fbpx

KidsKonnect

Manchester, England Facts & Worksheets

Manchester, a county and metropolitan borough in northwest England, is the world's first genuinely industrialized city. Manchester played an essential part in the Industrial Revolution.

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /Social Studies /Geography /Manchester, England Facts & Worksheets

Premium
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

Manchester, a county and metropolitan borough in northwest England, is the world’s first genuinely industrialized city. Manchester played an essential part in the Industrial Revolution, rising to prominence as the United Kingdom’s cotton and textiles hub. In 1761, Manchester constructed the first canal in the country, and in 1830, it built the first railroad in the world.

See the fact file below for more information on Manchester, or you can download our 30-page Manchester worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

DESCRIPTION

  • Manchester served as a model for other cities; it was among the first of the Western world’s megacities built in the industrial age, which began around 1750. It was a small market town of 10,000 people in 1717, but by 1851, thanks to the success of its textile businesses, it had grown into a thriving manufacturing and commercial city of more than 2,350,010 people by 1911. Growth declined considerably in the following years. Manchester had its heyday in the 19th century when it was undisputedly Britain’s second city.
  • Industrial concerns related to the demise of the textile industries plagued the town more and more in the 20th century. In 2001, the population of the city of Manchester was 392,419; in 2011, the people of the Greater Manchester metropolitan county was 2,682,528

HISTORY

  • The history of Manchester began Around CE 79. A Roman fort named Mamucium or Mancunium was built on a sandstone cliff close to the junction of the rivers Medlock and Irwell, and with it came a civilian town. Wythenshawe, formerly a part of Lancashire, became a part of Manchester in 1931 when the city annexed the southern portion of Cheshire, south of the River Mersey. Manchester stayed a manorial township through the Middle Ages, although it grew “at an astounding rate” beginning in the early 19th century. 
  • Manchester became the first industrialized city in the world due to its unplanned urbanization spurred on by a rise in textile manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution. In 1853, Manchester became a city. The Port of Manchester was established in 1894 when the Manchester Ship Canal opened, providing access to the Irish Sea, located 36 miles to the west. After the Second World War, its economy suffered due to deindustrialization, but the IRA bombing in 1996 prompted massive investment and revitalization efforts. 
  • Manchester, which had undergone extensive reconstruction in preparation for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, was chosen as the host city. Among the many things that make this city stand out are its landmark buildings, cultural institutions, musical exports, media ties, scientific and engineering contributions, social influence, sports teams, and accessibility. 
  • The Liverpool Road station was the first to serve passengers traveling between cities. The first atom was split in 1917 by Ernest Rutherford at the University of Manchester; the first stored-program computer was created in 1948 by Frederic C. Williams, Tom Kilburn, and Geoff Tootill; and the first graphene was separated in 2004 by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov.

ETYMOLOGY

  • The name “Manchester” comes from the Latin city of Mamucium or its variant Mancunio, and the locals are still known as “Mancunians.” The common assumption is that these names are Latinizations of their ancestor Brythonic names. Almost everyone agrees that this name derives from the Brittonic. Recent research, however, reveals that it may have a mammalian origin, “mother,” about a local river goddess. Insular Celtic languages like Irish and Welsh preserve both meanings for mam, which is used for “breast” and “mother” in those languages. The -Chester ending originates in the Old English word coaster “Roman fortification,” itself a loanword from Latin castra, “fort; fortified town.”

GEOGRAPHY

  • The Pennines, an upland range extends the length of northern England from the north and eastern borders of Manchester, while the Cheshire Plain forms the southern border. Manchester is located 160 miles northwest of London. Manchester is precisely in the middle of the route between Liverpool and Sheffield. 
  • Manchester’s location was crucial to its early growth as the first industrial metropolis in the world. Its temperature, place (near a seaport in Liverpool), rivers (which can be harnessed for energy production), and closeness to coal reserves are all positives.
  • Greater Manchester is the third-largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and Manchester is its most populous urban core. 
  • Cities and suburbs, both with high and low populations, are represented. Heaton Park, spanning about 260 hectares, is the city’s largest park. Except for a short strip along its southern boundary with Cheshire, Manchester is surrounded by several significant communities. Manchester Piccadilly Station is the city’s primary rail hub, and trains from all over the country and the world stop there.
  • Like the rest of the British Isles, Manchester’s climate is “temperate oceanic,” characterized by warm summers and cold winters. Daytime highs during the summer typically exceed 20 °C, frequently exceeding 25 °C on sunny days, especially in July and August. Precipitation occurs often but rarely in significant amounts. The abundance of soft water and moderate humidity in Manchester contributed to the textile industry’s growth there. 
  • The urban warming effect means that snow rarely falls within the city itself. However, the West Pennine Moors to the northwest, South Pennines to the northeast, and Peak District to the east all receive more snow than the city itself, which can create travel delays.

GOVERNMENT

  • The Manchester City Council is responsible for setting policies for the city. Greater Manchester’s economic strategy and transportation, among other things, fall under the purview of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which is headed by a mayor directly chosen by the people of Greater Manchester. Since its creation in 1995, Manchester has been a part of the English Core Cities Group. 
  • Thomas Greeley granted Manchester a charter in 1301, but the town was stripped of its borough title in a court decision in 1359. Manorial courts, which played a significant role in local government until finally abolished in 1846, existed primarily throughout the Middle Ages and Early Modern Periods. Manchester, as a township, has always been inside the ceremonial or historic county boundaries of Lancashire.
  • In 1838, Manchester recovered its borough status, including Beswick, Cheetham Hill, Chorlton on Medlock, and Hulme. As the population and industrialization of the area increased, the “Police Commissioners” were replaced by the Borough Council in 1846. The city of Manchester was incorporated in 1853.
  • In 1885, the townships of Bradford, Harpurhey, Rusholme, and portions of Moss Side and Withington merged with Manchester to become the modern-day metropolis of Manchester. 
  • The City of Manchester became a metropolitan district within Greater Manchester in 1974 due to the Local Government Act of 1972. Ringway, the little town where Manchester Airport is located, officially became part of Manchester that year. Greater Manchester will have a new mayor who will be elected in a direct election announced in November 2014. The mayor would be responsible for the city’s healthcare budget, as well as its public transportation budget, housing budget, and police force budget. Greater Manchester became its first mayor in 2017 when Andy Burnham was chosen.

SYMBOLS OF MANCHESTER

  • Manchester, England, a city in the country’s northwestern part, has long been symbolized in numerous ways. Most of these emblems were accepted when the Borough of Manchester became the City of Manchester in 1842. They may be linked to heraldic symbols in the city’s official heraldic achievement. In particular, the worker bee image has commonly symbolized urban industry. 

Heraldry and Worker Bee

  • Manchester City Council uses the Borough of Manchester’s heraldic achievement, commonly called a coat of arms, given in 1842. 
  • The arms’ heater-style escutcheon, or shield, depicts Manchester’s rivers Irwell, Medlock, and Irk in gold stripes on a red plain. 
  • The shield’s top emblem is a ship in full sail, signifying the city’s international trade. An antelope and a lion, each with the Red Rose of Lancaster on each shoulder, support the shield. The antelope symbolizes peace, harmony, courage, and discipline, while the lion represents bravery. 
  • The crest depicts seven bees flying across a globe, representing Manchester’s global exports. 
  • The golden diagonal stripes represent the three rivers that flow through the heart of Manchester on the red shield of the city’s coat of arms. These rivers are the Irwell, the Irk, and the Medlock. The badges of F.C. United of Manchester, Manchester United F.C., and Manchester City Football Club all use this heraldic device.
  • One of Manchester’s most recognizable icons is the Worker Bee. It became a symbol of the city during the Industrial Revolution when Manchester was at the forefront of developing new mass manufacturing methods. It represents the city’s residents’ tireless efforts at the time.

Flower Emblem

  • The city of Manchester’s official flower is the cottongrass species Eriophorum angustifolium. Manchester was known as Cottonopolis in the 19th century due to its importance in the cotton industry, which is why cottongrass was chosen as the official city grass.
  • Historic Manchester is located in the Salford Hundred, part of Lancashire. The Red Rose of Lancaster is featured prominently in Manchester’s coat of arms as a nod to the city’s historical ties to the House of Lancaster. 
  • Local government was reorganized in 1974, and Manchester became part of Greater Manchester rather than Lancashire. Although the county’s name changed, the Lancastrian Rose remained a prominent symbol of Manchester and the new county.

ARCHITECTURE

  • The architecture of the buildings in Manchester range from Victorian to modern styles, and the city is easily recognizable by its signature red brick architecture, which dates back to its days as a significant hub in the international cotton trade.  
  • Many defunct cotton mills remain on the city’s outskirts; some left as they were after they were shut down, while others have been converted into new residential and commercial structures. Manchester Town Hall, located on Albert Square, is a prime example of Gothic revival architecture and is often considered one of England’s finest Victorian structures. 
  • Many skyscrapers can also be found in Manchester. The Tower near Manchester Victoria Station was the tallest until the Beetham Tower was finished in 2006.  The latter is typical of the recent uptick in the construction of skyscrapers. A Hilton hotel, a restaurant, and several apartments are all part of it. Deansgate Square South Tower, at a height of 201 meters, is the tallest building in the area. 
  • One Angel Square, one of the world’s most sustainable high-rises, was just finished, and the Green Building, near Oxford Road station, is an innovative eco-friendly housing project. 
  • Heaton Park, located in the northern section of the city borough, is one of the largest municipal parks in Europe, at a whopping 610 acres. A total of 135 green spots may be found in the city.
  • The majority of Manchester’s public monuments cluster in two broad squares. Monuments honoring Prince Albert, Bishop James Fraser, Oliver Heywood, William Gladstone, and John Bright can be found in Albert Square. There are memorials to Queen Victoria, the Duke of Wellington, Robert Peel, and James Watt in Piccadilly Gardens. Manchester’s primary memorial to its war dead is the cenotaph in St. Peter’s Square. 
  • Similarly to the one on Whitehall in London, it was designed by Edwin Lutyens. To honor Alan Turing, the “father of modern computers,” a memorial was built in Sackville Park. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Phelps Taft of Cincinnati, Ohio, gave the city a life-size statue of Abraham Lincoln by George Gray Barnard to commemorate Lancashire’s role in the cotton famine and American Civil War 1861–1865. The figure originally stood in Platt Fields but was moved to its current location, Lincoln Square. One may see a Concorde in a museum close to Manchester International Airport.

CULTURE

  • Manchester’s art and architecture, as well as its theater and music scenes, are well-known parts of its culture. Manchester’s prominent cultural scene has helped increase Manchester’s relevance in the national psyche, propelling it to the position of the second-largest city in the United Kingdom in various polls during the 2000s.
  • Manchester is a major hub for the creative industries because of the richness of its culture, the city’s population has grown by 20% in the last decade, and colleges have become the top draws for undergraduate students.

MUSIC

  • In Elizabethan times, the Court Leet of the Manor of Manchester entrusted the town with several responsibilities, one of which was “playing morning and evening together, as others had before done.” It was decreed in 1603 that “the aforementioned waits should hereafter be received to play music at all and every wedding and meal in this town” after they hired a better-talented musician. In 1918, the city’s Education Committee hired a Music Adviser to help schools start choirs and orchestras and teach students how to read and play music.
  • In addition to the Hallé, another well-known symphony orchestra based in Manchester is the BBC Philharmonic. The Gorton Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1854 and is an amateur orchestra, while the Manchester Camerata is a chamber orchestra.
  •  In the 1950s, the city was home to a group of classical composers known as the “Manchester School,” which included names like Harrison Birtwistle, Peter Maxwell Davies, David Ellis, and Alexander Goehr. Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music make Manchester a hub for musical education.
  • The Free Trade Hall on Peter Street was the city’s best place to hear classical music for many years. The Hallé Orchestra has been playing at Bridgewater Hall on Lower Mosley Street in Manchester since 1996. It is a state-of-the-art music hall.  During the 1960s and early 1970s, Manchester had an important pop music scene. Bands like The Hollies, The Bee Gees, Herman’s Hermits, and 10cc played at the Lesser Free Trade Hall before the legendary Sex Pistols did in 1976.
  • From the late ’80s to the early ’90s, the city of Manchester was the focus of media attention thanks to the “Madchester” music scene.
  • The Manchester Arena is close to Manchester Victoria Station, which makes it a good place for popular music events. It’s the biggest indoor arena in Europe, with a capacity of over 21,000 people.

SPORTS

  • SportCity is a district in Manchester that is dedicated to football, athletics, and cycling, which are all important parts of the culture of the city. Both Manchester City and Manchester United play in the Premier League, and both have large fan bases in the city. 
  • Still, Manchester United’s stadium is in the borough of Trafford, which is technically outside of the city of Manchester.
  • The Lancashire County Cricket Club took over for the Manchester Cricket Club in 1865, despite Manchester no longer being a part of Lancashire. In 2002, the Commonwealth Games were held at the City of Manchester Stadium.
  • Manchester has tried to host the Olympics twice. In 1996, it came in fourth, behind Atlanta, and in 2000, it came in third, behind Sydney. 
  • The City of Manchester Stadium, the Manchester Velodrome, the National Squash Centre, and the Manchester Aquatics Centre were all constructed specifically for the 2002 Commonwealth Games held in Manchester. The 2002 Olympics were a huge success, exceeding everyone’s wildest dreams and showcasing Manchester as a revitalized city for the 21st century while also inspiring London to bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Manchester, England Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Manchester, England across 30 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Manchester, England. Manchester, a county and metropolitan borough in northwest England, is the world’s first genuinely industrialized city.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Manchester, England Facts
  2. Jumbled Words
  3. Event Sequence
  4. Warehouse City
  5. National Symbol
  6. Mancunian
  7. Itinerary
  8. Bucket List Travel
  9. The Best Places
  10. Dear Friend
  11. The Great Manchester

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Manchester famous for?

Manchester is known for many things, including its rich industrial heritage, its vibrant music scene, its world-class football clubs (Manchester United and Manchester City), and its many cultural attractions, such as the Museum of Science and Industry, the Manchester Art Gallery, and the Royal Exchange Theatre.

What is the weather like in Manchester?

Manchester has a temperate maritime climate, with mild temperatures year-round. Summers are typically warm and rainy, with temperatures averaging around 19°C (66°F), while winters are cool and rainy, with temperatures averaging around 6°C (43°F).

What are some of the top things to see and do in Manchester?

There are many great things to see and do in Manchester, including visiting the Manchester Cathedral, exploring the Manchester Museum, shopping at the Trafford Centre, taking a stroll through Heaton Park, and catching a football match at Old Trafford or the Etihad Stadium.

What is the history of Manchester?

Manchester has a rich and varied history, dating back to its origins as a Roman settlement in the 1st century AD. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it became a center of the Industrial Revolution, with a thriving textile industry and many innovations in manufacturing. Today, it is a major hub of business, culture, and education in the UK.

What is the transportation system like in Manchester?

Manchester has an extensive public transportation system, including buses, trams, and trains. The Metrolink tram system is particularly popular, with lines running throughout the city and surrounding areas. There is also a well-developed network of cycle lanes and bike-sharing schemes, making it easy to get around on two wheels.

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Manchester, England Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, April 13, 2023

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources