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Then and Now: Oxford Street

As it was in 1913

The older image includes the striking terracotta Refuge building with its 217ft clock tower and the equally imposing St James's Buildings.

On the same side of the road, another building that helps to underscore the rich architectural heritage of the area is the Palace Theatre, which was refurbished and enlarged in 1981 under the watchful eye of Bob Scott, the then managing director of the theatre's trust fund and who later led the city's Olympic Games bid.

The same view today

Bowing to inevitable economic pressures, it introduced a less elitist programme to include more popular performers, which was a resounding success.

Oxford Street is as busy today as it was in 1913 when the older photo was taken. A large stretch of the road is teeming with shoppers, traders and traffic, much the same as today.

The image above is part of a fascinating collection of pictures chronicling the changing face of Manchester over 250 years. There are 77,000 images stored on an easy-to-use computer system at Central Library. The pictures include street scenes and portraits of individuals and groups, as well as events.

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