Earlier this year, Ancoats was named as one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world – described superlatively as a “damned magical” and “super-stylish” utopia of art, culture and greenery.
Of course, we’ve heard this all before. For the past five years, location guides and travel magazines have fallen over one another to heap praise on the regenerated eastern district of central Manchester – which has morphed into one of the busiest, buzziest, sought-after spaces in an incessantly evolving city.
Between the canalside balconies, independent art and critically-acclaimed restaurants (local eatery Mana won Manchester its first – and much-delayed – Michelin star in 2019), modern Ancoats has pretty much everything you could want in a neighbourhood. That’s often the headline. But it also has a fascinating history.
Before the skyscrapers, brunch plates and Michelin Stars, there were mill workers, ice cream carts and accordions.
Back in the 1800s, this part of Manchester was better known as “Little Italy“.
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This is wonderful. The Italian community in Manchester is a huge part of the city’s heritage and culture. This recognition is long overdue for the Italian immigrants who arrived in the city in the 1800s with nothing and helped shape the city’s history.
In December 2021, following a momentous effort by campaigners, a plaque was installed on George Leigh St to commemorate Ancoats’ heritage – in the same spot where the Manchester Italian Association was formed in 1888 (the Halle at St Michael’s building).
The plate has already delighted members of the Italian community in Manchester – several of whom have ancestors who grew up on the cobbled streets of Ancoats during its early years as an Italian quarter.
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People from areas such as Lazio and Campagna increasingly emigrated to the UK throughout the 19th Century and many settled in Ancoats – which turned into a bustling miniature version of the villages they knew back home.
Residing in the parish of St Michael’s – a Roman Catholic church – many of the immigrants went to work in the local mills, with the community described as bringing character to what was at the time a “grim part of Manchester”. Old family traditions were brought across to Ancoats – with the residents holding feasts, dances, Whit Walks, and parties throughout the year.
When Italian street musicians weren’t entertaining the neighbourhood with barrel organs and dancing bears, other residents spent the long summer evenings serenading their neighbours with the accordion.
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Ice cream vans queue up to be re-stocked on Dawn Street, Ancoats in 1966. Gerard's Ices was owned by Gerardo Scappaticci – the story of the many ice cream merchants in Ancoats ("Little Italy") is a fascinating part of Manchester history. pic.twitter.com/SYrH7v83XC
Some of the families who lived in the area also made their living in sweet treats – playing a trailblazing role in jump-starting the ice cream industry in Manchester.
Carts would bobble across the roads selling the dessert, although a ban was placed on the trade after the outbreak of the war due to rationing. Nonetheless, appetites for ice cream remained intact after 1945 – with manufacturers ramping up production and whizzing across town in new vehicles. An increase in competition even gave rise to turf disputes – a conflict which went down in history as “The Ice Cream Wars”.
Little Italy and its wider family also produced some of Manchester’s most famous personnel – including community leader and entrepreneur Domenico Antonelli (who was knighted by the Italian monarchy in 1932 for his business achievements).
Manchester’s own Sherlock Holmes, Jerome Caminada, also had links to the area. An “extraordinary” detective who prowled the streets of Victorian Manchester, Caminada’s intuition and talent for riddle-solving has written him into local legend – with the policeman best-known for donning a variety of disguises to catch the biggest crooks on Deansgate and beyond.
Manchester: Ancoats: Little Italy: 1963. Love the little guy leaning against the wall. pic.twitter.com/QuzKBPLVZe
The rich, vibrant legacy of Ancoats has long been championed by members of the contemporary Italian-Manchester community. And now, anyone who passes by St Michael’s can appreciate the true heritage of the area.
One resident described it as “wonderful”, claiming that “this recognition is long overdue for the Italian immigrants who arrived in the city in the 1800s with nothing and helped shape the city’s history.”
For a deeper, closer look at the history of central Manchester’s Italian past, head over to the wonderful website for Ancoats Little Italy.
Manchester
A very wholesome record was seemingly smashed by a group of runners at the Manchester Half
Danny Jones
It’s been a few days since the 2025 Manchester Half, and news of personal bests and records being matched/broken continues to flood in, but nothing quite beats the fastest caterpillar EVER getting themselves in the Guinness book.
Yes, we did say caterpillar.
In case you have no idea what we’re talking about (it’s pretty much what it says on the tin), a caterpillar refers to when multiple runners stick themselves in a daft bit of fancy dress and race in a line while joined together in a suit that looks like, well, you get the gist…
Fun and wholesome in itself, right? Indeed, better still, though, it appears as though this particular group of fundraisers not only completed this year’s Manchester Half-marathon with the added challenge of running behind one another in a caterpillar outfit, but have just smashed the Guinness World Record.
As you can see, the four top blokes – Matthew Athersmith, Eddie Evans, Andrew Cairns and Jimmy Craig – didn’t just get the 13.1-mile feat completed quickly; they were absolutely RAPID.
The 2025 MCR Half saw plenty of people breaching the 90-minute mark or going even faster, but we were not expecting to see the familiar caterpillar fancy dress sight finishing in 1:14:08.
Utterly ridiculous, boys.
Other notable bits of history made, besides the largest ever crowd of 28k racers and more than £1.6 million raised for different charities, included runner Sophie Godley smashing the women’s record for the fastest time while carrying (*checks notes*) 13 golf clubs. Silly and inspiring – like it.
Although they’re still waiting for full confirmation from the official Guinness World Records organisation, the Manchester Half media team seemingly verified that they beat the previous caterpillar half-marathon record by nearly 15 whole minutes.
Dubbing themselves ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, the group of mates from Skipton in North Yorkshire ran in memory of one of Matthew’s friends, Darren, who sadly died back in 2022.
Speaking to the BBC following the remarkable achievement, Matt said: “Darren was so loved by everyone; we just didn’t know what was going on beneath the surface.”
Applauding the “unbelievable” and incredibly uplifting atmosphere on the day, they were one of many participants who added on extra caveats to the already impressive fitness and fundraising challenge.
It was nevertheless an emotional day for all of them. For instance, one quarter of the caterpillar, Jimmy, also had a heavily pregnant wife waiting at home that he had to race back to.
Generating money for male mental health organisation and suicide prevention charity, Andy’s Man Club (AMC), which has continued to grow year on year, they went on to add: “It’s OK to talk, and people shouldn’t suffer in silence. We all would have tried to help.”
Andy’s Man Club outposts are popping up all over the place, including many here in Greater Manchester, so for anyone struggling, please know that you are NOT alone and can always speak to someone. If you’re interested in giving AMC a go, you can find your nearest support group HERE.
Last but not least, for those of you local to the region who are ready to reward yourselves now that the big runs are all said and done, look no further.
Calling all Manchester runners: if you've boxed off all your races for the year, it's time to reward yourself properly – with a boogie, of course 🪩💃
Featured Images — Manchester Half (supplied)/Andy’s Man Club
Manchester
Victoria Baths is ‘resurrecting’ its popular spooky silent disco this Halloween
Emily Sergeant
Halloween is on its way, and Silence of the Baths is being ‘resurrected’ for another year.
Returning for a ‘fright night of thrills’ after a sell-out debut in 2023, and then for a smash-hit revival of three of Manchester’s most iconic fallen nightclubs in 2024, Victoria Baths has announced that Silence of the Baths will be returning for its third year, transforming the stunning Grade II-listed building into one of the spookiest settings this Halloween.
For the popular one-off event, Victoria Baths is set to ‘show its darker side’, as the pool halls, Turkish Baths, and labyrinth of spaces undergo an epic Halloween makeover.
Victoria Baths is teaming up with Girls on Film for one of the best nights in the city this Halloween, as the historic space becomes a ‘haunted haven’ of glamour and ghosts.
Partygoers are encouraged to dress the part and wander through the empty pools and haunted corridors as each space is transformed into spooky playground filled with ghouls, spiders, bats, and coffins – but most importantly, good times.
From the balcony above the former pool, the Girls on Film crew will take over the silent disco with a trio of DJs on three different channels.
Hattie Pearson will be on Channel 1, Meme Gold on Channel 2, and the Channel 3 will have DJ MXw0rld.
Victoria Baths is ‘resurrecting’ its popular spooky silent disco this Halloween / Credit: Chris Payne (via Supplied)
As mentioned, ticketholders are being encouraged to ‘dress to distress’ on the night, not only because it’s Halloween, but also because the person with the most haunting look has the chance to win a Halloween Swag Bag.
There’ll be plenty of elixirs and spirits to sip on all night long, and don’t forget to strike a pose against the Baths’ iconic backdrop.
The Silence of the Baths III: The Return will take over Victoria Baths on Saturday 25 October, with doors creaking open from 7:30pm, and tickets are now on sale here and setting you back £20 each (plus a booking fee).
The event sold out last year, so early ticket purchase is recommended
All ticket purchases support the work of The Victoria Baths Trust to preserve Victoria Baths, so that communities can continue to enjoy this inspiring building.