The area of Greater Manchester takes in the city and the surrounding
towns of Bolton, Bury, Wigan, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Altrincham, and
Oldham. The City of Manchester is set in the old county of
Lancashire on the west side of the Pennine Hills that form the backbone of the
country.
Manchester has been inhabited for more than 2,000
years. Within Castlefield Urban Heritage Park was the site of the very
first passenger train station in the world and the remains of an early Roman
fort built by the then future Roman Emperor Agricola.
Manchester was just a little town until the 18th century when it sprang into the
forefront of world attention by being the birthplace of the Industrial
Revolution. The city along with innumerable small towns and villages surrounding
it saw the rapid growth of factories manufacturing merchandise for the textile
industry becoming the prime region for this industry until its decline in the
1950s due to cheaper foreign imports.
The Pumphouse People's History Museum recalls the social history of the area,
while the City Art Gallery houses a wonderful collection of fine art. Granada
Studios in Manchester are home to the enduring TV soap opera of 'Coronation
Street'. The Museum of Science and Industry records the progress made by the
Industrial Revolution in the area. The Gallery of English Costume, located in
Rusholme, traces the history of dress in England over the last 400 years through
its ever-changing exhibits. Bramall Hall is a 14th century timber-framed manor
set in over 70 acres of landscaped parkland. More opulent is Dunham Massey Hall,
a classical Georgian country house with later Edwardian additions. The
Lancashire Mining Museum, in Salford, provides a fascinating glimpse of life in
the pits with two authentic reproduction mines and displays tracing the history
of coal mining. The museum is housed in a listed building designed by Sir
Charles Barry, the architect of the Houses of Parliament in London.
In Bolton, the intriguingly named 'Hall I' the Wood' is a lovely
half-timbered Tudor manor. In 1779, Samuel Compton perfected his spinning mule
at the Hall and two panelled rooms are devoted to Compton and his discovery.
Heaton Hall, in North Manchester, is a classical 18th century mansion set in
over 600 acres of parkland.
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