Walk around First Street and you’ll notice that many of our streets, squares and public spaces carry names that mean something.
At First Street, our naming strategy was created to celebrate Manchester’s rich cultural, creative and civic history, recognising the people whose ideas, talent and determination helped shape the city we know today. From pioneering artists and writers to transformative civic leaders and cultural visionaries, our streets connect Manchester’s past with its future.
Perhaps the most recognisable is Tony Wilson Place, named after broadcaster, journalist and Factory Records co-founder Tony Wilson. Widely regarded as one of the key figures behind Manchester’s cultural renaissance, Wilson championed the city’s music, creativity and ambition throughout his career, helping establish Manchester’s reputation on the world stage.
Just around the corner, Isabella Banks Street honours the author of The Manchester Man, the celebrated novel that vividly captured nineteenth-century Manchester and its people. Her work remains one of the city’s most enduring literary portraits, and fittingly, words from the novel are also engraved on Tony Wilson’s gravestone.
More recently, First Street has recognised the legacy of Sir Howard Bernstein, the former Chief Executive of Manchester City Council. Widely credited as one of the architects of modern Manchester’s regeneration, his leadership helped drive many of the developments and investments that transformed the city over recent decades.
Together, these names create a neighbourhood that reflects Manchester’s character: innovative, creative, ambitious and proudly independent. They are a reminder that places are shaped not only by buildings, but by the people whose vision, determination and creativity leave a lasting mark.
The stories of these individuals are told on our public gallery boards, found dotted around First Street. Why not wander over on your lunchbreak and have a read?
