A TIMELINE OF MANCHESTER
By Tim Lambert
80 The Romans build a wooden fort on the site of Manchester
200 The wooden fort is replaced by a stone one. A little town has grown up by the fort.
407 The Roman army leaves Britain and Roman forts and towns are abandoned
7th century AD The Saxons found a village at Manchester
1227 Manchester is granted an annual fair. The village becomes a small market town.
1301 Manchester is granted a charter (a document giving the townspeople certain rights).
1400 Manchester probably has a population of around 2,500
1515 A Grammar School is founded in Manchester
1600 The population of Manchester is about 4,000
1603 The plague strikes Manchester. Up to 1/4 of the population die.
1637 Silk is woven in Manchester for the first time
1642 Civil War begins between king and parliament. The Royalists try to capture Manchester but fail.
1719 The first newspaper in Manchester is published
1720 The population of Manchester is about 10,000
1729 A Cotton Exchange is built
1752 An infirmary opens
1753 The first theatre opens in Manchester
1761 The Bridgewater Canal is built
1792 For the first time the streets of Manchester are cleaned and lit with oil lamps
1801 The population of Manchester is 70,000
1816 Manchester gains a piped water supply
1821 The Manchester Guardian is founded
1828 Horse drawn buses begin operation
1830 A railway opens to Liverpool
1831 The population reaches 142,000
1832 Cholera strikes Manchester and kills 674
1835 A Natural History Museum opens
1837 A Corn Exchange opens
1838 Manchester is made a borough
1846 The first public parks in Manchester open
1847 The Church of St Mary is made a Cathedral
1852 The first public library in Manchester opens
1853 Manchester is made a city
1894 The Manchester Ship Canal opens
1903 Manchester University is founded
1934 The Central Library is built
1969 The Museum of Science and Industry opens
1979 The Museum of Transport opens
1984 The Jewish Museum opens
1987 The Chinese Arts Centre opens
1996 The city centre is bombed
1998 Trafford Shopping Centre opens
2000 Lowry Art Gallery opens
2008 Manchester Civil Justice Centre is officially opened by the Queen