Regenerating the Inner City in Manchester

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Edward Clarke 13PM

Regenerating the Inner City in Manchester

Since the Industrial Revolution Manchester has always been a large and important city.

By 1800 there were over 500 Rotary Steam-Engine in Britain's mines and factories. With the invention of Watt's steam-engine, factories no longer had to be built close to fast-flowing rivers and streams which used to be the source of power for the machines and mills. Entrepreneurs now tended to build factories where there was a good supply of labour and coal.

Manchester became a prime location for textile factories. Large warehouses were also built to store and display the spun yarn and finished cloth. The town's population grew rapidly alongside the growth in industry. With neighbouring Salford, Manchester had about 25,000 inhabitants in 1772. By 1800 the population had grown to 95,000. The rich factory owners built large houses around the Mosley Street area. At first the cheap housing for the factory workers were confined to New Cross and Newtown. However, as the population grew, close-packed houses were built next to factories all over Manchester.

The Stockton & Darlington railway line opened in 1825 successfully reduced the cost of transporting coal. It soon became clear that large profits could be made by building railways. The Liverpool & Manchester railway was opened on 15th September, 1830. It was a great success. In 1831 the company transported 445,047 passengers. Profits soared in under 15 years from £71,098 to £136,688.

The railway rapidly increased the population of Manchester. By 1851 over 455,000 people were living in the city. Housing conditions were appalling. It was reported that in some parts of the city the number of toilets averaged only two to two hundred and fifty people. Only forty per cent of the children living in this area reached their fifth year.

The Manchester Ship Canal was formally opened by Queen Victoria in May 1894 with a great ceremony and lots of enthusiasm. The 'Big Ditch' as it was commonly known, brought deep sea shipping all the way to Manchester and lead to the creation of the thriving industrial community of Trafford Park.

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Manchester continued to be a city of great industrial activity right into the mid 20th century.

There were two main problems in Manchester’s inner city. The first was that the city suffered extensive damage during the war. Manchester was a prime target for the Nazi bombing raids because of its central role to the economy of Northern England. 4.5 hectares of the city were destroyed by the bombing and a further 30,000 houses were damaged.

The other problem was the high proportion of old Victorian houses in the city. By the end of the war 70,000 houses had been deemed ...

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