Manchester Cathedral has roots going as far back as 700 AD, during the Saxon era. The angel stone was found embedded in the original south porch of the cathedral in the 19th century is evidence of an early Saxon church in Manchester. Next to the angel is an inscription in Old English which translates to "into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit".
The same site the Cathedral is located today also has recorded history in William The Conquerors 'Domesday Book' saying there was a Parish Church there. The Parish Church was gone however, when the current Cathedral was built in 1215 by Robert Greslet, Lord of the Manor and 5th Baron of Manchester opposite his manor (now Cheetham library). |
The John Rylands Library was founded and commissioned by Enriqueta Rylands in memory of her husband John Rylands. The strikingly gothic building took 10 years to build (1889-1900) and was designed by the architect Basil Champneys. In 1972 the library then became a part of The University of Manchester.
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Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-65) was a novelist, biographer and short story writer living in Manchester. She published lots of work during her time, her most well known novels being Cranford (1851-53), North and South (1854-55) and Wives and Daughters (1865). Her first novel , Mary Barton, was published in 1848. Gaskell also published the first biography of Bronte, The Life of Charlotte Bronte, in 1857.
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Opening in 1906 London Road Fire Station in Manchester was designed by Woodhouse, Willoughby and Langham in the Edwardian Baroque style. The Fire Station was build by J. Gerrard and Sons of Swinton and cost £142,000 to build.
Besides housing the fireman and their families, alongside the horse-drawn appliances (that were replaced a few years later with motorised vehicles) there was also a police station, ambulance station, bank, coroner's court and gas-meter testing station. After the war it became a training centre and in 1952 became the first centre equipped to record emergency calls. The Fire Station became too expensive to maintain however and was replaced as the fire brigade headquarters by the Greater Manchester Fire Service in 1974. The Fire Station was then officially closed as of 1986. |