The Rothschilds and Manchester: a shared history

Published date: 20/11/2024

Authored by

Peter Hindle Managing Director
Lewis Treacy Client Adviser

Edited 18/05/2026 by: Lewis Treacy

The Rothschild family has enjoyed a long association with the city of Manchester. Below we map out some of the key moments in the Rothschild family’s history with Manchester.

1799

Nathan Mayer Rothschild arrives in Manchester aged 21 and establishes a company to coordinate the supply of British textiles to the continental market, working with many local businesses and entrepreneurs in Manchester. He is later joined by his brother, James.

1809

Nathan moves to London in 1809 and the Manchester business is taken over by one of his bookkeepers, Joseph Barber. Nathan recruits many of his Manchester employees to his new London business, having been unable to find workers of a similar calibre in the capital.

1843

James de Rothschild returns to Manchester and speaks of his “happy memories” of his time in the city, further demonstrating the bond between the Rothschild family and Manchester.

^{Portrait of Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777–1836) by Moritz Oppenheim}

Bill of Exchange.jpg

A Bill of Exchange issued in Manchester signed by Nathan Mayer Rothschild, 1802. A bill of exchange provided the means of ensuring that goods being delivered over long distances would be paid for on safe receipt.

1857

Anthony de Rothschild is a major contributor to the Manchester Art Treasures exhibition, which remains the largest art exhibition ever to be held in the UK with more than 16,000 works on display.

1886

The Rothschilds become one of the main backers of the Manchester Ship Canal, one of greatest infrastructure projects of the Victorian age. It is designed to help carry Yorkshire coal, Cheshire salt, Staffordshire pottery and iron, Lancashire chemicals and much more to the world. The Manchester Ship Canal Company Prospectus is issued in 1886 by the Rothschilds and Bank of England, and helps secure funding for the project.

1894

The Manchester Ship Canal is officially opened in May 1894 by Queen Victoria after a long period of construction. During this time the Manchester Ship Canal Company worked with the Rothschilds to secure funding on three further occasions.

Nathan Mayer Rothschild always carried a book brimming with colourful fabric swatches to show to prospective customers. The ‘Cotton book’ wasn’t the first of its kind, but it’s a lasting reminder of Nathan’s commitment to providing exceptional client service – a commitment we strive to uphold today — ^{Nathan Mayer Rothschild’s cotton book, or textile order book, 1801–04. It contains samples of cloth pasted into a small volume, which serves as a reference to clients’ orders.}

Manchester Ship Canal Map.jpg

^{Map for the Manchester Ship Canal Company, 1886. The Canal was opened by Queen Victoria in 1894.}

1914

The outbreak of the First World War has a devastating impact on global trade, deeply affecting trade in the city of Manchester and the activities of the Rothschild family.

1945

Both Manchester and the Rothschild family are once again greatly affected by the outbreak of war. After the conclusion of the Second World War, Baron Philippe de Rothschild dedicates the 1945 Château Mouton Rothschild vintage to ‘Victory Year’. Since then a contemporary artist has been commissioned each year to illustrate the wine’s label with an original design.

1964

Buoyed by the post-war economic boom, N M Rothschild & Sons opens a new office in Manchester, marking a return to the city where Nathan first established himself in 1799. This becomes a springboard for the family’s renewal and expansion.

Manchester Ship Canal Certificate.jpg

^{In 1886 N M Rothschild & Sons, with the Bank of England, issues 800,000 £10 shares on behalf of the Manchester Ship Canal Co., the first of three loans totalling over £12 million.}

1990s

N M Rothschild & Sons works with the Peel Group on the acquisition of and redevelopment of the Manchester Ship Canal and surrounding land, which results in the opening of the Trafford Centre in 1998. This kickstarts a new wave of regeneration in Manchester and changes the fabric of the city and the wider area.

2007

An exhibition is held at Manchester Art Gallery to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Manchester Art Treasures exhibition. Organisers are able to recreate rooms from the original exhibition using photographs held by the Rothschild Archive, which are thought to be the only pictures in existence.

2015

Rothschild & Co launches its Wealth Management operation in Manchester in 2015, working alongside our Global Advisory colleagues. The family is once again helping entrepreneurs, business owners and families in the North West to help grow and preserve their wealth.

^{Historic images courtesy of The Rothschild Archive}