£§2 MANCH 
are Huntfbank Bridge, fituated near the college, and Scot¬ 
land Bridge ; nine are thrown over the Medlotk, which 
runs in a 1'erpentine courfe through the fouthern fuburbs 
of the town. Oxford-ftreet Bridge forms a part of a ftreet 
of that name. A variety of other bridges lie acrofs the 
numerous canals which interfeft the fuburbs at different 
places; and at Knotmill, in the vicinity of Caflle-field, is 
a very noble tunnel, through which the Rochdale canal 
paffes, not far from its junftion with that of the late duke 
of Bridgewater. 
For an account of the extent and courfe of the Man- 
chefter canals, fee the article Canal Navigation, vol. 
iii. p. 675, 6, 81, 2.—The original defign of the duke of 
Bridgewater was merely to cut a canal from Worfley (an 
eftate of his grace’s, feven miles distant, abounding with 
coal-mines) to Manchefter, for the eafy conveyance of 
his coals to fo confiderable a market; and in 1758-9 an 
aft of parliament for that purpofe was obtained. The 
courfe of the canal prefcribed by this aft was afterwards 
varied by the fame authority, and the duke further ena¬ 
bled greatly to extend his plan ; for he now determined 
to make his canal branch out, not only from Worlley to 
Manchefter, but alfo, from a part of the canal between 
both, to Stockport and Liverpool. Parties of plealureare 
often made for the purpofe of viewing the works of this 
navigation. The mode is, to fend from Manchefter to 
Worlley for a boat, to carry your party the whole tour. 
Having viewed the works in Caftle-field, you next fleer 
for Worfley ; the firft objefts are two wears more at Corn- 
broke, formed on the fame principles as that in Caftle- 
field, fwallowing rivulets in central wells, which convey 
the water in fubterraneous paflages under the canal, per¬ 
mitting it to rife again on the other fide, and flow on in its 
natural courle. The next objeft that prefents itfelf is, 
the work at Barton Bridge, which is one of the principal 
undertakings in the whole navigation ; the canal is here, 
in its ufual breadth, carried (like the Roman aquedufts) 
on arches over the large and navigable river Irwell. The 
aqueduct is two hundred yards long and thirty-fix wide, 
and croftes tne Irwell on three large arches, the centre of 
which fpans fixty-three feet; and it is alfo carried with 
amazing labour through a valley filled up to receive it. 
The efftft of coming at once to Barton-bridge, and looking 
down upon a large river with barges of great burthen fail¬ 
ing on it, and up to another river, hung in the air, with 
barges likewile towing along, form altogether a feene like 
enchantment. Coming to Morton-bridge, we fee a fre(ll 
inftance of attention to keep the water of the canal un¬ 
mixed by that even of the final left ftream ; for here an arch 
is turned under the canal for a little brook to run through ; 
from hence you have a fine profpeft of the late duke’s 
houfe at Worlley, and the lands adjoining. The princi¬ 
pal of the works are at Worlley; the great curiofity there 
is the tunnel, which is a fubterraneous canal hewn out of 
the rock, extending near a mile, and which goes into the 
heart of the coal-mines. The belt way of viewing the 
extent of the mines, is by going down the lhaft, and com¬ 
ing out of the tunnel; and fometimes you mult take this 
method, or not fee it at all; for boats are not always go¬ 
ing in, nor to be had for that purpofe; but you will lel- 
dom mil's of an empty boat within, by which your guide 
will convey you out. 
With rel'peft to the plan and buildings of this town, it 
may be remarked, that the portion of it called the Old 
Tcwn cor.fiftsof a very motley afiemblage of old and new 
boufes, clofely huddled together, and exhibiting little ele¬ 
gante in their exterior appearance. Even the new ftreets, 
though much fuperior to the old, are ufually narrow, ex¬ 
cept in a few inftances where they have been improved by 
the afts of 1775 and 1791. In thefe latter, however, there 
are a number of very excellent modern buildings. Mof- 
iey-ftreet and Portland-place would do honour to the ca¬ 
pital itlelf. Grofvenor-iquare, when finilhed, will proba¬ 
bly be the fined in the kingdom. The fuburbs of Ardwick 
Green and Salford Crefcent are peculiarly pleafant, and 
ESTER. 
contain fome handfome houfes, which are moftly occu¬ 
pied by the wealthy manufafturers. 
The churches and other public edifices of this town are 
numerous, but few of them are diftinguifiied for architec¬ 
tural beauty. The College, or parifh-church, founded, 
as already mentioned, by lord de la Warr, bilhop of Dur¬ 
ham and re 61 or of Manchefter, is a venerable building in 
the rich ornamented ftyle of the 15th century. In the in¬ 
terior its appearance is confufed and heterogeneous. The 
windows ft ill retain many rich remains of the painted 
glafs with which they were formerly ornamented. The roof 
is of elegant wood-work, interfperfed with carved figures 
of angels playing upon different mufical inftruments. In 
front of the gallery, on each fide of the clock, are fu 1- 
pended the colours of the 72d regiment, raifed in this 
town by fubfeription during the American war, whole 
noble conduftat the fiege of Gibraltar is Hill remembered 
with exultation bv every lover of his country, and parti¬ 
cularly by the inhabitants of Manchefter. Adjoining to 
this church are a number of finall chapels well worthy of 
the attention both of the architeft and the antiquary. 
St. Anne’s church, fituated at the end of the fquare to 
which it gives name, is diftinguifhed for its handfome 
appearance. It was founded by lady Anne Bland in 1709, 
in compliment to whom it was dedicated to the lain: 
whofe name it bears. The church of St. Mary, fituated 
between Deanfgate and the river Irwell, is admired for 
the beauty and fine proportions of its fpire, which mea¬ 
sures 186 feet in height. The lantern which fupports 
it is peculiarly ftriking, being compofed of eight noble 
Ionic pillars, furmounted by a large globe, upon which is 
placed a malfy crofs.—St.John’s church is built in the 
ftyle which is called modern Gothic. In the veftry are 
feveral pi6tures, and a beautiful window of (tained glafs. 
Two of the windows in the body of the church are alfo 
decorated with fine painted glafs.—The other churches 
in this town are St. Paul’s, in Turner-ftreet; St. James’s, 
in George-ftreet; St. Michael’s, in Angel-ftreet; Sr. Cle¬ 
ment's, in Lever-ftreet; St. Stephen’s, near Bolton-ftreet; 
St. George’s, in the neighbourhood of Newton-lane; and 
Sr. Peter’s, which terminates the profpeft down Dawfon- 
lfreet and Mofley-ftreet: this laft wasdefigped and exe¬ 
cuted by James Wyatt, efq.—In Salford is Trinity-cha¬ 
pel, a neat itone edifice of the Doric order. Belides thefe 
churches there are three others alfo belonging to the efta- 
blifhment, fituated in the adjoining townfhips of Ard¬ 
wick, Chorlton, and Pendleton, which, from their vici¬ 
nity to Manchefter, may not improperly be confidered as 
belonging to it. Numerous chapels and meeting-houfes, 
appropriated for the public worfhip of diffenters of almolt 
every denomination, are likewife difperfed through various 
parts of the town. Catholics are numerous here ; and the 
Methodifts are found to comprife a very confiderable pro¬ 
portion of the whole population. 
The vaft number of excellent charitable inftitutions 
with which Manchefter abounds are highly creditable to 
the benevolence, liberality, and public fipirit, of its inha¬ 
bitants. Indeed, in this refpedt, this town is not fur- 
paffed by any in the Britifli empire, either in the fuitable- 
nefs of the buildings for their refpeftive purpofes, or the 
liberal contributions by which they are fupported. Among 
thefe eftablifhments, Chetham’s Hofpital, commonly called 
the College, becaufe it was originally the place of reli- 
dence of the warden and fellows, is deferving of particu¬ 
lar notice. Humphrey Chetham, of Clayton near Man¬ 
chefter, efq. having been remarkably fuccefsful in trade 
in the middle of the 17th century, bought the college, 
and liberally endowed it (by his will dated Dec. 16,1651) 
for the maintenance and education of forty poor boys, 
admiftible between the age of fix and ten years. By an 
improvement of the funds of the charity, the numbers of 
boys was increafed to fixty; and fo continued till the 
Eafter meeting of the feoffees in 1780, when another aug¬ 
mentation took place, and the number has fince been 
cojiftantly eighty. The townfliips, pointed out by the 
founder 
