Manchester, England — Where to Go
Manchester Sightseeing Overview
Manchester is a lively, bustling city that is defined by its place in history as the hub of Britain’s cotton industry during the Industrial Revolution. It is this period that forms the basis of many of its great attractions, exhibitions and museums such as the new People’s History Museum.
Though there has been a settlement in Manchester since Roman times, records show a cotton industry taking shape from 1600. Mechanization helped it boom and Manchester become one of the world's great industrial cities. The city's achievements were so great that in 1844 England's former Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli declared Manchester to be ‘as great a human exploit as Athens'.
Fast forward to the 20th century – and Manchester endured mixed fortunes. Boom was followed by bust during the 1960s and 1970s. But depression did have one silver lining: the Smiths, whose gloomy tunes encapsulated the late 1980s like no other. Then, in the 1990s Manchester became Madchester, birthplace of bands like the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays.
Economic recovery began, but Manchester suffered a terrible setback when the IRA detonated its devastating bomb that ripped through the heart of the city center in 1996. Following this devastation, a wave of urban regeneration projects started, sowing the seeds for Manchester’s contemporary landscape today.
Manchester Tourist Information
Manchester Visitor Information Center
Lloyd Street
Tel: 0871 222 8223.
Website: www.visitmanchester.com
This is the only Visitor Information Center in the city center and it is located in the Town Hall Extension, just a couple of minutes' walk southwest from Piccadilly Gardens. There are more Visitor Information Centers at other places of interest in Greater Manchester, including Altrincham (tel: (0161) 912 5931) and Salford (tel: (0161) 848 8601).
Key Attractions in Manchester, England
Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester
This 2.8 hectares (6.9 acres) complex is set at the site of the oldest passenger railway buildings in the world. It’s a great place to learn more about the city's industrial beginnings and amazing scientific achievements, made vividly alive through the former factory buildings, machinery and historic locomotives. In addition to the permanent collections, there are frequent special exhibitions. There is a shop, a restaurant and a café too.
Liverpool Road, Castlefield
Tel: (0161) 832 2244.
Website: www.msim.org.uk
People's History Museum
Housed in an old Edwardian hydraulic pumping station, the museum is the only national center devoted to the history of working people in Britain, providing a fascinating insight into the often harsh working conditions of those employed in the city's cotton industry. It recently underwent major renovation and a separate Archive and Study Center, formerly separate, has been combined with the museum as part of the revamp.
The Pump House, Bridge Street
Tel: (0161) 838 9190.
Website: www.phm.org.uk
Manchester Cathedral
The Cathedral is actually the third to have been built on the site since the eighth century and boasts the widest nave of any church in England. In 1940 a bomb destroyed the entire north-east end of the cathedral. It underwent 20 years of restoration and then suffered more damage from the 1996 IRA bomb. A hi-tech visitor center at the site includes interesting interactive displays covering the history of the Cathedral and mediaeval Manchester. A licensed restaurant in the basement offers historic and comfortable surroundings in which to eat, drink and relax.
Cathedral Yard
Tel: (0161) 833 2220.
Website: http://manchestercathedral.org
Urbis
Close to the Cathedral, Urbis is a striking glass-and-steel structure – its groundbreaking triangular architecture takes on a different appearance on each side. Inside are five floors of changing exhibitions, covering Manchester, art, culture and with explorations of design, cities, graffiti, art and music. It will be turned into a National Museum of Football within the next year.
Urbis, Corporation Street
Cathedral Gardens
Tel: (0161) 605 8282.
Website: www.urbis.org.uk
Castlefield
Heading south to the edge of the city, Castlefield is Manchester’s regenerated canalside district, transformed in the 1990s into a thriving bar, restaurant and cafe scene. As well as a mock-up of the original Roman Fort, the area is a fantastic testament to the city's industrial age with labyrinthine canals, viaducts, iron bridges and revamped warehouses. It is surprisingly quiet during the day and a great place to escape the hustle of the city.
Further Distractions
Salford Quays
The easiest way to get to the ‘Quays’ is on a tram from the city center. The Quays complex is another one of Manchester’s successful urban regeneration schemes having transformed the area into a thriving visitor attraction. It offers a shopping mall (www.lowryoutletmall.com), cinema (www.theredcinema.com), the Imperial War Museum North (www.iwm.org.uk) and the excellent Lowry center (www.thelowry.com), which attracts over a million visitors per year. As well as showcasing the artist’s works in changing exhibitions, and featuring displays from contemporary artists, the Lowry center also includes the Lyric Theater and the more intimate Quays Theater.
Salford Tourist Information Center
The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays
Tel: (0161) 848 8601.
Website: www.thequays.org.uk
Manchester United Football Stadium
Manchester United are one of the richest and most popular football clubs in the world, whose success peaked with a dramatic treble winning season in 1999 when they won the Premiership, the FA Cup and the European Cup. They’re the reigning English champions, having won the Premier League for the past three seasons: 2008–09, 2007-08 and 2006-07. Visitors flock to Old Trafford (also known as the ‘Theater of Dreams’) from all over the world to take a tour of the famous ground, which allows a peek at the changing rooms and a walk through the tunnel to the pitch.
Sir Matt Busby Way, Old Trafford
Tel: (0161) 868 8000.
Website: www.manutd.com
