A History of Manchester

The story of Manchester is no ordinary piece of local history. For the past two hundred years and more, the city's development has been inextricably entwined with the rise and fall of the nation's fortunes and, to no small extent, those of the British Empire. Manchester has been at the cutting edge of the changes - technological, social, economic and political - that transformed our domestic society. In transport terms alone, Manchester led the way with the first real canal, the first real railway, the first public bus services and the first municipal airport. Its local government institutions were slow to develop but, once in place, they set a pace for municipal enterprise that the rest of the country could only follow. The social and economic problems that grew up with Manchester's new order became matters of national concern. The political issues that stirred the city - from the Anti-Corn Law League to Irish republicanism and the Suffragettes - became driving forces for national reform. Disraeli coined the term 'the Manchester School' to describe the middle-class radicals who were the prime movers of the Anti-Corn Law League. The city's most famous newspaper, the 'Manchester Guardian' had the attention of the nation's decision-makers many decades before it formally became a national newspaper. But there is much more to Manchester's history than the tumultuous events of its industrial transformation. Beneath the streets is to be found evidence of some two thousand years of occupation, from when the Romans built their first mud and timber fort in a damp and hostile outpost of their empire. This new book tells the whole dramatic story - a story that will interest not only Mancunians butall those worldwide interested in the past of this vibrant city.

Stuart Hylton and Manchester go back 35 years, to when he left his home in Windsor to study at Manchester University. He is still trying to recover from the culture shock! During five years at the university he took a degree in social sciences and a post-graduate town planning qualification; then worked for several years in the city as one of its planners. He soon developed a keen interest in Manchester and its rich history, one of his first tasks for the Council being to produce a history of its municipal housing. He began writing on historical subjects for general publication over a decade ago and this is his tenth book on local or national topics. These have led to many appearances on television and radio broadcasts. When not trying to re-create the past, Stuart Hylton struggles with the unequal task of trying to influence the future. He currently works as Head of Strategic Planning and Transport for the Berkshire local authorities. He is married, with two grown sons