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No matter how long you've lived here, there's always something new to discover, from hidden bars to quirky public art.
The Portico Library (Image: Manchester City Council)
If you're a true Mancunian, you probably know your way around the city like the back of your hand. But, because of Manchester's rich history and sprawling size, there's always something new to discover, no matter how long you've lived here.
1. Portico Library
The Portico, the city's second-oldest library after Chetham's, is hidden away above The Bank pub on Mosley Street. It took up the entire first floor of the Grade II*-listed building when it first opened in 1806 and is now accessed via a blink-and-you'll-miss-it doorway with buzzer entry on Charlotte Street.
You must be a paid-up member to access its collection of rare nineteenth-century books and reading room, but its gallery area, housed beneath the striking domed ceiling, is free and open to the public every day.
The Grade II*-listed property has spectacular period rooms, gardens and a tearoom for visitors to enjoy - and a book shop, naturally.
(Image: en.wikipedia.org)
57 Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HY / theportico.org.uk
2. Ancoats Peepholes
Take a walk around Ancoats and keep your eyes peeled for the little brass spy holes hidden in its old buildings. Known as The Peeps, they were installed by artist and architect Dan Dubowitz to give passers-by a glimpse inside at objects from the area’s industrial past.
The project formed part of the regeneration of the now blossoming area and a number of them remain in operation today, several years on. There are no maps, guides or plaques to help point them out - the best way to find them is to simply explore.
3. Underground Manchester
Manchester has a plethora of forgotten underground spaces and tunnels, ranging from an abandoned tube station to subterranean canals and former air raid shelters. Some are accessible to the public via guided tours, such as those beneath the Great Northern Warehouse and Northern Quarter, while others, such as the Victoria Arches, are not. The Guardian Exchange is one that is heavily guarded.
An unassuming building hidden away just off St Peter's Square on Back George Street is surrounded by a tall brick wall and razor wire. Several stories down is the Guardian Exchange, an old communications tunnel built after WWII to protect communications from a Russian attack. And it's massive; it's the city's largest concrete structure, stretching from Ardwick to Chapel Street. It is now owned by BT and is extremely difficult to gain access to.
4. Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
The former home of the famous author and her family is a rare and carefully restored example of the elegant Regency-style villas once popular in Manchester. Gaskell lived here from 1850 to 1865, during which time she wrote nearly all of her best-known novels, including Cranford, Ruth, North and South and Wives and Daughters, and was visited by writers including Charlotte Brontë and Charles Dickens.
The Grade II*-listed property has spectacular period rooms, gardens and a tearoom for visitors to enjoy - and a book shop, naturally.
84 Plymouth Grove, Manchester M13 9LW / elizabethgaskellhouse.co.uk
5. St John’s Gardens
Small but perfectly formed, this pretty park isn’t somewhere you’d probably stumble across unless you live or work nearby, but it’s a good spot to go to if you’re over towards the Museum of Science and Industry or the Quay Street end of Manchester. Formerly the site of St John’s Church and graveyard, it is now home to an urban orchard as well as lawns, flower beds and plenty of benches.
6. Halle St Peter’s
Built in 1859, this was the first Anglican church in the predominately Catholic ‘Little Italy’ neighbourhood of Ancoats. It was closed and deconsecrated in the 1960s and is now used as a rehearsal and performance space by Manchester’s acclaimed Hallé orchestra following a huge project to store it to its former glory. Standing proud over Cutting Room Square, the Grade II-listed building is at the heart of continuing regeneration efforts in the area.
40 Blossom Street, Ancoats, M4 6BF / halle.co.uk
7. Sculpture Hall Cafe
Manchester’s town hall is one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks but what’s not so well-known is the beautiful cafe inside with its impressive arched ceilings and polished granite columns. Here, guests can dine among statues of the city’s great and good, from conductors Charles Hallé and Sir John Barbirolli to anti-corn law league campaigners Richard Cobden and John Bright.
(Image: Iain Cameron/Flickr)
The Town Hall Manchester, Albert Square, Manchester, M2 5DB / Sculpture Hall Cafe
8. Vimto Park
So-called because the first batch of the purple stuff was knocked up here in Granby Row in 1908, this patch of grass on Manchester University’s Sackville Street campus - complete with its own monument to the soft drink - is the perfect place to take some time out to restore your vim and vigour.
(Image: raver_mikey/Flickr)
Granby Row, Manchester, M1 3NJ
9. Abraham Lincoln Statue
Just why do we have a statue of a US president here in Manchester? You may not even have noticed old Abe. It’s all to do with the city’s cotton industry and its workers’ support for his abolition of slavery during the American civil war.
As the inscription on the plinth explains: “By supporting the union under President Lincoln at a time when there was an economic blockade of the southern states, the Lancashire cotton workers were denied access to raw cotton which caused considerable unemployment throughout the cotton industry.” So there you go. The bronze monument originally stood in Platt Fields park and was moved to Lincoln Square, a new city centre square named in his honour, in 1989.
Lincoln Square, off Brazennose Street, Manchester, M2 5LN .
10. Christie’s Bistro
Based within the Old Christie Library at the University of Manchester’s Oxford Road campus is this bistro you might not even have heard of, much less dined at. It’s steeped in the institution’s history and character, with portraits of past vice-chancellors on the walls and bookcases stacked with old tomes and documents. Sitting alongside the more formal restaurant setting is a relaxed lounge area serving light bites, sandwiches and snacks.
(Image: Facebook)
The Old Quadrangle, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9P /Christies-bistro.
11. The Hidden Gem Church
No list of Manchester’s hidden gems would be complete without THE Hidden Gem, as St Mary’s Catholic Church is better known. Founded in 1794, it is the oldest Catholic church in Manchester and was the first to be built after the Reformation. Inside, the stations of the cross by painter Norman Adams are considered one of the greatest ecclesiastical art commissions of the 20th century in this country.
St Mary’s Catholic Church, Mulberry Street, M2 6LN /
12. British Film Institute Mediatheque
The newly renovated Central Library now houses the BFI's Mediatheque, where you can watch over 2,000 British films and TV shows from its archives in its cool viewing pods. It's free to sign up and watch everything from movies to documentaries to children's television; many titles have been seen only once or twice since their initial release or broadcast – if at all.
Manchester Central Library, St Peter’s Square, M2 5PD
We found this amazing content on - Manchester Evening News
