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EYEWITNESS IN MANCHESTER MASTHEAD
MANCHESTER IN THE LATE FORTIES & LATE NINETIES COMPARED

See Manchester Eyewitness 1947 and 1948 for a taste of Manchester 50 years ago. See the Newsletter Page for news and pictures from today.

Fifty years stand between the Manchester in which Freddie Williams and Tom Kilburn developed the first stored program computer, and the Manchester of today. During that time, the city has transformed itself. What will Manchester be like in a further 50 years? Keep visiting this website, and we'll see!

Steam Train Virgin Trains loco

Locomotives in Manchester 1948 & 1998

In many parts of the world, cities are a product of the post-war era and the past is barely visible.

Other cities, including many in Europe, appear virtually unchanged for centuries.

In Manchester, past, present and future are all around us, from the Roman fort, and the Victorian facades of the City Centre to the futuristic glass constructions of Salford Quays and the new city centre.

Here are some places I can personally recommend in and around Manchesterwhere you can discover even more about our city's past, present and future.:

  • The Museum of Science and Industry, Castlefield, is exhibiting the reconstructed "Baby", and allows you to try out the latest computer hardware and software in its "Futures" exhibition.

Manchester University & Museum, Oxford Rd
Manchester University & Museum
  • "The Birth of the Baby" (running until Sept 1998) at the Manchester Museum at Manchester University, Oxford Rd, looks at the computing technology of 50 years ago, and documents the advances that have led to the computers of today.
  • At the Central Library, St Peters Square, the Local History Library has a large collection of photos permanently on display via computer terminal. They also have archive copies of the Manchester Evening News and other papers - viewable on microfilm - that's where I found the material for "Manchester 1948", plus a huge collection of books and documents.
  • Salford Library, near the University, also has fascinating photo archive, and in the Art Gallery, you can see LS Lowry's vision of Manchester and Salford from the inter-war and post-war years. Platt Hall
  • The Gallery of English Costume, at Platt Hall (picture right), has displays of fashion from three centuries ago up to the present day.
  • The North West Film Archive, at the Metropolitan Museum of Manchester, near Chorlton St/Canal St, has a huge collection of films from Manchester and North West England. The 1947 film "A City Speaks" paints a vivid picture of Manchester in the years after the war.
  • At the Museum of Transport, Boyle St, Cheetham you can see the buses, trams and trolleybuses that were once such a famiilar and reassuring part of the Manchester street scene.
  • The Pump House People's People's History Museum on Bridge St, next to the River Irwell, documents the lives of working people in the present century and before.
  • The Lancashire Mining Museum, Buile Hill Park, Salford and Astley Colliery (picture right), shows the coal industry, once so important to Manchester and now virtually extinct.
In Manchester, the past, present and future can come alive - all it takes is a bit of imagination!
MANCHESTER 1948 | HOME | MANCHESTER 1998