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Then and Now: Moss Lane East, Moss Side

THEN: A bustling junction in 1906

In fact, many would argue that despite its dark and austere image, the older impression of Manchester's historic inner-city suburb looked a lot more interesting in 1906 than its open space reincarnation does today.

It is hard to imagine that the entire area highlighted was once vast moorland, with an entry in the Domesday Book in 1086, referring to the location as wasteland.

By the 20th century the population had risen to 27,000 from 200 in the previous century, swelled by people looking for work in the mills.

NOW: Open space

Close by was Alexandra Park, an early example of one of the amenities enjoyed by residents, with its boating lake, pavilion, and bandstand for Sunday afternoon concerts.

Later came a proliferation of back-to-back redbrick terrace houses, many of which can still be seen today, and a tram network that was so extensive a depot was opened on Princess Road in 1909 to garage 300 trams.

The archive photograph is part of a collection chronicling the changing face of Manchester during the past 250 years at the Central Library.

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