10 Facts Even Mancunians Don't Know About Manchester

There is more to Manchester than football, music and rain. The region has a rich history and had a big impact on shaping the world we live in today.

Published 1st Apr 2015

The region has a rich history and had a big impact on shaping the world we live in today. We know a fact or two about the place we love, so we decided to share with you some of our weird and wonderful favourites…


  1. Would you believe Manchester is the only place in the world where you can obtain a degree in ‘Mummy Studies’! The University of Manchester has facilities to enable the study of ancient Egyptian mummies.

  1.   M&S’s first store opened on Stretford Road, in Hulme, in May 1894.

  1.   Emmeline Pankhurst, the leader of the Suffragette movement, was born and raised in Moss Side.

  1.   In Manchester A Chip Barm is short for a Chip Barmcake, essentially hot chips on a bread roll.

  1.   Opened in 1761, the Bridgewater Canal was the first artificial waterway fully independent of natural rivers.

  1.   There are over 70 establishments offering Asian dishes on the 'Curry Mile'.

  1.   The 2004 remake of the film 'Alfie' was based in New York but some of the outside scenes were filmed in Manchester. The appearance of several streets in central Manchester where changed to look like New York. with American cars and taxis used. The movie starred Jude Law.

  1.   In a case in Leamington Spa in 1997, a woman cited her husband’s ‘obsession with football and Manchester United’ as grounds for divorce.

  1.   A car fuelled only by used coffee grounds made the trip from London to Manchester in 2010. Called the ‘car-puccino’, it refuelled every 60 miles and used the equivalent of 11,000 espressos... Wow that's what you call a coffee fix!

  1.   There are 98 train stations in Greater Manchester... Wow!