Perhaps no other city in the UK has undergone the type of transformation Manchester has over the last 30 years. Kickstarted by the building boom that followed the 1996 IRA bomb, large parts of town are now unrecognisable from what they were in the 80s and early 90s.
But in order for such dramatic development to take place it very often means that old streets, landmarks and buildings have to make way. From Shambles Square, to Cannon Street, to the Market Street obelisk and the footbridge over Deansgate, here we take a look back at the bits of the city centre from the 80s and 90s that aren't there any more.
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Shambles Square and the Deansgate footbridge
With its eccentric mix of shops and two historic pubs the old Shambles Square made up in character what it lacked in beauty. The concrete square was built in the 1970s as part of the construction of the Arndale and took its name from the butchers and abattoirs which once stood in its place - the blood and guts leftover from slaughter and butchering were known as 'shambles'.
It was home to the Old Wellington Inn, Sinclairs, a Safeway supermarket, an air rifles dealer called Sussex Armoury, Goldmine record shop, Hazels cafe and amusement arcade, Kaleidoscope clothing, the back entrance to Marks and Spencer and Galleon travel agents. One particularly unusual part of the Shambles was its link to Deansgate via a concrete footbridge.
Originally envisioned as part of a series of aerial walkways across the city centre, it led to a row of shops on the ramp at Premier House opposite. Shambles Square was sheltered from the worst of the damage caused by the IRA bomb, but as it was in the centre of the area earmarked for development its days were numbered.
By the late 90s the shops had closed, and the whole complex was demolished, replaced by New Cathedral Street, Number One Deansgate and the new M&S and Selfridges. The pubs would be the only thing to survive, painstakingly demolished and rebuilt piece-by-piece 300 yards away next to the cathedral, on the new Shambles square.
Market Street obelisk
Decorated in pink and brown tiles with a clock halfway up the column, the Market Street obelisk's appearance meant it acquired of quite a few rude nicknames. The brainchild of then Manchester council leader Graham Stringer, the obelisk was built sometime in the early 90s and was supposed to give Market Street a 'market town feel'.
Sitting near HMV and McDonald's it became a popular place for teenagers to meet and even had its own gang of punks who would regularly hang out there.
But by the mid-90s complaints were being made that was fuelling anti-social behaviour and there was a growing clamour for it to be demolished.
Town hall legend has it that it disappeared within three hours of Graham Stringer leaving the town hall in 1996 - and the city centre's punks seemed to vanish with it. In actual fact it was dismantled the following summer and rebuilt in Crumpsall Park, where it remains to this day.
The Arndale bus station and Cannon Street
Cannon Street first began life more than 200 years ago as Manchester's first great boom sprung into life. But after being badly damaged during the Second World War blitz, the original street was flattened in the 1970s to make way for the Arndale, before being replaced by a different thoroughfare of the same name which split the two halves of the shopping centre.
The walls along the street were lined with the much-derided 'bile yellow' ceramic tiles that covered the rest of the mall. And the road was also home to main entrance to the Arndale's underground bus station.
After opening in 1979, the station became one of Manchester's busiest, reportedly handling 30,000 passengers and 1,500 bus journeys per day by 1991. But that meant the the street outside, hemmed in on both sides by the walls of the Arndale, was clogged with traffic and diesel fumes. And the station itself was just as unpopular, especially with women.
In a 1996 study of Manchester and Sheffield, A Tale of Two Cities, the authors wrote female passengers found the station's interior 'gloomy and threatening' and described it as one of the city centre's 'landscapes of fear'. By the early 90s, if not sooner, it became clear the station was outdated and needed a costly refurb.
But, like Shambles Square, its fate was sealed by the 1996 bomb, which exploded just a few yards away on Corporation Street. The station never reopened and Cannon Street was wiped from the map in the huge reconstruction of the city centre that followed.
Granada Studios Tour
In its heyday the Granada Studios Tour attracted over five million telly fans, who flocked to Manchester see the cobbles of Coronation Street and more. Its popularity meant the red 'sunrise' sign over the entrance on Quay Street became a city centre landmark.
The tour opened in July 1988 and was soon voted the North West's top tourist attraction. Visitors could have a drink in a replica of the Rovers Return, visit Jack and Vera Duckworth's front room, take a walk along a bustling New York street set, or even pretend to heckle the Prime Minister in the House of Commons.
But by the end of the 20th Century visitor numbers had plunged to almost a third below target. In December 1999, the tour closed to the general public, with the loss of more than 200 jobs.
In 2013, the Coronation Street set moved to a new home at Salford Quays after 53 years. The entrance to the tour remained until 2019 when it was demolished.
The car park outside Printworks
It's now home to the National Football Museum and the preferred hang out of Manchester's skaters, Emos and Goths. But how many of you can remember what came before the Urbis and Cathedral Gardens?
As this picture shows, the land opposite the Printworks - then known as Maxwell House - was once one of the most central car parks in the city. It came into being after a hotel, which once stood on the site, was flattened in the 1980s.
But like many of the places in this article it was lost in the huge wave of development that followed the 1996 bomb. An international design competition was held to create a new park for the city centre, bounded by the cathedral, Chetham's School of Music and the Corn Exchange.
Around the same time the Urbis museum, designed by Beetham Tower architect Ian Simpson, was also commissioned, eventually opening in 2002 at a cost of £30m.
Market Centre
A subterranean shoppers' paradise, the old Market Centre was the go-to place for punks and ravers, pensioners and teenagers and everyone else in-between. The underground market in the heart of the city centre had stalls catering for almost every need.
There was Stolen From Ivor - the first store in the north of England to stock Levis jeans, while Oasis, Justin’s and other smaller boutique stalls were Meccas for Mancunian hipsters of the day. It was also a musical goldmine, with Manchester Underground Records Import used by DJs from across the region, while Collectors Records, Yvonne’s record stall and Spinn In Records all had their regulars.
The main entrance was on Brown Street - and has long been concreted over - but there were also two other ways in, off Spring Gardens and another via stairs near Norfolk Street, while a covered route between Market Street and Cross Street also protected shoppers from the rain.
But despite its popularity, its time was short-lived. By the late 80s stall occupancy was down, and it was closed as nearby Arndale Centre grew in popularity.
Bernard House - and its crazy pointed roof
Even among the futuristic stylings of Piccadilly Plaza, Bernard House stood out a mile. Built in 1969, the office block's spiky, timber framed roof, which jutted upwards at all four corners, made it seem as if a bit of the Blade Runner set had been plonked on the corner of Mosley Street.
But while most of the plaza has survived renovation in 2001, sadly Bernard House was sacrificed to make way for a building which is currently home to a Marks and Spencer. To this day it's much missed by Modernist architecture lovers - and you can even buy prints and postcards of it.
The Arndale's rhino and camel sculptures
The wooden rhino and camel in the Arndale were a godsend for parents dragging bored kids round the shops. Unlike most public art the distinctive sculptures were designed to be played with - so provided a welcome distraction from yet another trip around C&A or British Home Stores.
The animals were the work of artist and designer Peter Hand, who between 1965 and 1986, produced 35 bespoke play sculptures, mainly in hard wood, but also occasionally in fibreglass, in places such as Bradford, Southend, Cambridge, Nottingham and St Helen's.
It's thought the Manchester sculptures were removed when the Arndale was refurbished after the 1996 bomb. Earlier this year a spokesperson for the Arndale told the Manchester Evening News they were possibly sent to Stretford and Middleton Arndale centres, which at that time were owned by the same company, but their current whereabouts are unknown.
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