A Brief Guide & History of Canal Street and Manchester's Gay Village.

In the 19th Century, Canal Street was an area full of cotton factories, taking advantage of the waterway to send trade across the country. As transport changed into the 20th Century, the area changed, and the buildings became abandoned and lost amongst what became a red light district. As the mid 80s appeared, Manchester struck out on its first Gay Pride, and soon after, Canal Street started to turn into a location of LGBTQ friendly pubs, bars, and nightclubs. In 1999, Canal Street was firmly put on the map when the TV series Queer as Folk was filmed there. 25 years later, Manchester's Gay Village is famous across the World. This video is just a brief look at some of the places here today, some from the past, some of it's stories, it's people, and it's history.