This Is Us: Tracing Manchester’s Histories | Website Now Live

We are delighted to announce the launch of This Is Us: Tracing Manchester’s Histories, a new digital storytelling platform dedicated to the people, places and histories that have shaped Manchester. 

Inspired by a survey conducted by Manchester Histories on behalf of Manchester City Council in 2021, This Is Us began with the question:  

“Whose histories do we see represented in Manchester’s public spaces – and whose are missing?”

More than 1,500 people shared their thoughts on the city’s statues, monuments, memorials, and public artworks. Their responses highlighted the need for a fuller picture of Manchester’s histories—one that recognises the people, communities, and experiences not always reflected in its public spaces. 

What followed was a process of conversation, listening, research and collaboration. Working with partners, researchers, cultural organisations and communities across the city, we developed the This Is Us project, guided by a shared ambition to reshape and redefine how Manchester’s public spaces reflect its rich and diverse histories. 

This website is an important step towards this goal, bringing stories, memories, and resources together in one growing digital space. 

Navigated through artefacts, stories and places, visitors can explore Manchester’s histories from different perspectives: revisiting familiar stories, discovering new ones, and making connections between the people and places that shape the city. This platform creates space for the complexity of Manchester’s past and present, recognising that its histories are diverse, interconnected, and continually evolving. 

From the outset, This Is Us has been shaped by the people and communities involved. Their responses, experiences, and stories have been crucial to its direction and development. 

Now, This Is Us offers a space to discover these contributions, share stories of your own, and access resources to help you tell them. It is an invitation to explore Manchester’s histories, contribute your perspective and help build a fuller picture of the city we share. 

This Is Us: Tracing Manchester’s Histories is a Manchester Histories project, developed in partnership with Manchester City Council and supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery Players. With additional support from

The website was designed and developed by Manchester Histories in collaboration with Imagine, OH Digital, and Instruct Design.