Canal Street (Manchester)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Postal code | M1 |
|---|---|
| Location | Manchester, England |
| Coordinates | 53°28′40″N 2°14′08.25″W / 53.47778°N 2.235625°WCoordinates: 53°28′40″N 2°14′08.25″W / 53.47778°N 2.235625°W |
_Sign_Post.jpg)
Canal Street, the centre of the Manchester Gay Village, is a street in Manchester city centre in North West England. The street, which runs along the side of the Rochdale Canal, is lined with gay bars and restaurants. At night time (and in the daytime during the warmer months) the street is filled with drinkers, often including gay and lesbian tourists from all over the world. Part of the street looks across the Rochdale Canal into Sackville Park.
Contents |
[edit] History
Canal Street was built alongside the construction of the Rochdale Canal, with pubs built to service the users of the canal. By the 1960s, usage of the canal of had greatly declined due to competition from other methods of transport[1] and the collapse of the cotton industry in Northern England. To begin with this was mainly a lesbian-orientated area[citation needed] but as the years went by it gradually become a focus for gay men. The area along the canal was perfect for gay men to clandestinely meet as it was dark and unvisited, but was near to good transport links such as Oxford Rd and Piccadilly Station.[2]
[edit] The centre of the Gay Village
This focus led to several of the pubs on or near Canal Street acquiring a predominantly gay clientele.[3] In 1991 Manto (Manchester Today[citation needed]) bar opened. Unlike the other gay bars at that time, Manto had large glass windows, allowing the casual passer by to view what was going on inside. Previously many establishments catering for the gay community were often keen to conceal activities from the general public but the architectural design of Manto was seen as a queer visual statement “we’re here, we’re queer – get used to it”. A brick-and-mortar refusal to hide any more, to remain underground and invisible.[4]
Over the next decade, more and larger bars opened along the canal side, turning Canal Street into the centre of the most successful gay villages in Europe.[5] Because of this, the Canal Street road signs are regularly defaced to read "Anal Treet" or "Anal St".[6] The success was further enhanced by the use of Canal Street and its bars in several television series, including Bob and Rose and Queer as Folk, both written by Russell T. Davies.
This success however led to a number of problems. Canal Street's portrayal on several popular television programmes, the opening of a number of chain bars, and the resultant influx of "straight" drinkers led to tension with its existing clientele.[7] Some bars on Canal Street tried to keep straight people out, and were questioning customers at the door to test them for their 'gayness'.[8] A boycott was launched of the new Slug and Lettuce bar by the gay community because of the chain's refusal to support the Gay Pride festival, which eventually led to its closure. The bar was bought out and re-opened as Queer.[5]
By 2006, concerns were being raised about falling revenues in the bars on Canal Street.[9] There are several causes cited - the influx of heterosexuals and an increased number of venues related to the area's very success.
[edit] References
- ^ History of the Rochdale Canal retrieved 2 April 2008
- ^ History: Canal Street, Manchester's Gay Village by Jon Atkin Retrieved on 13 September 2008
- ^ History: From Grime to Prime by Mike Wolfe Retrieved on 2 April 2008
- ^ Binnie, John (2006). Cosmopolitan Urbanism. Routledge. pp. 230. ISBN 0415344913.
- ^ a b see: Campbell, Beatrix (7 August 2004), "Village people", The Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/aug/07/gayrights.communities
- ^ They're only here for the Queers
- ^ see: Aitkenhead, Decca (24 October 2001), "Village people", The Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,579637,00.html
- ^ BBC Where I Live, Manchester: The Village; Take me to the gay bar Retrieved on 13 September 2008
- ^ Are hen nights to blame for hard times in Manchester's Gay Village?
