Fall in love with art
Transformed and extended thanks to a £15 million development project, the Whitworth Gallery re-opened on Valentine's Day in 2015. Its collection includes historic fine art by William Blake and Rossetti, contemporary art, sculpture, and an internationally-renowned textile collection of 20,000 pieces dating from the 3rd century AD.
Style, art, craft & culture
For the city's best independent shopping, head to the Northern Quarter. This once rundown area of Manchester city centre is now known for its stores, cafés, bars, and creative spaces, offering a distinct alternative to the big brands found in the city's mammoth shopping malls. A not-for-profit social enterprise, #Manchester Craft & Design Centre, is home to more than 30 designer and makers who sell their handmade work direct from their studios.
Learn more about Manchester via its libraries
Manchester has several libraries worth visiting: to appreciate their impressive architecture as well as to peruse the books and historic collections. Re-opened since 2014 following a major renovation, Manchester Central Library is a grand-domed rotunda whose design is reminiscent of the Pantheon in Rome. Part of the University of Manchester, the John Rylands Library is a red brick Victorian neo-Gothic landmark with a collection including medieval illuminated manuscripts and a Gutenberg Bible. Its Reading Room is a two-storey cathedral of literature.
Manchester's music
One of Manchester's long-established music venues, Band on the Wall, has witnessed all kinds of music genres, from jazz to punk. Famous local post-punk bands Buzzcocks, the Fall and Joy Division have played there. It's also known as a place to spot up-and-coming talent: Mick Hucknall performed here pre-Simply Red, while an unknown Björk sang backing vocals there in 1982. Now a not-for-profit venue run by registered charity Inner City Music, performances on the main stage help to support the charity's school and community education endeavours.
Take a self-guided tour with a free app
Download the Official Manchester Walking Tours app. There's an Architectural Highlights tour and a Northern Quarter created by official city tour guides, plus a Cultural Tour voiced by DJ and music journalist Mary Anne Hobbs. Landmarks to look out for include Castlefield Basin, The Molly House in Manchester's famous gay village, the Museum of Science and Industry, and HOME, Manchester's new centre for contemporary art, theatre, and cinema. If you prefer human guidance, a group of official tour guides do a daily walking tour that commences at 11am outside the Central Library.
Greater Manchester
Thirty minutes west of the centre by bus or Metrolink tram is Salford Quays. This rejuvenated quayside quarter is home to cultural landmarks The Imperial War Museum North and The Lowry arts complex – admission to both is free. Also part of the re-development is MediaCityUK, home to major BBC and ITV television shows.
United!
Old Trafford is home to Manchester United Football Club. Fans can go behind the scenes on a stadium tour.
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Picture Credit:By Sue Adair, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14156596
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