Soup of the Day

Manchester revival, 10 years on

On 15th June, 1996 Manchester city centre was devastated by a bomb planted in a white truck by the IRA. On a busy Saturday morning, shoppers were startled suddenly by Police shouting and running, trying to clear the city centre. 90 minutes earlier a member of the IRA had phoned Greater Manchester Police, warning them of the impending blast.

After the bomb had detonated, most of the southern zone of the city centre, around Exchange Square, was completed destroyed. One defiant postbox outside of Marks and Spencer’s remained relatively untouched (photo above), and is standing in the same spot ten years on.

Through the very quick response by the Police, no-one was killed on that day, although hundreds were inqured from flying glass or being knocked to the ground by the blast. But Manchester’s thriving shopping centre was lost and for a couple of days it seemed the city centre would never come back to life.

Luckily, Manchester had already began working on redeveloping itself. There were a number of initiatives already in motion at the time of the bomb, but it is safe to say that all priorities shifted after the bomb went off. It has been revealed that the current Piccadilly Plaza complex, a horrible reminder of why 1960’s architecture will not be remembered fondly, was earmarked for demolition for a completely new and larger Piccadilly Gardens. But money had to be redirected to rebuilding the southern quarter and the Plaza still stands today.

Many in Manchester, and now I would agree, claim that although the IRA bomb enabled the city centre redevelopment program to be fast-tracked, the bomb was not the only reason for the city centres transformation. Afterall, many projects since have regenerated large areas that were completely uneffected by the blast. The bomb certainly put Manchester on the map and helped Manchester win the bid for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. In fact, the 2002 Commonwealth Games did as much good for Manchester as the IRA bomb aftermath. Even today the effects of the games can still be felt.

Today the epicentre of the bomb beside Market Street and Cross Street is completely redeveloped. Marks and Spencer’s is still in the same position as it was, albeit in a new building. Flanked on the other side, M&S is joined by Selfridges & Co, Next, Apple, Harvey Nicols, Louis Vitton, Heals and Ted Baker. Next and Apple are located within the new rebuilt western wing of the Arndale Centre, heavily damaged by the blast.

I didn’t live in Manchester in 1996, so I am not personally effected by the events on the 15th June, 1996. I did visit Manchester earlier that year, returning from visiting a friend in Preston. However everyone that was here in 1996 certainly remembers it vividly, all with interesting and sometimes eccentric stories about that “Saturday in June ‘96″. It is amazing to see how well this city healed itself and got on with rebuilding, rather than wallowing in self-pity.

But as I return to the city from London on the tenth anniversary, are there people on the streets remembering the events ten years ago? No, in fact the streets at 17:32 are completely dead as I walk down Whitworth Street towards Oxford Road. It is almost as though some echo of the events ten years ago has driven all from the streets and Manchester lies quiet once more. Passing Canal Street an almighty ‘Oooh’ leaves the windows of Mantos and all becomes clear; England are playing the Soca Warriors, which obviously takes precedence over anything else. God bless Mancunians!