in British history, helped make
it so.
The once-dreary Manchester Docklands, evoking a painting of
L. S. Lowry, has a spiffy new life following a $200 million
restoration. It's called simply "the Lowry," and the complex is
filled with theaters, shops, galleries, and restaurants. A plaza
provides space for up to 10,000 at outdoor performances.
