What is Manchester Famous for? Manchester has a long and fascinating history – from ancient Roman settlements to its role as an industrial powerhouse during the Industrial Revolution. It’s now renowned for its vibrant music festivals, world-class street art, and iconic landmarks.
So what else makes Manchester so famous, and why has it become one of the most beloved cities in the UK? Here’s everything you need to know.
Why is Manchester Famous?
Manchester is famous for being one of the UK’s most influential cities, historically and today. It’s known for its outstanding architecture, rich history and heritage, thriving music scene, and diverse culture.
Manchester was a major centre during the Industrial Revolution, which saw much of Britain’s industrial power concentrated in this city. Today it is a hub for arts and culture, with some of Europe’s most iconic venues, such as Bridgewater Hall and Manchester Stadium.
The city has also become well-known for producing top athletes like footballers Paul Scholes and Marcus Rashford It is renowned worldwide as an entertaining and vibrant city, full of life and vitality!
Famous Things in Manchester
The city of Manchester is famous for its cultural and sporting heritage, as well as being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.
Here are the most famous things in Manchester:
Manchester Cathedral
The cathedral was built in 1421 and is one of the world’s largest cathedrals. It has a beautiful interior, stained glass windows and a huge organ. The cathedral hosts many concerts and other events throughout the year.
Manchester Gay Village
The Gay Village is one of the most popular areas in Manchester, and it’s home to many bars and restaurants that are popular among tourists and locals alike. You can find many different types of food here, including Chinese, Indian, Italian and Mexican cuisine.
The area also has plenty of nice shops where you can buy souvenirs or clothes for yourself or your friends back home! The Gay Village is also known as Canal Street, so look out for signs with that name on them when walking around this area!
The Northern Quarter
The Northern Quarter is an area of central Manchester north of Piccadilly Gardens that has become popular with young people because it has many bars and restaurants that stay open late at night. It also includes some shops selling unusual clothes and gifts, such as music-related items or records.
The National Football Museum
The National Football Museum is home to over 20,000 objects. These include the world’s most comprehensive collection of football memorabilia, including the ball used in the 1966 World Cup Final, Bobby Moore’s shirt from that game, and the boots Diego Maradona wore when he scored his “Hand of God” goal.
The museum also has a whole host of interactive exhibits for children. Football-themed quizzes, games, puzzles, and virtual reality headsets allow visitors to participate in a penalty shoot-out with David Beckham or Lionel Messi!
There are also plenty of activities for younger children at The National Football Museum, including storytelling sessions and craft activities.
Music Festivals
Manchester has many great music festivals every year, including Parklife Weekender, Global Gathering, Creamfields, and more! These days there are so many different types of music that you’re sure to find something that everyone can enjoy together.
If nothing else, it’ll give you an excuse to adventure while enjoying beautiful music!
The Industrial Revolution
Manchester is known as the birthplace of British industrialization, though it has since surpassed other cities such as Birmingham and Leeds.
The city was also home to key movements in the Industrial Revolution, including the emergence of Ancoats as the world’s first industrial suburb, the development of factory chimneys and railways by Richard Arkwright, and the building of John Dalton’s Model Mill by William Fairbairn and Patrick Miller at Chorlton-on-Medlock.
Railways
The railway is a heritage railway in Manchester, England. It is the only one of its kind in the world and was built to carry passengers on a short journey between two stations, Victoria Station (Manchester) and Deansgate Station (Manchester).
The railway is owned by Network Rail, which uses it to test new train designs and technologies before they go into service on the national network. The line closed to passengers in May 2015 after its operator, KeolisAmey, failed to negotiate an extension of its contract with Network Rail.
Street Art
Manchester’s street art scene is one of the most vibrant in Europe and has earned it a reputation as one of Europe’s leading urban art cities. It began during the 1980s with graffiti murals appearing on shuttered shopfronts.
Football
Manchester United Football Club, one of the world’s most famous football clubs, was founded in 1878 by workers at the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company at Newton Heath railway station in east Manchester. The club is currently valued at $4.6 billion!
Today they play at Old Trafford stadium, also home to Manchester City FC. Both teams have won multiple titles in European competitions and have numerous fans worldwide.
Music Stars
The Beatles were formed in Liverpool but moved to Manchester as teenagers when they signed with Parlophone Records in 1962. They became one of the most successful musical groups of all time and forever changed popular music with iconic songs such as ‘Hey Jude’, ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’, and ‘Let It Be’.
The Rolling Stones were formed in London but moved to Manchester during their early years before achieving worldwide fame with hits like ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and ‘Brown Sugar’.
Oasis was another band from Manchester that became a global superstar during the 1990s
What is Manchester Famous for Making?
Manchester has a long history of producing goods, from textiles to chemicals and even beer. Manchester also makes perfumes and cosmetics, including Burberry and Elizabeth Arden. It’s also known for its football (soccer) club, Manchester United FC, which has won more titles than any other team in English football history.
Manchester’s industrial past has left it with many beautiful Victorian buildings – including many pubs!
Here are some of the products that are made in the city today:
Craft Beer
Manchester has the second highest number of pubs per head in England, next to London. There are also over 100 breweries in Greater Manchester – more than any other region in the UK outside of London.
This means that beer lovers will find plenty of choices when visiting Manchester, whether they’re looking for a pint or a bottle! The city’s best-known brewery is arguably Samuel Smiths’ Old Brewery, but there are plenty more, including Thwaites, Cloudwater, and Marble.
Several microbreweries scattered around the city centre, such as Piccadilly Tap and BrewDog Manchester, offer fresh brews straight from their taps.
Vimto
One of Britain’s oldest soft drinks, Vimto, was created in 1908 by John Noel Nichols and registered under his wife Annie’s name Violet Mary Nichols (hence ‘Vimto’). Made from grapefruit juice mixed with raspberry and blackcurrant flavours, it was originally marketed as a tonic for children.
This is a dark purple, sugary drink made from gherkins and blackcurrants.
It was originally sold as a medicine for coughs and colds, but it didn’t work very well. The original recipe also included alcohol! Today there are lots of different flavours of Vimto, including strawberry, apple, and orange!
When you visit Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), you can try Vimto soda pop – it tastes just like the real thing!
Factory Records
Manchester is known for making records. One of the most famous is the label X Factory Records, which Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus in the 1970s set up. X Factory Records is a record label that has been operating since 1975.
The label was formed to release new music from local bands and artists that were not being signed by other labels at the time; Joy Division, New Order, and Happy Mondays.
Textile Industry
Manchester is famous for its textile industry. The city was once home to many mills and factories until the late 20th century, when production in the UK began to decline. The city’s main selling point is its rich history of producing wool and cotton, dating back to the Industrial Revolution.
Manchester has been a centre of textile manufacture since the 17th century, originally cotton spinning and weaving, but now also haberdashery, ready-to-wear clothing design, trade fabrics, and hosiery manufacturing.
Manchester was an important centre of mechanized textile production during the Industrial Revolution in Britain. The first cotton mill in the world was built here in 1784 by Richard Arkwright, who founded the cotton spinning process, which would become known as factory production.
Manchester became one of the most important centres for cotton spinning and textile manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution. By 1884 1,000 mills were producing 100 million yards (91 million m) of cloth annually.
What is Manchester Known for – Food
Manchester is great if you’re looking for tasty food that won’t break the bank. If you’re visiting with kids, plenty of cafes and restaurants offer good quality food at affordable prices – perfect if you’re looking to try somewhere new without breaking the bank!
The city has a rich history of immigration from all over the world, and as a result, it has a diverse range of foods on offer. Manchester has many different cuisines, including Chinese, Indian, Italian, Greek, and Thai. In addition to this, there are also several local delicacies that you can only find in Manchester.
Here are some favourite local specialities:
Bury Black Pudding
Black pudding, also known as blood pudding, is a type of sausage made from blood (containing, or sometimes replaced by, other meats) and a filler such as oatmeal. Black Puddings can be found on breakfast menus in Manchester and around the UK, as well as in restaurants.
Manchester Tart
A sweet pastry filled with dried fruit and then covered in dark chocolate sauce. It was invented in 1612 by an Italian baker who opened the first bakery in the city centre. This tradition continues today, with many bakeries selling tarts throughout the city centre and beyond.
Scampi Fries
Another local delicacy is ‘Scampi Fries’, essentially just chips covered in breadcrumbs and deep fried with garlic butter sauce poured over them. They are often served at red-brick pubs throughout Manchester city centre as they’re believed to be good hangover food!
Famous People from Manchester, England
The city of Manchester a, is a great example of how to make yourself at home anywhere in the world. There are literally tons of famous people who have made their mark on the world while being from Manchester.
Alan Turing
Alan Turing was born in London but grew up in Manchester.
Alan Turing was a mathematician, logician, and cryptanalyst who was highly influential in the development of computer science. He was also a pioneering computer scientist who helped to lay the foundations for the modern computing era.
Turing is often credited as the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. He was a brilliant mathematician and logician who worked for GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) during World War II, helping to crack codes used by Germany’s Enigma machine.
His work on artificial intelligence led to his invention of what we now call the Turing Test – a way of determining whether or not a machine can think like us.
Turing’s legacy lives on through many things we use daily – including GPS satellites and online shopping websites!
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst was an important figure in the women’s rights movements in the United Kingdom in the early 20th century. She led protests against women not being allowed to vote and ran for political office herself.
Emmeline Pankhurst was a suffragette leader who campaigned for women’s right to vote. She founded the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1903 with her sister Christabel Pankhurst and others, leading it until its merger with the more radical Independent Labour Party in 1906.
The WSPU became increasingly militant under her leadership, advocating direct action methods such as window-breaking and arson; she personally encouraged this shift but did not participate herself due to her children’s ages at that time (eight-year-old Olga and five-year-old Raymond).
Elihu Thomson
Elihu Thomson was an American inventor and engineer who developed the alternating current (AC) theory, made the first working electric motor and invented the electric range.
He was born in Manchester, England, on February 23, 1853. His family emigrated to the United States when he was three years old.
Thomson developed a new type of telephone transmitter called a microphone that amplified sound waves before sending them on their way to their destination.
He also invented an automatic transmitter that could send messages over long distances by telegraph wire or cable without having to stop and readjust the key every few words.
Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford (born in 1994) is a young footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United. His strong performances have gained him international recognition at an early age, including winning caps for England at U17 and U21 levels.
Famous Artists from Manchester
Manchester is a city with a rich history of art. It has produced some of the most famous artists in history, including William Turner and LS Lowry. The city’s artistic heritage still lives on today, with many artists working there.
Oasis
Oasis is a British rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Developed from an earlier group, the Rain, the band originally consisted of Liam Gallagher (vocals and tambourine), Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs (guitar), Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan (bass guitar), and Tony McCarroll (drums).
They were later joined by Liam’s older brother Noel Gallagher (lead guitar and vocals) as a fifth member.
Ken Reid
Ken Reid is a painter and sculptor from Manchester who has exhibited internationally, including exhibitions at the Tate Britain, The Royal Academy of Arts, and The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.
Ken Reid’s paintings are great for showing children how different artists interpret the same subject matter. His work is based on real places in Manchester, but he changes things up so that they become something new and different.
This can help kids understand how artists use their imagination to create artwork.
Ken Reid’s work captures the vibrancy of Manchester and its people, so it also helps children learn about their city.
Read More: Facts About Manchester
L. S. Lowry
LS Lowry (1887-1976) was an English artist who specialized in landscapes and industrial scenes. His work has become synonymous with the North West of England and his paintings are displayed in galleries around the world. Lowry’s most famous piece is called Going to the Match, which shows a crowd going to watch football at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester.
What is Manchester Famous for – Final Words
Manchester is a vibrant city and the second largest in England. It has several nicknames, including ‘the birthplace of the industrial revolution’, ‘the capital of the North’, and ‘the rain city’.
Manchester has been a major centre of the Industrial Revolution and is renowned for its architecture. It was once described by Robert Peel as “the first manufacturing town in the world”.
The city of Manchester is famous for many things. It’s famous for the football clubs it has, it’s famous for its great music scene and it’s also famous for its architecture. In this blog post, you have read about some of the main things that make Manchester what it is today.
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Sylvie Simpson is the founder of European Cities with Kids. For the past 6 years, she has been travelling all over Europe whenever she has the chance, both solo, for work and with her daughter. Sylvie is on a mission to help people make the most of city breaks in Europe with kids and helps over 50,000 readers per month plan and make the most of their trips in Europe with kids.