Historically part of the township of Newton Heath, Lancashire, Miles Platting expanded into a factory district as a result of the Industrial Revolution. That industrial growth resulted in a population that became very large for the size of the district, resulting in densely packed terraced housing that had degenerated into slums by 1950. As a result of this, crime rose and the area became an economically deprived part of the city.
Miles Platting has undergone extensive redevelopment and regeneration, with former slum terraces removed to make way for council housing.
Miles Platting first appeared on a map in 1790[1]
at the point where Oldham Road crossed Newton Brook[2]
and a track led to Collyhurst Hall. The track became Collyhurst Street and the track on the opposite side of Oldham Road became Varley Street.
The name is derived from platting, a local word, meaning a small bridge across a stream. The Court leet records of the manor of Manchester dated 13 October 1742 record "Mr Henry Booth for suffering his Platting leading from Tib Lane into the Long Pitfield to lye broken in such manner that severall persons have fall'n and been ill brused". The footnote says "Platting, a local word, meaning a small bridge across a stream".[3]
This platting was a mile from Manchester (measured from New Cross at the bottom of Oldham Road). Hence Miles Platting.
Miles Platting had many mills towards the end of 19th century: Holland Mill, Victoria Mill and Ducie Mill were among the largest. By the 1870s a chemical works, timber yard, gas works and a tannery were also operating in the area alongside the many mills. This volume of industry in such a relatively small area inevitably led to the construction of densely packed back-to-back housing to provide homes for the necessary workforce. By the middle of the 20th century, with the decline in manufacturing industry and the closure of its local industries, Miles Platting had become a slum area inhabited by a deprived community. Today, Miles Platting contains just under 2,000 housing units, many of them managed by Adactus Housing Association on behalf of Manchester City Council, including 12 multi-storey blocks.[4]
The area, once recognised as being amongst the most deprived in the UK, has benefited from the substantial urban regeneration scheme for east Manchester initiated in the late 1990s.
Miles Platting railway station lay at the junction of the lines from Manchester Victoria to Oldham and Stalybridge, but this closed in 1995, and the station was subsequently demolished. The railway line, which remains open for passenger traffic, separates Miles Platting from Collyhurst and Monsall.[citation needed]
A prominent building of Miles Platting is Victoria Mill, a huge former cotton mill that looms over the district and now houses offices and apartments. Its restoration was directed by Fr Dominic Kirkham of Corpus Christi.
Historically, much of the population of Miles Platting was of Irish Catholic or Italian descent, as evidenced by the large Corpus Christi Priory on Varley Street. The basilica has been served since 1889 by the Norbertine (Premonstratensian) Order, becoming an independent canonry of the order in 2004. Due to falling numbers and mounting repair and maintenance costs the basilica is now closed; the final Mass was celebrated by the Bishop of Salford on 27 April 2007. The basilica has been converted into the Usmania Banqueting Hall.[5]
From 1880 until the slum clearances of the 1970s there was a Salvation Army corps in Cash Street.
The majority of bus routes are operated by Stagecoach Manchester. Buses from the city centre include 74, 76, 76A. Little Gem and Stagecoach also offers the 217 service from Piccadilly Gardens to Ashton via Clayton.
