Everything But A Beach tells fascinating stories from Manchester’s past.

We discuss the heroes and villians, pioneers and visionaries who helped an anonymous Roman outpost become the world’s first modern city – a cradle for new ideas and technologies, as well as music, sport, and culture.

This is not a standard history.

It’s the tale of how this North of England city partied, dreamed and experimented its way through the centuries.

Meet the innovators, scientists and believers – whose bold ideas have changed the world. Explore the loves, lives and struggles of ordinary people who give the city its indomitable, rebellious character.

Whether you are a Manc or not, we hope to persuade you that a single city can – and has – influenced global history

Who we are

Dr Dean Kirby is a professional historian, genealogist, tour guide, journalist and author of best-selling book, Angel Meadow: Victorian Britain’s Most Savage Slum. You can read more here and also subscribe to his Manchester History Club Substack.

Chris Osuh is an award-winning journalist and editor who has written extensively about his hometown, Manchester, for more than 20 years. You can read his Guardian work here.

Yakub Qureshi is a journalist and writer, based in Greater Manchester. You can subscribe to his Substack on politics, society and tech.

Acknowledgments

We’re extremely grateful for the support provided by Manchester Libraries and its Business & IP Centre team, particularly Joni Coyle and Tiernan Newell, and for the advice and guidance of Vic Elizabeth Turnbull; Alison Gow; Daniel McLaughlin; Sue Farrimond.

Our logo is the work of the talented Dale Hardman @hardmancreative.

Image of the Manchester cityscape is by kind permission of photographer Mark Waugh.