It's a landmark known across Greater Manchester. Soon, a new community will emerge in the shadow of Stockport's famous viaduct.
02.05.2022 - 09:39 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Until just a few years ago, it was simply an unassuming patch of empty grassland in east Manchester. But it was when the latest development work started on turning it in Abbey Hey, Gorton, that clues of the area's fascinating history truly came to life.
Now, the area is home to a £17m, state-of-the-art retirement village with a well-used community café and hair and nail salon which been hailed by residents. However, the finds that were discovered during excavation work gave a timely reminder of the fascinating history that the site known as Bellamy Court had.
The area first sprung to life in the early 19th century, when a series of three sprawling cotton mills opened in 1825 during the ‘Cottonopolis’ boom - where Manchester became the global centre of textile manufacturing and in turn the world’s first industrial city.
READ MORE: Remembering Gorton Tub, east Manchester's lost 'tropical' paradise
The mills were bought by legendary Mancunian entrepreneur John Rylands, who would go on to become the city's first multi-millionaire.
Eventually employing around 5,000 people, the Gorton mills - which was later renamed Rylands Mill - was the first site he owned in his own right, independent of his family’s business, and was key to him subsequently becoming the biggest and most successful cotton merchant in the country.
At its height, there was a school, library, and shop on-site to serve its huge workforce, hundreds of whom were children. It survived a huge blaze but Gorton Mills eventually closed and the site was cleared in the 1930s.
However, by the 1960s, the area was home to a hive of activity again when a new estate containing six blocks of council-owned and run maisonettes, of varying sizes, were built. This is where the
It's a landmark known across Greater Manchester. Soon, a new community will emerge in the shadow of Stockport's famous viaduct.
If Erik ten Hag gets his way, he could be followed to Manchester United by one of the stars who helped bring him success at Ajax.
The Pride of Manchester’s Teenager of Courage was presented with his award in a special visit from one of his favourite YouTubers last week.
Police have launched a search for a missing teenage girl last seen in Manchester city centre.
From Jilly's Rockworld to Rotters and Hacienda to the Wiggly Worm, many iconic nightclubs in Greater Manchester have been and gone.
A new play area made from recycled McDonald’s Happy Meal toys has been unveiled outside the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.
A young man who died after being hit by a car in south Manchester has been named as 19-year-old Cameron Pearman. The fatal incident happened on Princess Road in the early hours of Sunday (May 7).
Hull City boss Shota Arveladze has revealed that he was due to speak with Manchester United over the progression of defender Di’Shon Bernard over the weekend.
Our city’s finest will be flocking to the Kimpton tonight for a celebration of Manchester’s unsung heroes. The Manchester Evening News Pride of Manchester awards, in partnership with TSB, honour Mancunians with incredible stories to tell.
New Order, first opened its doors in a former yacht warehouse on Whitworth Street West in May 1982. It closed in 1997, and was demolished in 2002 to make way for The Haçienda Apartments.As the Manchester Evening News reports, the 40th anniversary rave will take place in the apartments’ basement car park, where the original Haçienda’s dancefloor once stood.The MEN adds that residents of the Haçienda apartments have been invited to join the celebrations, which will take place on May 21.
Much has been said about Erik ten Hag’s ability to develop up-and-coming players as he bids to help them reach their full potential.
There is no disputing the sheer size of the challenge awaiting Erik ten Hag at Manchester United this summer.
A huge rave to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Manchester's legendary nightclub the Hacienda is being planned - in a basement car park at the site of where it all began. The party is being planned in the car park of the Hacienda apartments on Whitworth Street West, where the original club once stood.
Coronavirus infection rates across Greater Manchester fell by at least a quarter in every area. Over the past week the number of positive cases have continued to plummet across the region.
Passengers in Greater Manchester are at the losing end of a bus operator’s battle with staff shortages - with more than 800 journeys cancelled in just one week. Rosso, which runs routes predominantly in the north of the conurbation, axed 837 services between April 25 and May 1.
In one of the most deprived areas of Greater Manchester, a mum-of-four walks her children home from school. “I hardly sleep,” she says as her young daughters play beside her.
The driver of a car which ploughed into an "inspirational" teacher outside a busy bar in Wigan "lost control" of the vehicle when he went to overtake another car.
Roads around a South Manchester estate which were resurfaced for 'no apparent reason' are now in a worse condition than before, residents say.