Many years ago, at the turn of the century, a canal was being built through Manchester. Not the famous Manchester Ship Canal this time but the Rochdale Canal. As it neared the south of the centre, pubs sprung up, initially to help the canal workers to enjoy their lunch breaks a little better.  One of these pubs, the Union, is still here today standing proud and loud on Canal Street, still overlooking the Rochdale Canal. If pubs could talk then this one could probably tell quite a few ripe tales - from the American servicemen at Burtonwood looking for other men to service, to the drag queens of the 1960's who made the pub the drag centre of the city and who then ran hell for leather to escape the evil eyes of the police "racing" up the canal on a barge with floodlights searching them out for their "misdemeanours".     By comparison with the brightly lit head-banging Canal Street of today, back then it was little more than a shoddy, unlit back street frequented by dark figures eager to stay in the shadows for fear of persecution. Bloom Street, two streets away, was actually the queerest street in the area. Naps, the New York and the Gay Centre all opened their doors from the 70's onwards amid the run down and ramshackle back-to-back cotton warehouses and offices.     Cotton made Manchester, but that was now a sign of the times, part of our heritage. If these offices and warehouses weren't closed, then they soon would be. And no-one could have ever predicted that those same warehouses would turn into some of most luxurious apartments in the city as we approach the millennium.     The "Gay Village" though is something which has only come together over the last 6 or 7 years. Gay pubs and clubs did exist in the area for a long time before the Village was on the city map, but there were other gay establishments throughout the city. The Long Bar was situated near the Midland, Heros and Stuffed Olives were situated off Deansgate, Samanthas near the Law Courts. Though closed down now, these and other places are equally important when you look back at the history of Manchester's Gay heritage.     Heros is still fondly remembered as the first gay club outside London to drop the chintz and flock wallpaper for the "new" macho image that was sweeping the States - black painted walls, HiNRG music mixed by a non-speaking DJ and dark seedy corners. Moustaches were de rigeur for men, lesbians had to be political and never the twain met. Well, that might be stretching the truth a little far but that's how my young naïve eyes saw the lay of the land.     Manto opened its doors on Canal Street over seven years ago, and was not a hit by any stretch of the imagination. Gay people were just not used to being seen as they sipped their beer, let alone being able to see out into the street. Mantos queer ethos paid off though, as the explosion that then happened was to rip through the core of queer Manchester and change it faster than it had ever been changed in its life. Bar after gay bar opened their doors to follow the Manto example and now we are faced with a dilemma...     The Gay Village is open, brash, loud and in Summer a long street party stops any form of traffic from ever getting through without a miriad of scratches on the paint work to cope with. But the crowds have been drawn from other communities to see what all this great and good is, down by the Canal. The straight community in particular seems set to take over the area. Straight girls heard of the area and immediately took to it, knowing all these gay blokes to be a great source of high life with hands that didn't want to get into their knickers. Heaven sent. Until the straight lads heard about this huge golden pot of crumpet and headed straight down here. A victim of it's own success or an area of unrivalled integration? Now all you have to do is choose!

HISTORY OF CANAL STREET!