Feature

10 fascinating photos that show how much Market Street has changed over the years

Pizzaland, C&A, Thomas Cook - what a trip down memory lane.

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia - 21st February 2025

Whether it’s your default place to visit for shopping on your days off or just a necessary evil you dash down when nipping through town, Market Street is one of Manchester’s best-known streets.

And looking back on it over the years, Market Street has been one of Manchester city centre’s most popular streets even all the way back in the 1900’s.

Retailers have come and gone, trends flew by and consumables were snapped off the shelves, but the one thing that has kept this central street alive and beating is the people of Manchester.

The appeal of this high street really can’t be beaten and it seems its reputation has been following it around for over 100 years. If there’s one thing Market Street is never short of, it’s a crowd.

Have a look back over these photos of Market Street over the years – can you remember any of this?

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Market Street – Over the years

Market Street, 1823

Market Street through the years.
Market Street through the years.
Credit: The Manchester Library / The Manc Group

Shops and people galore, it’s almost like we’re looking at our modern day Market Street from 200 years ago. Oh wait, we are!

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In this photo from 1823, there are families, workers, friends and couples, just like the street attracts in this day and age, it’s lovely to see that this central point has seen many people and witnessed many special memories.

Considering Market Street is uphill and this picture is facing downhill, we tried our best to recreate this moment in the present day.

Market Street/ Cross Street, 1890

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Market Street and Cross Street through the years.
Market Street an Cross Street through the years.
Credit: The Manchester Library / The Manc Group

Gone are the Tudor style buildings of the previous photograph and in are the Victorian gas lamps and shop awnings.

It’s hard to make out what sellers and makers are perched up in each shop unit, but I want to visit whichever place is selling those fancy black top hats.

It’s great to see Royal Exchange has kept its legacy in our city even with all the developments happening in and around the city.

Market Street, 1905

Market Street through the years. Credit: The Manchester Library
Credit: The Manchester Library
Market Street through the years, near Tim Hortons
Credit: The Manchester Library / The Manc Group

Alas, colour! There’s some lovely gold brand embellishing spelling out ‘Brothers’ and even a hanging sign to match.

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You’ll definitely never lose track of time, especially when there’s clocks sequenced in between the street’s high risers.

After some significant research the ‘Hope Brothers’ building may no longer be with us but a shop filled with Canadian sweet treats and coffee is, Tim Hortons.

Market Street, 1924

A shop window looking out onto Market Street
A shop window looking out onto Market Street
Credit: The Manchester Library / The Manc Group

This image is taken from a shop window overlooking Market Street and although the picture may be black and white, it looks as though the sun is beaming down over Manchester, someone got lucky!

1920’s Manchester would certainly put a smile on Andy Burnham’s face, just look at how many trams are running in this photo.

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The clocks are no more and it seems the tram wires may have stole the skyline instead, our picture was taken from the top floor of clothing retailer H&M.

Market Street, 1940

Lewis's one of Manchester's most famous department stores.
Primark one of Manchester's most modern department stores.
Credit: The Manchester Library / The Manc Group

There was a time when everyone’s favourite affordable clothing shop, also known as Primark, was a department store branded ‘Lewis’s’.

Known for its grand window displays and the infamous phrase “If something happened it happened at Lewis’s.” 

On the left of this photo you can see an arch detailing ‘Lewis’s Arcade’, this is now where Cafe Nero and Costa stand proudly on one of Manchester’s finest retail streets.

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This photo was taken during World War Two and you can see in the windows a message – ‘Are you supporting the national effort?’

Market Street/ Cross Street, 1974

Manchester's streets through the years, Market Street/ Cross Street, M&S and Royal Exchange Theatre
Manchester's streets through the years, Market Street/ Cross Street, M&S and Royal Exchange Theatre
Credit: The Manchester Library / The Manc Group

Cross Street neighbours our beloved Market Street and is also where you’ll find a host of shops occupying the impressive perimeter of the Royal Exchange.

One of the city centre’s newest retail arrivals to nestle in this grand building is Astrid and Miyu, luxury jewellery makers and designers.

Manchester Arndale has seen a major facelift since this photo was taken as it opts for a more glass-heavy fronting and futuristic style.

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Market Street, 1984

The old HMV shop on Market Street across from Boots.
TSB and Black Sheep Coffee on Market Street
Credit: The Manchester Library / The Manc Group

Now in the 80’s and florescent lights and neon colours were all the rage, something which you can see in HMV’s logo shining brightly above its shop window.

The music catalog maestros may not be sitting pretty on Market Street anymore, but you will still find them in the Arndale Centre spotlighting loads of incredible new music, like they’ve always done.

You might not be able to pick up a copy of Madonna’s ‘True Blue’ or Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’, but you will get yourself a ‘Black Hoof’ from ‘Black Sheep Coffee’.

Market Street/ Mossley Street, 1985

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Pizzaland on the corner of both Market Street and Mossley Street
Pop Mart coming soon to the corner of both Market Street and Mossley Street
Credit: The Manchester Library / The Manc Group

A shop called Pizzaland dedicated to all things pizza? Here’s another reason why the 80’s were one of the best decades.

This popular eatery chain shut down in the early 90’s and some of these sites went on to become Pizza Hut sites but ours became a Santander, now closed down to make room for Pop Mart.

If all this food talk has made you hungry, fear not, there’s a Burger King just next door, or explore all the various food options in Manchester via our foodie friend, The Manc Eats.

Inside Arndale Centre, 1978

The totem pole no longer in Manchester Arndale reaching above the mezzanine.
Manchester Arndale mezzanine on Market Street.
Credit: The Manchester Library / The Manc Group

Manchester may be one of the most eccentric cities in the world with a constant array of new openings and arrivals but the trusty Arndale has been by our side since the very beginning, or at least the 70’s.

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The same can’t be said for this lovely sculpture by Franta Belsky, which was installed in 1977 and removed in 1988 after refurbishments to the shopping centre.

This big open plan mezzanine might not be present anymore but it’s clear to see that one thing certainly hasn’t changed and that’s our love of shops.

The retailers might not be the same, but this shopping powerhouse is never short on some incredible and wonderful vendors.

Outside of Manchester Arndale, Market Street, 1990’s

Credit: The Manchester Library / The Manc Group

Manchester’s Arndale Centre sees 41 million visitors each year and has undergone some very big changes throughout its time.

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We’re sure some of you looking at this picture will remember when the Arndale had its own deep blue awning and a few benches perched outside.

Whether its 1823 or 1990, one thing’s for sure, Market Street has always looked sharp!

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Featured Image/ All embedded images: The Manchester Library

Feature

Bruce Springsteen’s unforgettable final night at Co-op Live in Manchester – just wow…

Danny Jones Danny Jones Bruce Springsteen Manchester Co-op Live night 3 gig review

It’s rare you get to see legends in real life, especially this up close and personal, but there’s still just one key word that keeps coming to mind when we think of seeing Bruce Springsteen in Manchester at the Co-op Live last night: surreal.

We still can’t quite believe that he was here in Manchester, in the flesh, for three separate nights, but we do intend to replay it in our heads over and over again until it fully sinks in.

Springsteen, ‘The Boss’, Brucey, whatever you want to call him, there really is something to be said for someone who’s been going this long and still exerts so much energy at 75.

That goes for his desperately loyal and dedicated crowds, too. The legions that marched down ‘Thunder Road’ and back down the CityLink walking route and the Ashton canal in supreme spirits after all was said and done gave as good as they got.

springsteen uk tour dates
springsteen manchester
springsteen co-op live
We can only assume Springsteen was as incredible on the first night at Co-op Live as he was on the last. (Credit: Audio North)

From singing back every chorus to the chants of “Bruuuuuuuce!” between every single song, it was more apparent than ever that being a Springsteen fan is quite literally a way of life for these people; they know every line, every call and response, every micro-dance move and regular on-stage ritual.

Each show is roughly three hours long, by the way – he does have an absolute treasure trove of discography to work through, in fairness.

Put simply, there’s no messing about, just non-stop rock and roll of the highest order. Well, there are some brief pauses, but for good reason…

As a passionate political and philanthropic person throughout a career which spans more than six decades, he took the time to talk about America and the turbulent times they are once again facing.

He spoke about the craven billionaire class, poverty, uniting through art and, just as he did on night one in Manchester, Springsteen railed against a particular tyrant who happens to have found himself in the seat of power yet again back over in the States. He made sure to do this every single night.

‘Born in the U.S.A.’ (which he did decide to play, along with a plethora of the other biggest hits) now feels more like a protest song than ever. The war may no longer be in Vietnam, but there is one raging back home, and he’s even more wary of it than before.

He thanked those in the pit and the stands for indulging him, as well as the “wonderful space” of the Co-op and its “beautiful sound” for hosting him, but we have a feeling the New Jersey poet could have said just about anything and he’d still have 23,500+ in the palm of his hands.

All that being said, it wasn’t like this was a pseudo-rally or anything like that, nor was anything of this being foisted upon the audience, but there was a real sense of a congregation gathering in the church of Bruce to take in his sermon.

His followers have often been referred to in this way, and despite only previously considering ourselves a very casual Springsteen enthusiast, having now been to a sell-out arena gig with one of the biggest Boss fans we know, we can understand why millions of people around the world idolise this absolute icon.

bruce springsteen gig review manchester
Credit: The Manc

It goes without saying that a huge amount of applause must go to The E Street Band themselves, who are just as much a part of what makes Springsteen sets so special as he is.

From the ever-charismatic Steven Van Zandt (still hard not to see him as ‘Sil’ from The Sopranos) to Jake Clemons on sax – who has been part of the group since 2012 and shared a touching embrace with Bruce as tributes to his predecessor and uncle, Clarence, played behind them – these lot are a family.

Our only minor gripe is that we sorely missed hearing ‘Atlantic City’, but what the concert did confirm is that much like the effect the recent Bob Dylan biopic had on us, we’re now more committed than ever to working through the Springsteen back catalogue from start to finish and seeing how obsessed we get.

To end on one final thought and echo the words of the man himself: “peace, love and freedom.”

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Featured Images — The Manc Group

Feature

The 81-year-old Red being forced to give up his seat after nearly half a cenutry

Danny Jones Danny Jones

We recently had a touching, albeit heartbreaking chat with one Michael Carney: the 81-year-old Manchester United fan who is being forced to give up his current seat after nearly half a century.

The lifelong Man United supporter has been going to Old Trafford since he was seven years old, meaning he’s spent nearly that same number in decades going to the iconic footballing arena, longer than most who currently attend the ground have been on thre planet.

Put simply, Michael has regularly attended matches for pretty much as long as he can remember and held a season ticket for the bulk of his adult life. His current seat in the old south end, now known as the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, has been in his name for over 45 years – but not for much longer.

The die-hard Red was recently told that his particular part of the stand would be sacrificed to make way for new hospitality seats, a decision that supporters aren’t taking lightly. Some of you may have witnessed the protests in his section with your own eyes; even if not, millions have since seen this image:

Holding up the modest but emphatic sign, the message was clear: the current administration is favouring tourists and casual visitors over the so-called ‘legacy’ fans who have devoted their time and money to the club for generations.

The reverse of Michael’s sign read: “I was sat here before you were born”. Having moved from the old Cantilever Stand, a.k.a. ‘United Road’ (now where the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand is situated) to this particular seat back in 1979, that’s true for the majority of the INEOS Group now at the helm of the club.

Met with cheers from those sitting around him, especially those facing the same eviction, as well as countless others around the stadium when he held the sign aloft during the most recent Manchester Derby, his vocal but peaceful protest saw just as much coverage as any organised fan march.

Looking up to co-owner Jim Ratcliffe (who still wouldn’t fit into the same ticket age category as Carney, even at 72) and other members of the administration in the moment, Michael told us that those sitting in the executive seats refused to even acknowledge him and his peers.

Revealing that failed to offer so much as a glance down, merely making their “glum faces” very plain to see, he said his immediate feeling was one which many have echoed since they arrived: “They’re just puppets for the Glazers.”

Long before the days of wealthy billionaires and entire nation states splurging their cash on football clubs, Michael still remembers the simpler times in football; a time when players like Charlton, Law, Best and, most poignantly for him, often overlooked legends like Duncan Edwards were the story.

duncan edwards death newspaper clipping
He still has a newspaper clipping from the Munich Disaster.
duncan edwards man united shirt
Been there, got the shirt…
Back in those days, “you could smell the liniment and the red was so vivid” that you couldn’t help but pick United. (Credit: Supplied)

As most fans do, he still remembers his first game: it was a Saturday on 29 September 1951, when Matt Busby’s side took on Preston North End at Old Trafford and went on to lose 2-1.

Although he “cut [his] teeth” watching local non-league clubs around Cheshire back then, enjoying the likes of derbies between Northwich Victoria and Witton Albion, the joy of going to watch United for nine old pence as a junior with his uncle is a feeling that has stuck with him.

That being said, it’s fair to say he has little trouble recollecting even more recent history and big turning points, such as that first buyout back in 2005, pretty well.

Few could have predicted just quite how turbulent things would gradually become in the time since, but some certainly feared as much, and Carney isn’t the only one who now considers those same people as “visionaries” doing their best to warn their fellow supporters of a growing spectre.

Not only were they applauded by purists for splintering off and starting their own grassroots phoenix club, FC United of Manchester, but they also helped ward off the possibility of the leveraged buyout model as a threat to other teams in the future, as the attached controversy and debt only grew greater.

In short, as Michael summed it up, “I don’t think people realised just how bad it was going to get – they knew it was coming. Fergie hid it with results on the pitch, but with a lack of success even from last year, it’s increasingly evident how big a mess they’re in.”

michael carney ben carney man united fans
The next generation of matchgoing Carneys and fans, full stop – quite literally awe-inspired. (Credit: Ben Carney)

One of the biggest concerns, as he and many others see it, is the crowd itself and how decisions such as these imminent hospitality seats continue to chip away at the spirit within the stands.

For football lovers of Mike’s generation, in fact, the idea of going to both Man United and Man City (‘Purples’ as these matchgoers have often been referred to) wasn’t unheard of, and the main obstacle for him was just getting to those grounds from the not-so-nearby market town.

The love of beatiful game, pure and simple.

Fast forward some seven decades later, however, and when asked point blank if he felt the atmosphere had changed in the modern era, he couldn’t have answered quicker: “Oh yes, I think so – definitely.”

Touching on the ‘forwarding membership’ debacle brought in for the 23/24 season, he carried on: “They’re trying to force people to refund their ticket so they can resell it [at an inflated price]; they’re just making it so difficult. They want the end-of-season ticket holders over 65, full stop, I believe.”

Perhaps the hardest thing for us to hear was when Michael told us: “I don’t feel part of the club at all, and I haven’t for a long time. It’s that feeling of not belonging and loss of feeling like part of a family – they’ve got to get that back.

“How they’re going to do that, I have no idea. I think they’re rotten from top to bottom.”

This becomes an even more bitter pill to swallow when you consider how football can play a part in local communities and families like the Carneys; for instance, without Michael, his grandson Ben may never have enjoyed truly unforgettable moments like these:

Conveying a genuine feeling of heartbreak behind his treatment, in one exasperated moment, he could only utter, “It used to be so simple…”, before going on to joke that if things keep going as poorly as they are on the pitch, they won’t have as many tourists to attract and “they’ll want people like me back.”

We had the pleasure of speaking to Ben himself too, a fellow lifelong Red and now aspiring sports writer studying at UA92 (the further education facility set up by United legends) and he had no reservations in admitting that he owes his love the club, the sport and the magic of watching it live to Michael.

“To me, supporting United is a religion — a way of life”, he says. “It’s in my blood, and that’s all thanks to my grandad. This season, the troubling trends of the past decade have continued, both on and off the pitch, but never underestimate the stoic spirit that runs through Manchester United.

“Even in the bad times, we do it differently, and the chaotic win against Lyon was proof of that. As the chant goes: ‘Ruben Amorim, he’ll bring the glory days again.'”

Unfortunately, many well-meaning Reds, who also expressed their frustration with the club during that frankly bonkers game, have seen their memories of the night somewhat sullied.

Manchester United fan group call for full investigation into security after sit-in protest
Michael might be the oldest fan having to advocate for his own seat but he’s from the only United supporter holding up homemade signs.

Neverthless, without him, treasured memories in Ben’s life like Lyon, that PSG game in 2018/19, derbies both here in Manchester and when the Irwell flows into Merseyside – not to mention core, life-affirming experiences like ones seen above – may never have happened.

He’s been here through the ups and downs and brought the next line of his kin, friends and numerous others along with him; he’s also stuck with the club through the big periods of transition in the past too.

Each time a new chapter has been turned, he’s refused to be left behind and still has all the passion to witness whatever comes on the next page, but its the club that seems to be trying to obfuscate that as they prepare to ultimately leave the Theatre of Dreams after more than 115 years.

The Northwich-born fan says that he understands the need for a new stadium, even though he believes “renovating would’ve been alright” – admittedly quipping that it’s already a bit like Trigger’s brush from Only Fools given how many different iterations of Old Trafford he’s already lived through.

He pointed out that “people probably said the same” back when the club then known as Newton Heath left Clayton’s Bank Street back in 1910, but did admit he wasn’t the biggest fan of the bold and controversial vision for it, which has been said to resemble a circus top by more than a few.

Being perceived as a somewhat fitting metaphor for modern-day Man United by fans, rivals and neutrals alike, “it was ready-made for the p***-takes”, says Michael, but you can gurantee that he’d be going their in full faith and getting behind his team – only the problem is it isn’t exactly up to him anymore.

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Michael text me not long after the full-time whistle following the incredible comeback against Lyon last month to joke, “Forget everything I said about them not being entertaining!”, even going on to rather sincerely apologise for what he feared was “too much ‘fings aren’t what they used to be’ chat.”

Like any truly loyal fan of a club, it doesn’t take much for him to be sucked back in and football cannot, under any circumstances, afford to take undying levels of support like this for granted. Without veterans like this, nights like the one now being set up against Spurs for the Europa League final just don’t exist.

When you factor in how much time, money and energy he’s sunk into travelling for games both home and away – getting trains from Northwich to Alty, then buses to the ground, coaches all over the country and even abroad to see his team play – circumstances like his imminent ousting feel all the more unjust.

He admitted himself that while he might not be around much longer to see the likes of the new stadium and maybe see finally win another league; to cheer on that next generation of youngsters onto the pitch and see a United reborn, he’s more than earned the right to spend every second he can at that ground.

Ruben’s reds might be going to Bilbao and, who knows, maybe they’ll even be back on track from next season, but one things for sure, they won’t get anywhere without true fans like Michael.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Supplied

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