Skip navigation

New trails

Audio Trails

Cottonopolis - part one

Cottonopolis - part two

The cotton industry is responsible for Manchester’s wealth and national industrial
influence. Manchester still lives in the bones of the cotton enterprise and this trail takes us through the story. From its lowly origins to vast power, wealth & influence. Followed by a fall so catastrophic that not a single working cotton factory exists in the area today.

This is a flash map, right click to zoom in/out and click drag to move the map around

Meet your guide

Jonathan Schofield - photograph © Jon Jordan

photo: Jon Jordan

Jonathan Schofield has been a Blue Badge tour guide in Manchester and the North West since 1986. During that period he’s taken over 40 different nationalities around the region from general visitors and conference and convention guests via journalists and broadcasters to eccentrics and specialists. Jonathan writes regularly for the Manchester listings magazine City Life and more sporadically for diverse others. He is the author and editor of several guidebooks about the North West of England.

Trail audio

Click the circular play icon beside each link to listen to the commentary (requires the Adobe Flash plug-in) or right click on the links themselves and 'save as' to transfer the audio files to your computer. The audio files are in mp3 format compatible with iPod or equivalent players.

  1. Manchester Town Hall
    1. Introduction
    2. John Bright
    3. Historic background
    4. Look how far we've come
    5. Weaver
  2. Princess Street
  3. The Atheneum, Princess St
    1. Palazzo archetypal buildings
  4. Princess/Portland St Junction
    1. Junction with Portland St
  5. Abingdon Street/Portland Streer
    1. Independent weavers
  6. Canal Street, The Village
    1. Iron kerbs
  7. Lancaster House, from Canal Street
    1. Lancaster House
  8. Portland Street, Watts Warehouse
    1. Watts Warehouse
    2. S and J Watts
  9. Old Bank of England, King Street
    1. Economic engine