10 Times Greater Manchester Got There Before London
- Billy Clements
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
Greater Manchester has always been a place of firsts — not because we shout about it, but because we just get on with it. While London was busy polishing its image, we were grafting, building, and quietly starting revolutions. From libraries to nightlife, co-ops to community organising, this region’s been leading the way for centuries — often without the credit. So here’s 10 times we set the pace, and the South just followed.
1. The First Free Public Library in the English-Speaking World
Manchester: 1653 | London: 1841 (London Library, subscription-based)
Tucked beside Manchester Cathedral, Chetham’s Library has been open to the public since 1653 — making it the oldest free public reference library in the English-speaking world. Funded by local merchant Humphrey Chetham, it was designed to educate “the sons of honest, industrious and painful parents” long before the idea of public access to knowledge became mainstream. Scholars like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels studied there, and its collections still hold over 100,000 volumes today.
2. We Invented the Vegetarian Movement
Manchester (Salford): 1847 | London: Later adoption
Before vegan sausage rolls and oat milk lattes, there was Salford. In 1847, the Vegetarian Society was founded just over the Irwell — an idea born out of the Bible Christian Church, which promoted a meat-free lifestyle on moral and spiritual grounds. Local MP Joseph Brotherton chaired the first meeting, and the Salford-based society went on to influence diets across Britain and beyond. So yes — tofu started here.
3. The Suffragette Movement Started in a Manchester Parlour
Manchester: 1903 | London: WSPU HQ moved 1906
Emmeline Pankhurst wasn’t from Kensington — she was born in Moss Side. And in 1903, she founded the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) from her Manchester home at 62 Nelson Street. The group’s motto? “Deeds, not words.” That spirit of northern defiance set the tone for the entire suffrage movement — one that spread across the country and changed British politics forever.
4. The First Inter-City Passenger Railway in the World
Manchester–Liverpool: 1830 | London Underground: 1863
When the Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened in 1830, it changed everything. It was the world’s first inter-city passenger line — a proper route with timetables, tickets and stations. Connecting Manchester’s industrial hub to Liverpool’s docks, it laid the blueprint for the modern rail network. London’s first underground line wouldn’t come for another 33 years.
5. The Haçienda Brought Acid House to Britain
Manchester: 1982 | London: Late 1980s
Long before Shoreditch had streetwear shops or Peckham had pop-ups, Manchester had The Haçienda. Opened in 1982 by Factory Records and New Order, it turned a disused yacht showroom into a legendary nightclub that kickstarted the UK’s rave scene. Acid house, Madchester, the rise of ecstasy culture — it all flowed through those concrete walls. London eventually caught up, but for years, Manchester was the UK’s club capital.
6. We Fed Kids Before the Government Did
Manchester: 1879 | London-wide legislation: 1906 (Education Act)
In 1879, Manchester City Council began offering free school meals to undernourished children in local schools — a radical idea at the time. It wasn’t national policy, it was local initiative. By recognising the link between poverty, hunger and education, the city set the tone for what would eventually become standard across the UK.
7. Rochdale Invented the Modern Co-op
Rochdale: 1844 | London Co-op Society: 1868
In 1844, 28 weavers and tradesmen in Rochdale opened a small shop on Toad Lane to sell fair-priced, unadulterated goods to their community. They became the Rochdale Pioneers, and the principles they set down — democratic control, member ownership, community benefit — would shape the entire global co-operative movement. It was a quiet revolution rooted in mutual care.
8. The Bridgewater Canal Revolutionised Industrial Transport
Bridgewater Canal (Manchester): 1761 | Regent’s Canal (London): 1816
While the Sankey Canal (1757) technically came first, the Bridgewater Canal, completed in 1761, was the first to be built entirely independent of any river — a man-made route from Worsley to Manchester designed purely for shifting coal. It slashed prices, boosted trade, and kicked off the canal-building boom that powered the Industrial Revolution.
9. Our LGBTQ+ Scene Paved the Way
Manchester: 1950s–1990s | London’s Soho Scene Emerged Later
Canal Street’s reputation didn’t happen overnight — it grew from decades of defiance. As early as the 1950s, Manchester offered space for queer people to gather safely in clubs like The Rembrandt and Napoleons. By the 1990s, the Gay Village became a beacon for LGBTQ+ visibility and rights, long before similar spaces in London got the same recognition or political support.
10. Manchester: The World’s First Industrial City
Manchester: Late 1700s | London: Industrialisation came later
In the late 18th century, Manchester transformed from a market town into the world’s first truly industrial city. Powered by cotton mills, coal, and invention, it earned the nickname “Cottonopolis” and shaped the urban model for industrialisation globally. The city’s mills, population growth, and transport networks were all decades ahead of London’s industrial expansion.
Proud, Quietly
Greater Manchester’s never really needed a stage — just space to get on with things. From the industrial canals to underground clubs, co-operative shops to radical book halls, the city region has always led with heart and hard work. We didn’t wait to be told to act — we just did. And that’s what makes it special.
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