The city centre has variously been defined as those parts of the city within the
Manchester Inner Ring Road, or else the entire area within Manchester's Inner Ring Road, thereby encompassing a part of the administratively separate
City of Salford, and an area of
Oxford Road to the south. Political and economic ties between the city centre and neighbouring Salford and
Trafford have strengthened with the shift from town and district centres to metropolitan-level centres in England. and with adjoining parts of Salford and Trafford is defined as its Regional Centre for
urban planning and public transport purposes. There is little order due to the manner in which the city rapidly developed during the
Industrial Revolution nor much agreement on the differing areas in Manchester city centre. However many areas and streets in the city centre have a distinctive character with identifiable clusters of industrial warehouses, civic buildings and modern developments. Many of these distinctive areas are covered in 14 city centre conservation areas which are defined by
Manchester City Council.
Castlefield Castlefield is an area in the extreme southwest between Deansgate and the River Irwell with the sites of the Roman fort and Liverpool Road railway station. It retains much of its industrial character and is the only
Urban Heritage Park in the United Kingdom, and is marked by its mercantile 19th warehouses and adjoining wharfs which were used to transport goods from Manchester during the Manchester's industrial era. Today, Castlefield is quiet and noted for its waterside bars and pubs. Notable structures include
Manchester Liverpool Road station which was the first inter-city railway station on
the opening of the
Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830. Today the station frontage remains and is a grade I
listed building, as is the adjoining
1830s warehouse. The structure now forms part of the
Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI). For many years Castlefield was on a tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Status for its industrial past – particularly in regards to the development of the canal as a mode of transportation and the railway.
Northern Quarter The
Northern Quarter is in the north east and is known as a hub for alternative and bohemian culture in Manchester. Previously the area was the retail heart of the city centre, but with the opening of the Manchester Arndale in the 1970s patronage gradually dwindled and vacant buildings were commonplace. In the late 1980s the area was renamed as the Northern Quarter in the hope that the area would be reincarnated from the ground up. Following the boom of the late 90s and early 2000s the area has become a popular destination for shops, bars, restaurants and nightclub – many of which have an independent ethos.
Central retail district The opening of the
Manchester Arndale in 1975 shifted the retail focus towards the area bounded by Market Street, Corporation Street, Withy Grove and High Street. Despite the Arndale's unpopularity with many critics, it has been described as an outstandingly successful shopping centre by visitor numbers and spending. Today the Arndale attracts 41 million visitors a year and is the largest city centre shopping centre in the United Kingdom. The area has been extensively redeveloped after the IRA bomb of 1996 and contains
Manchester Cathedral,
Shambles Square,
Exchange Square and
Cathedral Gardens, as well as shopping streets
Market Street and
King Street. Since the bomb, Selfridges, Marks & Spencer and NEXT have opened dedicated large stores in the area. Not all shops are strictly in the retail area with many in Deansgate and King Street – a short walk from the area.
Spinningfields Spinningfields is an area in the west adjoining the middle part of Deansgate and the main business district of the city centre. The proposal to create a designated central business district originated in 1997 when
Allied London purchased a number of buildings around the
John Rylands Library. Allied London executive
Mike Ingall was convinced of the site's regeneration potential and
Manchester City Council was keen to redevelop the city centre after the
1996 Manchester bombing. The development, named from a narrow street which ran westwards from Deansgate, is bounded by Bridge Street to the north,
Quay Street to the south, Deansgate to the east, and the River Irwell to the west. The area is noted for glazed, modern buildings – many of which are offices. In 2010, Spinningfields accounted for 35% of the city centre prime office space with 44 commercial organisations employing nearly 20,000 people. Notable buildings in the area include
1 The Avenue,
3 Hardman Street and the
Civil Justice Centre – short-listed for the
Stirling Prize and noted as a landmark building for its distinctive cantilevers. Future buildings include the Cotton Building and construction commenced in summer 2014 and will be completed by 2016. Construction on a new 90 metre office tower,
1 Spinningfields could also commence in 2015 after securing a pre-let in late 2014. Aside from offices, Spinningfields was home to a number of high end retail units such as Armani and Mulberry. However, with the main retail district being on the opposite side of the city centre, these units struggled. In recent years the district has cultivated a far more successful image in the food and drink offering with a number of popular restaurants and bars in the area. Footfall, particularly in the evening after work hours, has increased, and revenue from retail and leisure in Spinningfields has risen from £10 million in 2008 to £50 million in 2014.
Piccadilly from City Tower Piccadilly is the transport interchange of the city centre with rail, tram and bus services all within a five-minute walk. The area is typically busy with pedestrians commuting to and from the city centre. The area is dominated by
Piccadilly Gardens. It is the largest public square in the centre which was redeveloped in the early 2000s but not to a universally positive reception. For over 150 years Manchester Royal Infirmary was located on the site but closed in 1914. A few years after closure the hospital was demolished and public space was created with a landscaped garden set into the ground – hence the name. The area is served by
Piccadilly Gardens tram stop and one of the city centre's main bus stations,
Piccadilly Gardens bus station, which has over 20 stands. Most of the stands are located on the south-west side of the square with the rest on the north side.
Peter's Fields (Civic Quarter) File:Manchester Central Library, March 2010.jpg|
Manchester Central Library File:Manchester Town Hall from Lloyd St.jpg|
Manchester Town Hall File:Manchester Cenotaph November 2014.jpg|
The Cenotaph File:Albert-Square-MainStatue.jpg|
Albert Square, Manchester File:Midland Hotel west, Manchester.jpg|
Midland Hotel File:Manchester Free Trade Hall (Radisson Edwardian Hotel).jpg|The
Free Trade Hall Peter's Fields, now known as St Peter's Square sits at the top of Oxford Road and Peter Street and extends east towards
Princess Street. It is noted for its purpose as a civic area and includes important buildings and monuments such as Central Library, Midland Hotel, YMCA Building, Manchester Town Hall and Town Hall Extension – all of which are listed. It is described by Manchester City Council as "perhaps the greatest collective accolade to Manchester's original modern heritage". The square is famous for the
Peterloo Massacre in 1819 when cavalry charged into a crowd of 60,000–80,000 that had gathered to demand the reform of parliamentary representation on what was previously fields – hence the name Peter's Fields. A monument to commemorate the nationally importantly event in the struggle for suffrage is expected to be commissioned for 2019 to mark the 200th anniversary of the massacre. In recent years, the square has been redeveloped with new high-rise office buildings,
One St Peter's Square and
Two St Peter's Square with further buildings approved for the derelict Odeon site and London Scottish House adjacent to the Midland Hotel. As part of the redevelopment, the
Cenotaph was relocated outside Manchester Town Hall in 2014 and
St Peter's Square tram stop was redeveloped with an additional platform and new configuration in 2016.
Chinatown in
Chinatown Manchester's Chinatown is an area to the south of Piccadilly Gardens with many oriental restaurants and other facilities of a far eastern character. It is the second largest
Chinatown in the United Kingdom and the third largest in Europe. The first settlers to arrive in the city came in the early 20th century; according to the
BBC, "Many arrived alone and were engaged in what was seen as the traditional trade of
laundries." on the eve of a Chinese immigration wave that would commence during the 1950s. Manchester did not have a significant Chinese population, reaching only about 2,000. However, after
World War II, there were severe labour shortages, and in response, the government passed the
British Nationality Act 1948, which allowed easier access into the country. ==Demography==