Manchester was one of the world's first industralised city's and was seen as foremost in the Industrial Revolution. The City was of great importance to the international centre of textile manufacturing and cotton spinning.
The growth and history of Manchester is defined by textile manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution. Towns of south Lancashire, north Cheshire and Manchester did the majority of cotton spinning in the world.
These places were seen as the productive centre of cotton processing and gained the status of the world's largest marketplace for cotton goods.
During the Victorian era Manchester was dubbed "Cottonpolis" and "Warehouse city" as it was seen as the centre of capitalism.
By 1835 Manchester the first and greatest industrial city in the world, was developing a wide range of industries and had peaked at 108 cotton mills.
The machinery engineered in Manchester was used in local cotton mills. With the engineering firms diversifying into general machinery providing industries abroad with their unique workmanship.
The chemical industry followed suit by expanding into different areas other than producing bleaches and dyes for the mills in Manchester.
An efficient infrastructure for transport and distributions was needed for trade and to feed the growing population. So the canal system was extended and named the Manchester Ship Canal. It was created by the canalisation of River Irwell and the Mersey for 36 mile, from Salford to the Mersey estuary.
Thus enabling ocean ships the means to sail straight into the Port of Manchester.
The world's first industrial estate was built on the canal banks of Trafford Park and a large quantity of machinery was exported from this site.
Manchester also became one of the first intercity passenger railways in the world with the Liverpool to Manchester railway system.
The healthy competition between the different forms of transport kept the cost of travel, export and distribution low.
