About this Event
I am Clancy Nook, Manchester's favourite raconteur. Join me on this pay-as-you-feel walk and get to know the seedy underworld of Victorian Ancoats.
The turn of the 19th century saw vast changes for Manchester, the skyline was quickly changing from that of a smaller-scale cotton spinning town, to a sea of factory chimneys belching black coal vapours.
The satellite village of Ancoats became the world's first industrial suburb to Manchester. But this social experiment was not a happy one. Around the new, cutting-edge factories, a rabbit warren of slum housing was built.
Hidden in this maze of crowded housing, desparate people struggled, and crime flourished. Pickpockets cut their teeth, youth gangs organised huge battles, and murderers sleuthed the streets...
I have combed through the newspapers of the 19th century so you don't have to! We will not just be talking through the history of Ancoats, but hearing the hidden stories that you can only find in the Victorian news!
On this tour:
- Learn about the living conditions of Victorian Ancoats, and what drove crime here
- Hear individual stories dug out from the depths of the 19th century news - M**der on the canal, assassination by cake, and even an Italian romance!
- Learn about the rioting that tied Ancoats to huge political change
- Visit the places that the criminals and victims of Ancoats ended up - Ancoats Hospital and Tame Street Workhouse!
- See the stage one of the greatest street fights ever seen in Manchester!
This is a roughly two-hour walking tour of Ancoats and New Islington. Meet for a prompt start outside Hallé St Peter's, Cutting Room Square. It is a (nearly) circular route, and we will end on Jersey Street, one street away from the start point.
This is a pay-as-you-feel tour. This is a 14+ event. Babies are welcome. I can only accommodate those who have booked a place for insurance reasons. Very occasionally there may be a tour on which fewer than five places have been booked. On this instance the tour may be cancelled.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Hallé St Peter's, 40 Blossom Street, Ancoats, United Kingdom
USD 0.00
