“It's beautiful”: Life on the Greater Manchester council estate that Instagram is obsessed with …

It’s one of the most photographed streets in Greater Manchester. Looking at the pretty Victorian terraces on Anita Street, it’s easy to understand why. Tucked away in Ancoats, the picturesque gem is arguably one of the most iconic streets in Manchester city centre. And although the homes weren’t built to look pretty, that hasn’t stopped them racking up over 600 snaps on Instagram. The two neat rows were originally constructed in a bid to tackle Manchester’s 19th Century housing crisis. At the time, it was estimated around 3,000 to 4,000 people were dying unnecessarily – because of squalid, unsanitary, polluted living conditions – within a 25-street network of back-to-backs off Oldham Road. READ MORE: What’s really going on with the Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone? A slum clearance of the area began, with the council replacing it with some of the first examples of social housing in the country. Within a few years, Sanitary Street – later renamed Anita Street – was born. A landmark development for the city, the street was the first to offer running water and sinks. Over 120 years later, it’s now home to some of the most sought-after apartments in Manchester. Out of 36 properties…
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