Welcome to Castlefield: The OLDEST corner of Manchester

National World - LocalTV

We went down to Castlefield, the site responsible for Manchester becoming the city it is today.

Transcript

00:00Hello and welcome to Manchester World. My name is Theo Hewson-Betz and today we're

00:04going to be continuing the little historical tour of the city that we've

00:06been embarking on over the last few weeks. We recently had a close look at

00:10the Royal Exchange Theatre as well as the city's two Victorian shop houses but

00:14today we're going to go as far back as we possibly can right to the conception

00:17of Manchester as a place and then we're gonna have a look around and see what's

00:20on offer for modern explorers. So what is the oldest part of Manchester? I'm afraid

00:25the hint is very much in the name. It is in fact Castlefield specifically right

00:29here at a Roman fort that was given the name Mamusium. Romans settled here in 79 AD

00:35led by a general named Agricola as part of their attempt to fortify the north of

00:39England. The fort itself was built on a rocky outcrop which was easily

00:42defendable and protected by the River Irwell and River Medlock. It was originally

00:46built with timber before eventually being rebuilt and expanded, this time with stone

00:50as the base. It's the first proper evidence we have a settlement in this

00:53part of the country and very soon a village had sprung up nearby to supply the

00:57fort with food and other supplies. The Romans were here until the early 400s AD

01:01and when they left the new village of Manchester was founded right near where

01:04Manchester Cathedral is today. As you may have guessed what you can see behind me

01:08is largely a reconstruction of what the fort would have looked like but there are

01:12still some of the original stone foundations here. So now that we've looked

01:15at the history let's have a look at the modern area. This is the Science and

01:18Industry Museum and it's been very high on the list of places that are worth a visit in

01:22this city for a long time. The museum is dedicated to inspiring visitors through

01:26exposing them to some of the most important scientific developments in the

01:29history of the UK. Looking at how modern ideas came about there's a focus on

01:32trains, textiles and other things that are really important to the city of

01:36Manchester. It's a must visit and with the summer nearly here it's a perfect

01:39opportunity to get down and expose your family to some of the amazing and

01:42interactive exhibits. Then after that maybe it'll be time to go for a drink. Now

01:46of course all this learning will be sapping some of your energy so let's have a

01:49stop off at one of the area's nicest little pubs. This is Kask, a trad modern

01:53little bar. It's the perfect place to kill an hour and according to online

01:56rumors they also allow you to bring in some food from the chippy next door.

02:00But there's a strong focus on continental beers with a wide range both on tap and

02:03in bottles. There's also Kask beers selected from local breweries. It's an

02:07excellent selection of drinks and an excellent jukebox so if you've not made it

02:10here before make sure you get down. It's what the Romans would have wanted of

02:14course. Now finally we're rounding off this video at home theatre. Now

02:19we've done some learning, some relaxing and now it's time to get some culture. The

02:24building behind me has two theatres, five cinema screens, a gallery, a bar and even

02:28a bookshop. It's the home of so many brilliant creative pieces with imagination

02:33and new ideas welcome and encouraged. This place has become as vital to the

02:36makeup of Manchester as places such as the old fort that we started out at.

02:40Historical Manchester was all about industry. Modern Manchester is about culture.

02:44Challenging the status quo, giving the people that live here a platform to

02:48express themselves and their beliefs. So if you haven't made it here before, you

02:51absolutely have to. But for now that's all. I hope you've enjoyed this march back

02:55through history with me. Thanks for watching and follow Manchester World for more.

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