Market Street, Manchester

Market Street is one of the principal retail streets in Manchester, England. It runs from its junction with Piccadilly and Mosley Street, close to Piccadilly Gardens, in the east to where it meets St. Mary's Gate at the crossroads with Exchange Street and New Cathedral Street in the west. St Mary's Gate then continues to where it meets Deansgate (A56). Other major streets crossed are High Street, Corporation Street (on the north side), Cross Street and Fountain Street (on the south side).

Market Street in Manchester, once known as Market Stead Lane, lies along the former route of the A6 road which goes from Luton, Bedfordshire, to Carlisle, Cumbria. The A6 arrives at Manchester city centre as London Road and formerly went north-west along Piccadilly, Market Street, St. Mary's Gate and Blackfriars Street and then over the River Irwell to Blackfriars Street, Salford. But since the pedestrianisation of Market Street the A6 disappears at the junction of Piccadilly and Oldham Street to reemerge in Salford as Chapel Street.

The entirety of modern Market Street is a pedestrian zone with motor vehicle access limited to the emergency services, maintenance workers and deliveries to the adjacent shops. The south-eastern end of the street also contains a Metrolink tram stop.

Starting in the east at Piccadilly/Mosley Street, the street shares its space equally between pedestrian walkways and two Metrolink tram lines. Standing on opposite sides of the tram lines loom the imposing edifices of two large department stores belonging to Debenhams (formerly Ryland's and Paulden's) to the north and Primark (formerly Lewis's department store, 1877-2001) to the south. Moving west, the street crosses Fountain Street and High Street where the tram lines turn away towards the north.

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