Manchester City - General Information

Often described as the ‘capital of the north’, Manchester has the fastest growing economy of any metropolitan area in the UK and therefore buzzes with energy – not just in commerce, but also as a centre of the arts, the media and higher education.

Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester

Reputed to be the world's first industrialised city, it thrived during the 19th century on textile manufacture and cotton spinning. Even today, its numerous ex-cotton mills and its canal network have made it a candidate for UNSECO World Heritage Status. Meanwhile, eye-catching modern buildings have soared above the carefully preserved, red brick Victorian architecture, with the high-tech Beetham Tower currently the tallest structure in Britain. Manchester was the host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Its Deansgate area offers the best shopping outside of London (including branches of Harvey Nichols and House of Fraser) and it boasts two Premier League football teams – Manchester United and Manchester City – as well as concerts by headline acts at the MEN Arena and plentiful conference space at Manchester Central (formerly the G-Mex.)

Manchester Skyline