If you've been to Manchester in recent times, you'll know that parts have changed quite dramatically, whereas others have remained fairly unchanged.
Rediscovering the living history of the city, illustrated book Manchester Then and Now offers a fascinating comparison of people, places and events from the past to scenes from the present day.
READ MORE: Unseen for years - photos of Manchester's lost department store Paulden's through the decades
The earliest images dates back to the 1900s, showing local landmarks and Mancunians at work and play.
Here, we take a look at some of the people, events and places from bygone years and how the same locations look today.
St Ann's Square
In 1900, St Ann’s Square was a chic place to shop - just as it is now.
High-class boutiques are housed in the area's Italianate buildings, men sport top hats and walking canes, and women wear long dresses and bonnets under Victorian gas lamps.
Meanwhile, horse-drawn hansom cabs also wait to take elegant clients home over the old cobblestones.
Fast forward to 2021, and Manchester is the UK’s second most popular location for retailers after London.
But while St Ann's Square remains a destination for shoppers, this modern image captures the era of social distancing and coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
Oxford Street
In November 1953, pedestrians look like they’re picking their way through the fog on a cold evening on Oxford Street.
But this image was not taken at night or even late afternoon, but at 1.30pm.
The lights of Boots the chemist and the Odeon and Plaza cinemas twinkle in the gloom, as cars are drive with full headlights in the rain and smog.
One of Manchester’s solutions to the pollution problem was to introduce fog pilots – a motorcycle/tricycle combination fitted with powerful lamps, front and back, to guide buses through the gloom
The cinemas that once lined this street have disappeared, along with the soot and grime that marked Manchester’s buildings in the early twentieth century, the latter banished as a result of measures introduced after the Clean Air Act of 1956.
Market Square
World-renowned fashion designer Mary Quant and her Ginger Group models are seen celebrating in Market Square, February 1966.
In this photograph, the group had just completed a photo shoot and were playing ring-o-roses round a lamppost, before taking part in a fashion show at Lewis’s department store
An iconic figure of the ‘60s, Quant had a massive influence on female fashion, making the mini-skirt popular and even giving it its name.
Market Street looks a little quieter in this more recent photos, with less traffic and pedestrians.
Trees, not present 50 years ago, provide greenery and shade on a summer afternoon.
Deansgate
In March 1956, a Granada TV crew interviews passers-by in Deansgate.
A small crowd of onlookers gather around as at the time, outside broadcasts were few and far between.
It is believed that the filming was part of a regional news programme for the Independent Television Authority (ITA) network.
As the modern photograph shows, many new buildings have sprung up in this part of Deansgate since 1956.
In the older image, the Granada TV crew appear to be filming next to a bombsite from World War II, which has since been paved over.
Manchester Airport
It may look like a doctor’s waiting room - but this historic image from February 1954 is actually the international departure gate at Manchester’s Ringway Airport.
Instead of the well-known duty-free shops, cafes and restaurants, there are canvas chairs and a few pictures hanging on the walls.
At the time, passengers were also allowed to smoke before going through the doors to the airport apron and the waiting plane.
The bright new departure area at Manchester Airport looks very different today and has been a lot quieter in the last year due to the pandemic.
Ancoats
Cars and trucks trundle over the tram tracks and cobblestones of Swan Street, Ancoats, in January 1935.
A lone woman looks into the camera as litter blows around her feet, and across the road, men go about their daily business.
The cobblestones have since been covered in tarmac and the trams have long since departed.
Victorian buildings that were once warehouses and builders’ yards have been converted to flats with shops below - but Smithfield Market is still clearly visible in both of the images.
Old Trafford
Here, you can see pensioners outside the Shrewsbury Hotel in Clifton Street, Old Trafford, before their coach trip to Blackpool.
Taken on September 28, 1966, coats and cardigans are the order of the day.
A former Bass house, the Shrewsbury Hotel was a focal point for the community who lived round Clifton Street.
By 2005, the hotel was in a derelict state. But it was restored at a cost of £450,000 to become part of the Afifah School in 2006.
Salford Cathedral
Horse carts can be seen mingling with motor cars at Salford Cathedral in 1946 - a year after the end of the Second World War.
The Cathedral Church of St John the Evangelist, built between 1844 and 1848 ,is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salford.
It was also the first cruciform church to be built in England since the Reformation.
This modern image shows a view of Salford Cathedral framed by the Sycamore Seed sculpture by Andrew McKeown in St Philip’s Square.
Cheetham Hill
The striking Art Deco outline of the Kennet House council estate at Cheetham Hill dominates this archive image from November 1948.
In the image, residents mill round the distinctive flats which dominate their elevated position as a solitary car climbs the hill.
Kennet House was built in 1934, with facilities including shops, a communal washroom, youth club and even a church.
Kennet House later became run-down and poorly maintained and was demolished in 1979.
But the contrast with today could not be more stark. Redbrick family homes have since replaced the gleaming white oval structure.
Gorton
In May 1977, children celebrated the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in Carberry Road, Gorton.
Wearing shields and hats, the street is strewn with decorations and bunting.
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The two-storey Victorian terraced houses are still in place in our modern snapshot– a reminder of the industrial expansion of Gorton when locomotive factories and other workshops sprang up in the area.
These images are among many to feature in Manchester Then and Now, an illustrated book .
It is the first compilation of the informative and entertaining feature published every Sunday in the Manchester Evening News for the past four years.
To purchase your copy and find out more, call the order hotline on 01928 503777 or click here.
