The Greater Manchester Portal
Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester.
The county has an area of 493 sq mi (1,277 km2) and is highly urbanised, with a population of 2.9 million. The majority of the county's settlements are part of the Greater Manchester Built-up Area, which extends into Cheshire and Merseyside and is the second most populous urban area in the UK. The city of Manchester is the largest settlement. Other large settlements are Altrincham, Bolton, Rochdale, Sale, Salford, Stockport and Wigan. Greater Manchester contains ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan, the councils of which collaborate through Greater Manchester Combined Authority. The county was created on 1 April 1974 from parts of north-east Cheshire, south-east Lancashire, and a small part of the West Riding of Yorkshire.
The centre and south-west of Greater Manchester are lowlands, similar to the West Lancashire Coastal Plain to the north-west and the Cheshire Plain to the south-west. The north and east are part of the Pennines: the West Pennine Moors in the northwest, the South Pennines in the northeast and the Peak District in the east. Most of the county's rivers rise in the Pennines and are tributaries of the Mersey and Irwell, the latter of which is itself a tributary of the Mersey. The county is connected to the Mersey Estuary by the Manchester Ship Canal, which for its entire length within Greater Manchester consists of canalised sections of the Mersey and Irwell. (Full article...)
Selected article -
Chat Moss is a large area of peat bog that makes up 30% of the City of Salford. It is north of the River Irwell, 5 miles (8 km) to the west of Manchester, and occupies an area of about 10.6 square miles (27.5 km2). It is thought to be about 7,000 years old, but peat development seems to have begun about 10,000 years ago.
Much work was carried out, particularly during the 19th century, to reclaim large areas of Chat Moss. The bog threatened the completion of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, until George Stephenson succeeded in constructing a railway line in 1829, which "floated" on a wood and stone foundation. Today, the M62 motorway also crosses the moss.
Much of Chat Moss is prime agricultural land, although farming in the area is in decline. A large-scale network of drainage channels is required to keep the land from reverting to bog. A 228-acre (92 ha) area of Chat Moss, notified as Astley & Bedford Mosses, was designated an SSSI in 1989. Along with nearby Risley Moss and Holcroft Moss, Astley & Bedford Mosses has also been designated as a European Union Special Area of Conservation, known as Manchester Mosses.
General images
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The arms of the Greater Manchester County Council, depicted here, became redundant with the abolition of the council in 1986 (though similar arms are used by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service). (from Greater Manchester) -
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Beetham Tower, Manchester's second tallest building, was completed in 2006. (from History of Manchester) -
The Trafford Centre in Trafford is one of the largest shopping centres in the United Kingdom. (from Greater Manchester) -
Former weavers' cottages in Wardle. An increase in domestic cloth production, and textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution is attributed to a population boom in the area. (from Greater Manchester) -
The Peterloo Massacre was a major event in the history of the city. (from History of Manchester) -
Chetham's School of Music (from History of Manchester) -
Looking west along Nico Ditch, near Levenshulme (from History of Manchester) -
The main entrance of Old Trafford Cricket Ground (from Greater Manchester) -
Stockport bus station in 1988. Greater Manchester Transport (later GM Buses) operated bus services throughout the county, from 1974 to 1993. (from Greater Manchester) -
The population of Greater Manchester increased from around 328 thousand in 1801, to 2.8M in 2021. (from Greater Manchester) -
Map of the Salford Hundred, with Manchester in the south-east (from History of Manchester) -
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The multiple urban areas of Greater Manchester's boroughs (from Greater Manchester) -
GMC County Hall (now known as Westminster House) in Manchester housed the Greater Manchester County Council until its abolition in 1986. (from Greater Manchester) -
Skyline of Salford. (from Greater Manchester Built-up Area) -
Eccles cake is a small round flaky pastry cake filled with currants, sugar and spice. It is native to Eccles. (from Greater Manchester) -
First Greater Manchester operate bus services in northern-Greater Manchester. (from Greater Manchester) -
The Lowry is a combined theatre and exhibition centre at Salford Quays, and is Greater Manchester's most visited tourist attraction. (from Greater Manchester) -
Oldham, painted during the Industrial Revolution by J. H. Carse. Many towns in Greater Manchester were built around the mills. (from Greater Manchester) -
Andy Burnham has served as the inaugural Mayor of Greater Manchester since May 2017. (from Greater Manchester) -
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A bus stop in Denton bearing the logo of Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). TfGM is a functional executive body of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and has responsibilities for public transport in Greater Manchester. (from Greater Manchester) -
Stockport, one of the large towns of Greater Manchester and historically part of Cheshire (from Greater Manchester) -
A 19th-century slum dwelling. The overhang contained privies, whose waste fell straight into the River Medlock below. (from History of Manchester) -
Old Wellington Inn Shambles Square was built in 1552. (from History of Manchester) -
Haigh Hall (from Greater Manchester) -
A Metrolink tram in Radcliffe, part of Greater Manchester's light rail network (from Greater Manchester) -
Greater Manchester lies at the conjunction of the ancient county boundaries of Cheshire, Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. (from Greater Manchester) -
Liverpool Road railway station, the terminus of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (from History of Manchester) -
Salford, the second city of the county (from Greater Manchester) -
Map of the ancient parish of Manchester (from History of Manchester) -
A reconstructed gateway of Mamucium fort (from History of Manchester) -
The City of Manchester Stadium, the main venue of the 2002 Commonwealth Games and home to Manchester City F.C. (from Greater Manchester) -
Map of Manchester from Roman Manchester (1900) (from History of Manchester) -
Common cottongrass (Eriophorum angustifolium), seen here at Light Hazzles Reservoir near Littleborough, was voted the county flower of Greater Manchester in 2002. (from Greater Manchester) -
The Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre (better known as the G-Mex centre and now rebranded as Manchester Central) was the converted former Manchester Central railway station, in Manchester city centre, used for hosting the county's cultural events. (from Greater Manchester) -
Rochdale, one of the large towns of Greater Manchester (from Greater Manchester) -
The M60 motorway, seen here at Failsworth, is an orbital motorway in Greater Manchester. (from Greater Manchester) -
Runway 2 of Manchester Airport lies on top of Oversley Farm, a Neolithic farming community. (from History of Manchester) -
The Imperial War Museum North, in Trafford Park, was designed by Daniel Libeskind, and is one of the Imperial War Museum's five branches. (from Greater Manchester) -
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The Greater Manchester Urban Area in 2001 (from Greater Manchester Built-up Area) -
Manchester's Exchange Square undergoing extensive regeneration (from History of Manchester) -
Royal Exchange, Cross Street (from History of Manchester) -
Much of Greater Manchester's housing stock consists of terraced houses constructed as low-cost dwellings for the populations of local factory towns. (from Greater Manchester) -
Manchester Central Library, St Peter's Square (from History of Manchester) -
Bolton Wanderers F.C. are based at the University of Bolton Stadium, in Horwich. (from Greater Manchester) -
Manchester from Kersal Moor, by William Wyld in 1852. Manchester acquired the nickname "Cottonopolis" during the early 19th century owing to its many textile factories. (from History of Manchester) -
Population density map (from Greater Manchester) -
Skyline of Manchester. (from Greater Manchester Built-up Area) -
Albert Square (from History of Manchester) -
Bury, one of the large towns of Greater Manchester and historically part of Lancashire (from Greater Manchester)
Boroughs
Selected biography -
David Beckham OBE (born 2 May 1975) is an English professional footballer, who plays in midfield. He currently plays for and captains Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy and is also a member of the England national team. He earned his 100th cap for England against France in March 2008.
Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. During his time there, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons. While at Madrid, Beckham became the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches. In his final season, Real clinched the 2006-07 La Liga championship title (Beckham's only major trophy with the club) in the final game of the season on 17 June. In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid and sign a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Did you know?
- ...that the Albert Medal was one of the awards given to Mark Addy for rescuing more than 50 people from the highly polluted River Irwell, Manchester, in the 19th Century?
- ...that the Port of Runcorn in Cheshire, England, was an independent customs port for two separate periods before becoming part of the Port of Manchester in 1894?
- ...that a word square found in Mamucium (pictured), a Roman fort in Manchester, may be one of the earliest examples of Christianity in Britain?
- ...that the women's scratch race at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships was held in Manchester and was won by Ellen van Dijk?
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Featured Content
Featured articles: Altrincham • Bert Trautmann • Chat Moss • City of Manchester Stadium • Duncan Edwards • Emmeline Pankhurst • Greater Manchester • Joy Division • M62 motorway • Manchester • Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal • Manchester City F.C. • Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine • Peterloo Massacre • Oldham • Scout Moor Wind Farm • Shaw and Crompton • Stretford • Trafford
Featured lists: Castles in Greater Manchester • Grade I listed buildings in Greater Manchester • List of Manchester City F.C. managers • List of Manchester United F.C. managers • List of Manchester United F.C. records and statistics • List of Manchester United F.C. seasons • List of Manchester United F.C. players • List of Manchester United F.C. players (25–99 appearances) • List of Manchester United F.C. players (fewer than 25 appearances) • List of railway stations in Greater Manchester • List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Greater Manchester • List of tallest buildings and structures in Manchester • List of tallest buildings and structures in Salford • Manchester City F.C. seasons
Good articles: 1990 Strangeways Prison riot • Alan Turing • Ashton-under-Lyne • B of the Bang • Bank Street (stadium) • Bridgewater Canal • Buckton Castle • Castleshaw Roman fort • Chadderton • Cine City, Withington • City of Salford • Controversy over the usage of Manchester Cathedral in Resistance: Fall of Man • David Beckham • Didsbury • Dunham Massey • Hale Barns • Henry Taylor (swimmer) • Hugh Mason • Hulme Arch Bridge • Hyde Road • Mamucium • Manchester and Bolton Railway • Manchester Liners • Manchester Mummy • Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine • Manchester United F.C. • Milnrow • Murrays' Mills • Nico Ditch • Noel Gallagher • North Road (stadium) • Ordsall Hall • Old Trafford • Oasis (band) • Radcliffe, Greater Manchester • River Irwell • Ronnie Wallwork • Royton • Sale, Greater Manchester • Tameside • Trafford Park • Upper Brook Street Chapel, Manchester • Urmston • Warburton, Greater Manchester
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