[3] Manchester city centre evolved from the civilian vicus of the Roman fort of Mamucium, on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the rivers Medlock and Irwell.

[5] Manchester was granted city status in 1853, after the Industrial Revolution, from which the city centre emerged as the global centre of the cotton trade which encouraged its "splendidly imposing commercial architecture" during the Victorian era,[6] such as the Royal Exchange, the Corn Exchange, the Free Trade Hall, and the Great Northern Warehouse.

[8] The city centre acts as the transport interchange for Greater Manchester and over 7 million people live within an hour's drive of it.

The 1996 Manchester bombing provided the impetus for the redevelopment of the city centre[9] and an upturn in retail, leisure, offices and urban living.

[13][14] Manchester evolved from the civilian vicus associated with the Roman fort of Mamucium, which was established c. AD 79 on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the rivers Medlock and Irwell, in a position defensible from the Brigantes.

[15] During the Dark Ages which followed – and persisted until the Norman Conquest – the settlement was in the territory of several different petty kingdoms.

Manchester Castle – a medieval fortification, probably taking the form of a ringwork – was located on a bluff where the rivers Irk and Irwell meet.

[20] In 1547 the college was dissolved and the property acquired by the Earl of Derby and early in the reign of King Charles II it was sold to the governors who had been appointed in the will of Humphrey Chetham.

However many areas and streets in the city centre have a distinctive character with identifiable clusters of industrial warehouses, civic buildings and modern developments.

Recent development, including Urbis and the Courts of Justice, has demonstrated how modern architecture of the highest standard can succeed alongside the established built fabric of the City Centre.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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In 2010, Spinningfields accounted for 35% of the city centre prime office space with 44 commercial organisation employing nearly 20,000 people.

[37] 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.

[38] Piccadilly is the transport interchange of the city centre with rail, tram and bus services all within a five-minute walk.

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.

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.

[45] 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.

[45] Additionally, Hong Kong's rapid urbanisation meant that many farmers and traditional residents' homes were being destroyed by the urban sprawl, so many decided to migrate.

Exchange Square is located near Urbis, formerly an exhibition centre focusing on city life but closed and re-opened in mid-2011 as the National Football Museum.

Two of the city centre's oldest buildings, The Old Wellington Inn and Sinclair's Oyster Bar, were dismantled, moved 300 yards and re-erected in 1999 to create the new Shambles Square adjacent to Manchester Cathedral.

There are also a good stock of hotels in the city centre which include the Midland, the Hilton within the Beetham Tower, and Kimpton Clocktower.

In its final years the DJ was Mike Shaft who appeared on Piccadilly Radio with Takin' Care of Business.

[53] The city centre also has many bars, mostly located in the Northern Quarter, regarded by some as the central district's creative hub.

The works impacted heavily on parts of the city centre with streets and pavements closed off and awkward diversions introduced.