A comprehensive and critical examination of Manchester's architecture, from its origins in the Roman settlement at Castlefield to the present-day rebuilding of the city centre. More than an analysis of individual buildings, the book is about the growth of Manchester from a mere village to what many see as England's second city. Architecture is not an isolated activity and there are many external factors which influence the built environment. The canals, the railways, Trafford Park and the Trafford Centre have all had an effect on Manchester. Central government and local politics, planners and developers, loss of industry and population, bids for Olympic Games, and bombs have all left their mark on the city. John J. Parkinson-Bailey discusses the city's buildings in the context of these wider influences to reveal the complex relationship of architecture to the changing commercial, cultural and social life of a metropolis.