Incredible photos show what Manchester looked like in the 1970s

By The Manc
20th December 2020
View across Grosvenor Square from the Chatham Building tower, 1970

Manchester has ben through some enormous changes over the past few decades, some welcome, some not so much.

The 1970s was a hugely significant decade for Greater Manchester, with heavy industry in decline since the 1960s and a huge redevelopment of the city centre taking place.

This is also when the Arndale reared its head, and old, overcrowded housing was cleared to make way for huge high-rise flats.

The Midland Bank building from Spring Gardens, around 1971

Then in 1974 Manchester split from Lancashire, becoming the county of Greater Manchester as a result of the Local Government Act 1972.

Luckily, there are photo archives with images documenting this turning point in history, and thanks to the MMU Visual Resources Centre we can take a look back at a much cleaner, spacious looking Manchester.

All images are courtesy of the slide collections at Manchester Metropolitan University Special Collections

The Grosvenor Picture Palace - the building is now The Footage pub, 1971
Piccadilly Station Approach and Gateway House, 1971
The Oxford cinema on Oxford Street, formerly The Picture House, 1972
Withy Grove looking towards Shudehill, around 1972
View along Hulme Walk, from the end of the footbridge crossing Princess Road, 1972
The White Horse pub on Hulme Walk, Hulme, around 1972
View of Charles Barry Crescent from Zion Crescent - Hulme Park now occupies the site. 1972
The Studio 1 to 5 cinema on Oxford Road - now the Dancehouse theatre. 1972
View of Mosley Street at its junction with York Street, 1972
The Oxford pub on Oxford Street, around 1973
View of Wakefield Street towards Oxford Road Station, around 1974
Liverpool Road at the junction with Water Street, around 1975
Manchester Central Station from Windmill Street, around 1975
View between Robert Adam Crescent (left) and William Kent Crescent (right) Hulme, 1976.
View along Market Street (looking west towards Cross Street), during construction of the Arndale Centre, mid-1970s
The junction of Market Street, Cross Street and Corporation Street during the construction of the Manchester Arndale Centre, 1975
View of St Ann's Square, from the church towards St Mary's Gate, 1976
The University of Manchester's Whitworth Park student residences, 1976
View north along Deansgate, 1976
Interior view of the Manchester Arndale Centre, showing the 'Totem' sculpture by Franta Belsky, 1979
Interior of the Manchester Arndale Centre, showing the upper and lower shopping malls at Halle Square, 1979
Interior of the Manchester Arndale Centre, showing Halle Square with escalators linking the upper and lower shopping malls, 1979