Arts and crafts in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester (including Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan) is in the North West of England. It has a population of around 2,680,000 and covers approximately 12,700 hectares. Here is a list of nearby or neighbouring counties: Cheshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire.
Two thousand years ago the area in which Manchester is located was within the territory of a Celtic tribe called the Brigantes. During the Roman period a fort called Mamucium or Mancunium was built, from which the city gets its name and today the forts remains are a scheduled monument. Previously part of Lancashire, Manchester grew as a major textile producer and during the Industrial revolution became the first industrialised city in the world, with for example the first railway station, and attracted workers from across Britain and Ireland who made the city their home. During the late twentieth century Manchester went though a period of industrial decline and many of the old factories, warehouses, as well as 1960s buildings have been replaced by office and living spaces and a modern tram network. Today Manchester is considered by many to be, after London, the second city of England and is famous for its contemporary culture in music and fashion, architecture, sporting success, universities and leading role in science and engineering. Performing arts venues in Greater Manchester include the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, the Plaza in Stockport, Oldham Coliseum Theatre, the Manchester Opera House and the Octagon Theatre in Bolton.
Among the famous people from Manchester is the artist L.S. Lowry (November 1st 1887 – February 23rd 1976), who drew and painted pictures of the local industrial landscape and its inhabitants, the so called matchstick men. A collection of his work can be seen in The Lowry, which houses a gallery and theatres in a complex in the Salford Quays, previously the site of the cities docks. The Manchester Art Gallery has displays of silver, glass, furniture, and paintings by artists from many parts of Britain and the continent. Visitors can see works by British artists including Thomas Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds, L S Lowry, Wynford Dewhurst and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, as well as French impressionists such as Pierre Valette, who painted local scenes and taught artists such as Lowry, influencing their work. Other attractions in Greater Manchester include Bolton Museum and Art Gallery, Staircase House in Stockport, Manchester Museum, Ordsall Hall in Salford, Manchester Cathedral and Bramall Hall in Stockport.
