Only 60 years ago, Tib Street in the Northern Quarter was a bustling pet shop paradise selling everything from goldfish to monkeys. These images showing Tib Street’s shopfronts in 1959 help us reflect on the Northern Quarters ‘wild’ past.

Tib Street has always been home to animals since it was established in the 1800s. Its origins begin in the 1780s when the street was the central trading district and shopping district for Victorian and post-war Manchester. In the early 1900s, the street began to develop from an agricultural area to a retail and pet shop district.

The photos above show Tib Street at its peak as a ‘Pet Shop Paradise’. However, when the Arndale arrived in the 1970s, most of the surrounding animal trade, pet shops and businesses closed which soon lead to the gentrification of the Northern Quarter.

Now the Northern Quarter as we know it is the heart of Manchester’s Arts and Culture, home to the cities trendiest bars and cafes.