Manchester city centre evolved from the civilian '' vicus '' of the Roman fort of Mamucium , on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the rivers Medlock and Irwell . This became the township of Manchester during the Middle Ages , and was the site of the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 . Manchester was granted city status in 1853 , after the Industrial Revolution , from which the city centre emerged as the global centre of the cotton trade which encouraged its " splendidly imposing commercial architecture " during the Victorian era , such as the Royal Exchange , the Corn Exchange , the Free Trade Hall , and the Great Northern Warehouse . After the decline of the cotton trade and the Manchester Blitz , the city centre suffered economic decline during the mid-20th century , but the CIS Tower ranked as the tallest building in the UK when completed in 1962
Peterloo Massacre
Peterloo Massacre
Manchester city centre