The A6 runs south out of the Manchester's city centre on its way to Stockport and beyond.  As it travels through Longsight it is called Stockport Road.  In the 1950s, the road south of Ardwick Green was lined with a wide variety of shops, offices, pubs and the occasional cinema.  Over the years the face of the road has reflected changes in population distribution, retail practices and leisure activities.  Small shops have been replaced by supermarkets, pubs have closed and been demolished and community cinemas have long since succumbed to the cineplex.  Shops and offices have been replaced by housing developments.

Longsight itself has changed, at least from a political point of view, because in 2009 the Longsight Ward is considerably smaller than it was in the 1950s.  Much of what was Longsight in my childhood is now regarded as Ardwick.  However, for the purposes of this "historical" web site I have chosen to think of Longsight within the boundaries that existed as recently as 2004.  I have, therefore, divided the road into 5 sections beginning at what was Grey Street in the north and ending at East Road in the south.  You can learn about each of these sections by selecting the appropriate link on the left.  I have offered the reader three views of each section of the road.  I have presented it as it was in 1895, the 1960s (although that is very much as it was in previous decades) and in March of 2009.  I have made every effort to locate the various  features along the road in their correct locations but there may be some inaccuracies.  I will make any corrections that are brought to my attention.