These two great old photos from the 1940s show the city of Manchester in England.

Piccadilly Gardens, considered by many to be at the very heart Manchester, is bounded by air raid shelters in this image from the Second World War. The city was heavily bombed in the Christmas Blitz of 1940 and continued to be an enemy target for some time. As Piccadilly Gardens is a major transport interchange and one of the city’s busiest public places, large numbers of shelters were erected for public use. A large reservoir was also created to provide fire-fighters with water in the aftermath of raids.
Manchester City Police photographers worked throughout the war, including the infamous Christmas Blitz of 1940, recording bomb damage, photographing casualties and documenting the work of the emergency services and armed forces.

Piccadilly Gardens, considered by many to be at the very heart Manchester, is bounded by air raid shelters in this image from the Second World War. The city was heavily bombed in the Christmas Blitz of 1940 and continued to be an enemy target for some time. As Piccadilly Gardens is a major transport interchange and one of the city’s busiest public places, large numbers of shelters were erected for public use. A large reservoir was also created to provide fire-fighters with water in the aftermath of raids.
Manchester City Police photographers worked throughout the war, including the infamous Christmas Blitz of 1940, recording bomb damage, photographing casualties and documenting the work of the emergency services and armed forces.