Only a stone’s throw from Manchester’s city center, this public park was, through the 18th century, a prosperous neighborhood with contemporary Georgian houses overlooking the surrounding countryside. Towards the end of the century, in 1788, St Michael and All Angels’ church was built. Within 20 years however, the industrial revolution had entirely altered the area’s demographic and appearance. In only a few decades, the church came to be described in a local newspaper as “one of the ugliest churches in Manchester situated in one of the most crowded and notorious…
