It was the year the GMEX Centre opened, The Smith's released The Queen is Dead and Sir Alex Ferguson took over at Manchester United.

Many of you will recall Manchester in 1986 - it's not that long ago in the grand scheme of things, but you might be surprised at how different the city looked back just three decades ago.

Castlefield looked completely different, many old flats and housing schemes remained and Albert Square was undergoing a dramatic transformation.

Manchester council's Local Image Collection is a treasure trove of images which help give us an insight into how the city was in 1985 - browse through some of their pictures in the gallery above.

What are your memories of the 1980s in Manchester? Tell us in the Comments section below

For more like this, visit our Nostalgia section , or go these stories: