Who would have thought that the sterile White City retail park near Old Trafford used to be an attraction that welcomed tens of thousands of visitors each year?

As ManchesterHistory.net describes, the park was founded in 1827 by the Botanical and Horticultural Society:

Today the gates stand guard over a shopping centre where once a Royal Botanical Garden stood. Then, at the turn of the last century the gardens were swept away and replaced by an amusement park that featured some of the most advanced and innovative attractions of its time. Later, it became the home of a stadium that hosted athletic events as well as greyhound and stock car races.

A 1909 programme describes the second phase of White City’s existence:

The White City has, during the two years that it has been open as an Amusement Resort of the better class, firmly established itself with the people of Manchester, Salford, Oldham and the district contiguous to the Capital City of the North… the most perfectly equipped resort in England for the entertainment of the people generally.

If you search the Manchester Local Image Collection for ‘White City’ you’ll see that the park had water chutes, a high diving platform and a miniature railway. Here’s the full “directory of shows and devices”.

Then between the 1930s and the 1980s the White City stadium hosted greyhound, Speedway, athletics and stock car events before finally closing in 1982.