The River Tib has been hidden from view for almost two centuries, and yet is still remembered in place names such as Tib Street, Tib Lock, and Tib Lane. It’s probably no surprise that Manchester has a few hidden bodies of water, given the amount of canals and rivers that flow through the city and all over, but this is the most famous unseen river in town.
The River Tib marked the boundary of the Roman settlement Mamucium and ultimately feeds the River Medlock, rising from a spring named Coopers Pit in Miles Platting. It broadly runs towards the top of Tib Street, down its length, through the old Lewis’s Arcade (now Primark), under the town hall extension, Manchester Central Library and The Midland, down to Tib Lock and then under First Street, where it drains into the Medlock.
Although there is some history tracking back the route of the River Tib, many experts disagree on the exact location of the river, so you’ll find some opposing maps online and in history books including Underground Manchester by Keith Warrender.
The River Tib has been culverted for around two centuries now, and is often just a dry ditch – as was often the case except in times of heavy rain. It did once feed Shude Hill Pitts and the Infirmary pond — two reservoirs supplying the city with water.
The river crosses the Rochdale Canal via the River Tib Canal Drain. At a point — marked on the side of the canal — the two are connected by a trap-door in the canal bed which was used to drain water into the River Tib.
The route has been obscured over time as it has been rerouted through modern sewers a number of times. The final stretch of the route may change as part of the proposition for the Northern Hub transport project, to reduce the interaction with the viaduct.
The River Tib still remains quite the mystery, so if you’re in inclined and have a spare day, why not see where you can track it to?
We’ve done our best to plot the River Tib on a map, although this is via public footpaths (not precise river route):