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Venue: Manchester CathedralGeneral admission: £8
Manchester Lit & Phil Members: Free
A visit to Manchester two hundred years ago would have been an assault on the senses. It was not until the extensive street-widening schemes of the nineteenth century that most central thoroughfares were anything other than narrow and dark. The buildings were tightly packed together and their upper levels often jutted out over the streets below. Those wishing to navigate their way around would have often found mud and waste underfoot where pavements had yet to appear. The streets would have been bustling with a population hurrying about their business. The air filled with both the shouts of market and itinerant sellers; and the types of odours one might expect to encounter in the days before municipal sanitation schemes and systematic curbs on air pollution.
These sorts of urban experiences drew mixed reactions from visitors and residents alike. Whilst one commentator described Manchester as 'a dog hole' in 1792, another noted excitedly in 1811 that he thought it 'a busy place' which offered 'a good deal to be seen and learnt'.
This talk will explore what it was like to live and work here during the period of the early industrial revolution (c. 1750-1840) - when Manchester and its population grew at unprecedented speed and it was recognised as England's leading 'shock city'.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Victoria Street, Manchester, M3 1SX, United Kingdom
Tickets
GBP 9.21