Ancoats

I began by just researching generally into Ancoats to get an idea of where it was, what it meant to Manchester and what it's history was.

As an overview Ancoats is considered to be the 'worlds first industrial suburb' and is considered one of the key places where the Industrial Revolution kicked off, a birthplace. However it suffered from an economic decline during the 1930's and intense depopulation after World War II. Despite this during the 1990's it's industrial heritage started to be recognised and considerable investment and development into the area began a regeneration.

The development of Ancoats was due to a demand in housing and suitable sites for new textile mills. The first cotton mills were built in Ancoats in 1790, Murray' Mills were the predominant mills situated next to the Rochdale Canal and Union Street (now known as Redhill Street). the more industrial the area became the denser the area became populated. By 1851 its population had reached higher than towns such as Bury and Blackburn. This led to house splits and letting cellars out, the public health became a major concern as a survey showed that half of the homes in Ancoats had no plumbing which led to a great fear of cholera. The lack of public buildings and parks within Ancoats was also a concern considering the number of people occupying the area, there were no parks and few churches.

Alongside cotton another industry within the area was the manufacture of flint glass.One of the buildings in Ancoats, the Flint Glass Works still currently exists and has been converted into serviced offices.