The Printworks (Manchester) facts for kids
The Printworks is a super fun place in the heart of Manchester city centre, England. It's packed with a cinema, cool clubs, and lots of places to eat. You can find it where Withy Grove and Corporation Street meet.
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What is The Printworks?
The Printworks is a big entertainment spot built on a site that used to be a busy printing house. Imagine a place where newspapers were printed way back in the 1800s! This area was first used by a newspaper owner named Edward Hulton in 1873. Over time, his business grew a lot.
From Newspapers to Entertainment
Edward Hulton's son, Sir Edward Hulton, made the newspaper business even bigger. When he retired in 1923, he sold his publishing companies to important people like Lord Beaverbrook and Lord Rothermere. Many of these newspapers were later sold again in 1924 to a group called Allied Newspapers. This group changed its name a few times, eventually becoming Kemsley Newspapers and then being bought by Roy Thomson in 1959.
The Biggest Printing House
The buildings on this site had many names over the years, like Withy Grove Printing House and Kemsley House. Kemsley House, which started being built in 1929, grew to be the largest newspaper printing house in all of Europe! Can you imagine how many newspapers were printed there every day? Printing presses were used here until 1986. Later, a businessman named Robert Maxwell bought the property. Sadly, he closed it down, and the building was left empty and started to fall apart for more than ten years.
Who Owns The Printworks Now?
The Printworks has been bought and sold a few times. In 2008, a company called Resolution Property bought it for £100 million. Then, in 2012, it was sold again to Land Securities for £93.9 million. So, it's a valuable and popular place in Manchester!
