MCR3

MCR3 MANCHESTER CITY REGION

Manchester Magazine 09

Manchester Festivals Special Fashion Update

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60-63

News & Developments

Stately Charm

4-7

Discover Manchester The inside track on some of Manchester’s lesser-known landmarks.

The region’s picture-postcard historic houses.

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Patsy Slevin Brewing up a storm.

8-13

Manchester A-Z

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A fresh take on Roger Oldham’s Manchester Alphabet of 1906.

A night on the tiles

14-17

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What’s On

Manchester’s watering holes.

Your guide to what’s hot in 2009.

Places to ‘lunch’ this summer.

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Danny McNamara

24-Hour Party People

The Embrace frontman talks about his passion for Moho Live.

Laura Marsden on the city’s eclectic nightlife.

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The Manchester International Festival 2009 The lowdown on the city’s second festival of original, new work.

Village Life Canal Street ten years on from Queer As Folk.

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Joe Stretch

John Ryan

The city’s best young creative talent.

BBC Radio Manchester’s managing editor talks about tour guiding.

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Industrial Powerhouse Dr Tristram Hunt on why Manchester was the engine of civilisation.

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Ancoats

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Ones to watch The city’s top five books, CD, TV and blog exports.

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Hidden Gems Stuart Maconie on England’s Northwest.

Explore one of Manchester’s most historical districts.

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Some of our favourite snaps of the city.

Ready, Steady, GO! Sport activities for all in and around the city.

FIRST WORDS FROM ANDREW…

Take it away

Gallery Manchester

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Welcome to the third edition of MCR, the destination magazine for Manchester.

It’s only six months since MCR2 hit the shelves but with so much going on in the city, one issue a year simply wasn’t enough to keep you up-to-date with all the latest news and developments. So from now on we’ll be bringing you two a year, in June and November.

In this issue we get the lowdown on ‘what’s hot’ at the second Manchester International Festival this summer, an update on the regeneration of one of the city’s former industrial quarters, Ancoats; and we take a look at life in the gay village ten years on from Queer As Folk.

We also hear from Embrace ‘frontman’ Danny McNamara about his enthusiasm for the Manchester music scene; local author and musician, Joe Stretch on his love for the public address system at Victoria Station (among other things); award-winning brewer, Patsy Slevin on the production of Nutty Slack; football historian, Gary James on his love for both the reds and the blues; and John Ryan, the managing editor of BBC Radio Manchester on his new found passion for tour guiding.

Manchester Airport Flight listings and more…

For all your public transport needs.

You’ll also find all the essentials about where to eat, drink and sleep in the city and broadcaster Stuart Maconie talks of the hidden gems of England’s Northwest for those of you with time to explore our great region.

Retail Therapy

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Where to stay

Enjoy the read!

The city’s fashions on show.

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Gary James

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Manchester’s resident football historian.

Getting Around

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Your accommodation options.

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Manchester’s Folk Trains

Inside back cover

Music on the move.

Greater Manchester map

Andrew Stokes Chief Executive, Marketing Manchester June 2009

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NEWS & DEVELOPMENTS Metrolink Transport Reform The Metrolink tram system is benefiting from a £700 million investment programme that will almost double the size of the network and deliver a brand new fleet of trams and ticket machines.

New lines are being built to connect South Manchester, East Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale, and MediaCity:UK, Salford. City centre tracks are also currently being replaced to provide improved journeys with greater comfort. www.gmpte.com

Mooch: The New Art Gallery in The Triangle Mooch Art has recently opened a new gallery in The Triangle, Exchange Square. The April launch of the second gallery is an addition to the success at Mooch Art - Oldham Street.

The Gallery remains an excellent place to find the next big name in the art world, focusing on selling original work from local artists, many of whom are emerging talent. Manchester’s largest commercial gallery space along with Revolve Gallery, will be constantly evolving to bring great quality artwork to buyers and visitors. www.mooch-art.co.uk

Stockport Restoration

Accommodation Developments

Stockport is a Greater Manchester district stretching from the borders of the Peak District National Park to the city. Three gems of Stockport town centre are currently undergoing exciting developments. These are: The Victorian Covered Market Hall £1million refurbishment including restoration back to its original Victorian décor; the restoration of the art deco Stockport Plaza and the new St. Peter’s Square, which now boasts new stone flooring, cast iron benches, planters and a water sculpture. www.stockport.gov.uk

The Light is Manchester’s first boutique ApartHotel. Launched in January in the Northern Quarter, its penthouse apartment has a 1,000 square foot terrace and hot tub. A gymnasium and café are also in development. Velvet Hotel, Canal Street is a 19-bedroom luxurious, boutique style hotel which opened in the Gay Village in April. Last, but by no means least, opening in June, the 252-bedroom Park Inn Manchester Victoria hotel is located close to the MEN Arena and Victoria Train Station, with leisure facilities and five meeting rooms.For more information: www.visitmanchester.com

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NEWS & DEVELOPMENTS Go Ape in Bolton!

Band On The Wall Announces Launch Showcase

Go Ape High Wire Forest Adventure saw a new addition in Bolton in March. Go Ape! Rivington is a three hour course featuring zipwires, slides and connecting bridges split into five sections and linked together by natural footpaths. Go Ape! Rivington’s longest zip slide can be found on section three. Reaching 165m the zip slide is set on the banks of Lower Rivington Reservoir, it is the only Go Ape! course with a water feature running parallel to it. www.goape.co.uk

Manchester’s legendary live music venue launches its first season in four years with ‘Back To Our Place’ - an international showcase of the best music from across the globe. From the seminal funk punk of original Band On The Wall stalwarts A Certain Ratio, 2008 Mercury Music Prize nominated Rachel Unthank & The Winterset, reggae pioneer Mad Professor with The Ariwa Possee and the soaring jazz vocals of José James, expect a month-long celebration of the world’s best music at Band On The Wall throughout October. www.bandonthewall.org

Trafford Quays Leisure Village The Trafford Quays Leisure Village offers a unique, varied and ever-changing experience to visitors just a few miles from the city centre and continues to develop its leisure and entertainment facilities. From a real snow experience at the Chill Factore indoor ski slopes and designer shopping at The Trafford Centre to spectacular golfing facilities at PlayGolf and 5-aside soccer pitches at Powerleague Soccerdome, The Trafford Quays Leisure Village has it all. And with a selection of on-site hotels too, it looks set to be the ultimate destination to shop, ski and relax. www.traffordcentre.co.uk/traffordquaysleisurevillage

Whitworth Art Gallery Expansion The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has given the green light to The Whitworth Art Gallery’s plans to open its collections to more visitors and re-connect the Gallery to one of the city’s most central green spaces, Whitworth Park.

Development funding of £152,000 was awarded to help progress the £12 million project. Plans include a new park-facing entrance, expanded exhibition facilities, a Centre for Landscape Study, a new shop and an informal café. www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk

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Discover Manchester Manchester city centre is very much one that is best explored on foot. ere are several very distin distris for you to explore - from Chinatown and the Northern Quarter to Castlefield and the Gay Village. A guided walking tour will best uncover these areas’ hidden secrets, but to help get you started, historian Ed Glinert has outlined some of his favourite nuggets of information about places in the city centre you might stumble across.

Brownsfield Mill Binns Place, off Great Ancoats Street

Ancoats to the north of Piccadilly station, a beacon of regeneration just off the city centre, was the world’s first industrial suburb back in the late 18th century. Now many of the old mills are sparking back into life. In one of these, seven-storey Brownsfield Mill, by the Rochdale Canal, Alliott Verdon Roe founded the world’s first aeroplane manufacturing company – Avro – on 1 January 1910. Two years later he made the first plane with an enclosed cockpit. As tests for new aircra had to be conducted in the countryside, he took the plane to what is now Piccadilly station on a horse-drawn cart, the wings folded, a bizarre clash of mediaeval and nuclear age transport.

The Boardwalk 21 Little Peter Street

ere’s little to indicate that this recently renovated block was Manchester’s most exciting venue for new bands at the end of the 20th century. Here Oasis made their debut in 1991 and James, the Inspiral Carpets, the Charlatans and Happy Mondays played. In the 1940s it was rehearsal space for the Hallé Orchestra which had been bombed out of the Free Trade Hall. When a train from the nearby Manchester-Liverpool line thundered past for the first time, the Halle’s conductor, John Barbirolli, beat his baton on the stand three times to stop the musicians. “What was that?” he moaned. “It’s the free world outside,” came the reply from a trumpeter.

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Cold War Nuclear shelter George Street, between Princess St and Dickinson St

A high wall and windowless brick building are the only clues to Manchester’s 1950s nuclear bunker that lies below Chinatown. It was built in 1954 by Polish immigrants, chosen because they couldn’t speak English and be able to divulge its secrets easily, and cost £4 million, the money provided by the United States. Government “D Notice” restrictions prevented journalists from writing about it until recently – publications were not even able to mention its existence.

Liverpool Road Station Liverpool Road, Castlefield

Crucial to any trip to the Museum of Science and Industry is time spent at Liverpool Road station. Now one of the museum’s most popular attractions, this was the world’s first passenger railway station. It opened on 15 September 1830 when thousands gathered for the opening ceremony and to see Stephenson’s Rocket arrive in Manchester carrying the prime minister the Duke of Wellington, hero of Waterloo. But as the first train drew into the station, weavers threw stones at his carriage to show their distaste for his policies (rather than for his military prowess), while a greater crowd at the station prevented him reaching the official opening luncheon. He le hungry amid boos and jeers.

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Market Street Manchester’s busiest shopping street was the town’s main terminus for stage coaches in pre-industrial times. e vehicles used to gather outside the Royal Hotel on the corner with Mosley Street but could go no further along Market Street as the road there began to narrow to only five yards. One of the most popular vehicles was Mathew Pickford’s Flying Wagon which took 4½ days to reach London. By 1830, journey times had improved and Sherman’s Telegraph took just 18 hours.

It le three times a week at 5 a.m. with stops for breakfast at Macclesfield, lunch at Derby, and supper at Leicester, the horses being changed 18 times in all. e last stage-coach to London, the Defiance, ran in 1841.

National Westminster Bank 55 King Street

On King Street in the heart of Manchester’s exclusive shopping belt, stands the Nat West bank headquarters where the personal effects of Manchester’s best known painter, L. S. Lowry, were le in the vault before he died in 1976. Lowry’s beneficiary was a 36-yearold woman, Carol Ann Lowry, who was no relation but whom he had befriended simply because she had the same name. Aer the great painter’s death she was asked to come to the bank to look through his archive. ere, to her horror, she was shown a selection of sadistic paintings showing violent attacks on a girl who looked like her. Lowry’s first thoughts were: “Oh no, no not Uncle Laurie.

Please dear God, not Uncle Laurie.” Her second was: “ey are me.” Later she decided that the female figure was that of an unknown girl Lowry called “Ann” with whom he became obsessed throughout his life. But it was only Carol Ann that was lucky enough to receive the £300,000 from the artist’s will.

Opera House Quay Street

On the edge of the new gleaming glass of Spinningfields stands the ornate splendour of the Opera House. It holds 3,000 and opened on Boxing Day, 1912, as the New eatre, soon putting on grand opera on a scale never before seen in Manchester. In the 1950s, the building showed the latest American musicals such as Oklahoma and South Pacific with a then unknown Sean Connery, around the same time that the future James Bond nearly signed professional forms with Manchester United.

St George’s House Peter Street

One of Manchester’s most attractive large office blocks, with its gorgeous chocolate terracotta styling, used to be run by the YMCA. It was opened in 1911 as a ‘City of Refuge from the Temptations of the City’, according to the association’s brochure. e architect, John Henry Woodhouse, gave the building a reinforced concrete frame and ensured that no two rooms were of the same size or height. He put in a billiard room, smoking room, dining room, and photographic dark room. On the top floor there was a 1,200 sq  swimming pool and running track.

St Ann’s Church St Ann’s Square

Manchester’s most beautiful church since 1709. On the east side is a graveyard featuring a bizarre collection of tombs. Normally gravestone inscriptions are reverential but in the case of omas Deacon, a local cleric who died in 1753, the usual niceties were abandoned.

Deacon’s stone describes him as “the greatest of sinners and the most unworthy of primitive bishops”. It dates back to a religious feud earlier that century when Deacon set up his own sect, the ‘True British Catholic Church’, with himself as bishop. When he died, the Collegiate Church (now Manchester Cathedral) wouldn’t accept his corpse and St Ann’s, which was anti-Catholic, only agreed if it could insult his memory. At least Deacon died of natural causes. One of his sons was hanged for treason, his head displayed on a spike outside the Exchange where M&S now stands.

Victoria Station In need of some TLC is one of Manchester’s forgotten gems, Victoria Station.

Traditionally, this was Manchester’s most handsome station. Its glorious glass veranda at the front still proclaims in Art Nouveau lettering the destinations passengers could reach on trains leaving here including, intriguingly, “Belgium” (although a boat was needed for that part of the journey). Recent rebuilding work, to incorporate the Metrolink line amongst other things, has not been kind to the station, but the Edwardian buffet bar remains as does the exquisite wall map drawn on the tiles by the main entrance which omits lines run by rival companies, thereby deceiving travellers into making labyrinthine journeys.

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MANCHESTER A-Z In 1906, Roger Oldham, a local architect and lecturer, published the Manchester Alphabet – a collection of ink and watercolour sketches documenting his humorous take on life in Manchester.

Here, we pay tribute to Roger’s work with our own A-Z, which includes one of his original sketches.

a Afflecks A totem of independent trade, the shabby thorn in the side of the high street and ultimately a place where it’s nothing but impressive if you choose to wear odd socks... or so the website says! An absolute must for those in search of independent labels and a shopping experience like no other in the city.

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b Bridgewater Canal Commissioned by the third Duke of Bridgewater to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester, the Bridgewater Canal quite literally fuelled the Industrial Revolution that earned Manchester its fame and fortune. Today it forms part of the Cheshire Ring – a popular narrow boat leisure cruise route.

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D

Co-operative Movement

Didsbury

Manchester’s co-operative movement can be traced back to 1844, when a group of 28 weavers formed the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers.

The store they opened over 160 years ago is preserved today as the Rochdale Pioneers Museum and explains the ideals and principles of the co-operative movement.

Didsbury is perhaps best known as the setting for the popular British television series Cold Feet. Pavement cafés and a higher-than-average concentration of bars and pubs have made this once rural commuter village one of the places to live and socialise in the city. It’s also one end of what is regarded as the ‘busiest bus route in Europe’, which passes two of Manchester’s biggest universities on its way into the city centre.

f Free Trade Hall The Free Trade Hall has played host to everyone from the Hallé Orchestra and ABBA to Buzzcocks, Pink Floyd and the Sex Pistols. It was built in 1853 as a symbol of, unsurprisingly, free trade and despite heavy bombing during World War Two, survives today in the form of a five-star Radisson Edwardian hotel.

E East Lancashire Steam Railway Opened in 1846 to link the Manchester to Bolton line with Radcliffe, the East Lancashire Steam Railway is today one of north Manchester’s most popular attractions. The preservation society that now runs the line operates services every weekend for members of the public to enjoy the half an hour or so journey from Bolton’s Bury Street Station to the country town of Rawtenstall.

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Guardian

John Shaw’s Punch House (Sinclair’s Oyster Bar)

Today’s national Guardian newspaper began life as The Manchester Guardian back in 1821. Founded by a group of non-conformist businessmen, Roger Oldham’s simple verse perhaps best describes the publication and its ethos: “The Guardian” is a candid friend And Guide to sundry persons, It compliments the very good And scarifies the worse ‘uns.

John Shaw’s punch was so strong it was advised to drink only a pint if alone, or a quart if in company.

“Mind your P’s and Q’s”, warned the bar staff. The pub became Sinclair’s Oyster Bar in 1845. Lady Spittlewick, a regular, allegedly consumed up to 40 oysters a day until having the misfortune of choking on a pearl. Sinclair’s still serves oysters today.

K King Street King Street was the site of Manchester’s original Town Hall and later the Manchester Ship Canal Headquarters, which survives to this day. King Street. has long been an affluent area of Manchester and today boasts exclusive designer shops from Emporio Armani to Vivienne Westwood.

© Manchester Art Gallery

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I

Hyde’s Brewery

Industrial Revolution

Established in 1863, Hyde’s is one of the top ten regional breweries in the UK. The brewery is managed as a family business and they also own and operate more than 80 pubs in the Northwest.

They brew six seasonal beers a year, with each available for a period of two months.

In 1801, Manchester’s population was 76,788. By 1851, it had quadrupled to 316,213. The cause of this phenomenal increase was the Industrial Revolution.

Technology took hold and literally spun Manchester into a new era.

Cotton became the most famous export, but the world’s first industrial city was also known for its chemicals, clothing, ammunitions, vehicles and even aeroplanes.

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L Lincoln, Abraham The 1919 statue, that London didn’t want, depicts Abraham Lincoln as a casual working man prior to his reign as president. The Manchester Guardian campaigned to bring Lincoln to the city, on the premise of Manchester’s strong trading relationships with the US. Today, he stands proudly in Lincoln Square, close to the Town Hall.

N Nuclear Free City Ironically the city where the atom was first split also became the world’s first nuclear free city in 1980. Still a nuclear free zone today, citizens are reminded of this with the Peace Gardens to the rear of the Town Hall. This status has since been celebrated in ‘Working for a nuclear free city’, one of the most promising bands to emerge from Manchester in recent years.

p Piccadilly Records Piccadilly Records is based in the funky Northern Quarter of the city. ‘Born’ in 1978, it is one of the north’s most legendary record shops, selling everything from hip-hop, Balearic beats to new psyche folk on a selection of CD’s and vinyl. Alongside these, there are branded accessories, magazines, books and of course - DJ equipment for those music lovers.

M Misericords (of Manchester Cathedral) A misericord, derived from the Latin word for ‘pity’, is a seat provided for comfort during long religious services. The unique carvings on the underside of Manchester Cathedral’s misericords express a humorous insight into medieval life. Look out for the fox as a hunter, domestic strife and the delightful ‘Lathom legend’.

o Old Trafford Cricket Ground Old Trafford Cricket Ground is the original Old Trafford. It was established in 1857 and is now home to Lancashire County Cricket Club. The ground is also used as a music venue, hosting big names such as Razorlight, The Strokes, R.E.M, Amy Winehouse and in September 2009, Coldplay and Jay-Z.

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T Turing, Alan Alan Turing was born in Wilmslow, Cheshire and is often considered to be the father of modern computer science and also for his significant contribution to the concept of artificial intelligence. His work at the University of Manchester resulted in the emergence of one of the world’s first computers.

Q Queer up North Queer up North began life as ‘It’s Queer up North’ in 1992, based on the well known phrase ‘it’s grim up north’ whose name was also used at a legendary club night at the Haçienda. The festival is a platform for showcasing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture, which includes dance, debate, club nights, comedy, live art, literature and theatre.

R Royal Exchange The Royal Exchange is a Grade II listed Victorian building, which was used as a trading centre for the agents and salesman of thousands of Lancashire businessmen involved in the cotton and textile industry. Famous as the largest venue hall in the whole of England, and for its contributions to the success of the cotton industry in Manchester, it now houses one of the city’s most popular theatres.

u Urbis

S Suffragette Manchester’s suffragette movement was established by Emmeline Pankhurst from 1889 to around 1901 with the development of the Woman’s Social and Political Union. This Manchester group kick-started the fight for the rights of women, which led to the Suffragettes achieving their aims in 1928 with women’s right to vote.

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With five floors of exhibition space, offering insights into modern urban life, Urbis is one of Manchester’s most eye-catching buildings. More than this, it’s a TV studio, a workshop space, a meeting place and home to the restaurant with the best views in Manchester, The Modern. Admission is free.

WINNER MANCHESTER TOURISM AWARDS 09

w Waterhouse, Alfred 1830 - 1905 This renowned architect practised in Manchester for twelve years. His work is evident in the buildings housing the Palace Hotel, Owens Park Building (University of Manchester) and HMP Manchester (Strangeways), but his most striking legacy is the acclaimed Manchester Town Hall, a confection of Victorian neo-Gothic splendour, formally opened on 13 September 1877.

X Xperiment (MOSI)

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© Manchester Art Gallery

Suitable for all ages and ideal for families: Xperiment is a funpacked, interactive gallery at MOSI (The Museum of Science & Industry), where over 30 different activities present scientific principles in unusual and entertaining ways. There’s lots more to see and do in the rest of MOSI and admission is free.

Valette, Pierre-Adolphe 1876 - 1942 ‘The Manchester Impressionist’, French-born Valette settled in Manchester in 1904 and taught at Manchester School of Art, where the young LS Lowry was one his students. Valette’s atmospheric paintings, depicting a slice of life in early 20th century Manchester, are exhibited at Manchester Art Gallery, alongside works by his famous pupil.

WINNER MANCHESTER TOURISM AWARDS 09

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Z

Yellow

Zinc Bar and Grill

From 1992 to 1999, DJ Dave Haslam hosted the legendary weekly club night, Yellow, at Manchester’s Boardwalk. Featuring soul, disco and classic 70s funk, Yellow was a beacon of Manchester night life in the years leading up to the turn of the millennium. Haslam is now an established writer: check out his book ‘Manchester, England’ for a history of Manchester’s cultural and pop music scene.

Zinc Bar and Grill is the ideal choice for dinner before a concert at the MEN Arena, or a post-shopping, pre-train refreshment break. It offers a modern, international menu and a great selection of wines and cocktails and is a perfect place in which to take the weight off your feet!

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WHAT’S ON

FESTIVALS Shakespeare’s Globe: Comedy of Errors 23 – 28 June 2009 The world-renowned Globe Theatre return to Manchester to perform Shakespeare’s most farcical comedy in the beautiful grounds of Heaton Park. The versatile troupe of actors will perform a stripped down version of the play, true to the old principles of touring theatre. www.heatonpark.org.uk

Manchester Pride

24 July – 1 August 2009

21 – 31 August 2009

The festival’s programme is just as cutting-edge as the city’s attitude and is committed to championing new ideas from young musicians and showcasing exciting commissions and collaborations that are unique to Manchester. www.manchesterjazz.com

Manchester Pride is the city’s biggest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender event, taking place over ten days at the end of August. Culminating in a fantastic four-day party with street entertainers, market stalls and amazing performances, Manchester Pride also sees over 90 entertaining and flamboyant floats weaving their way through the streets for the Manchester Pride Parade. www.manchesterpride.com

Manchester International Festival 24:7 Theatre Festival 20 – 26 July 2009 Manchester has a reputation for being at the forefront of innovation, being the city where the UK’s first repertory theatre was established in 1908. The 24:7 Theatre Festival ties in with the city’s rich theatrical history and celebrates new and original work in a variety of non-theatre venues in Manchester. www.247TheatreFestival.co.uk

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WINNER MANCHESTER TOURISM AWARDS 09

Manchester Jazz Festival

2 – 19 July 2009 The Manchester International Festival is the world’s only festival of original, new work and special events and returns to the city in July with world premieres and major artists including Elbow, Kraftwerk and Rufus Wainwright. www.mif.co.uk

Manchester Food & Drink Festival 1 – 12 October 2009 Now in its 12th year, this event has gained a superb reputation for showcasing Greater Manchester’s rich diversity and talent in restaurants, bars and producers. This year’s key theme will be sustainability and specifically reducing food waste. The festival will culminate with the MFDF Annual Gala Dinner and Awards at The Palace Hotel. www.foodanddrinkfestival.com

exposures UK Student Film festival

Manchester Literature Festival

In The City

15 – 25 October 2009

18 – 20 October 2009

The festival presents some of the world’s most influential and inspirational authors and poets in prestigious and unusual venues across the city, with an eclectic line-up including every genre, from crime and romance to poetry in translation. www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk

Regarded as the premier new music event in the world, and with an astonishing track record of helping launch the careers of bands like Oasis, Radiohead, Coldplay and Foo Fighters, In The City is the biggest city-based music festival in Europe and presents both established and new artists. www.inthecity.co.uk

November 2009, Cornerhouse

Manchester Science Festival

Manchester Christmas Markets

24 October – 1 November 2009, City Centre

November 2009 – December 2009

Exposures is a unique, national showcase for the very best student filmmaking. The festival awards the best new filmmaking as well as hosting various premieres, workshops and discussions – all aimed to nurture young British talent. www.exposuresfilmfestival.co.uk

Manchester Comedy Festival 15 – 25 October 2009 The Manchester Comedy Festival brings the best of comedy to town, be it one-man stand-up shows, cabaret nights, films or plays. Various venues, from traditional pubs to swanky bars and opulent theatres showcase local comics alongside famous acts. www.manchestercomedyfestival.co.uk

A packed programme of events to enthuse and inspire everyone about science, technology and engineering. Get involved in one of the huge range of debates, workshops and activity days. www.manchestersciencefestival.com

Manchester’s Christmas Markets are among the best in Britain and Europe. The city centre is transformed with twinkling traditional wooden chalets full of gift ideas and seasonal produce from across Europe. www.manchesterchristmasmarkets.com

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EXHIBITIONS Videogame Nation Until 20 September 2009, Urbis An exhibition charting the meteoric rise of the computer game. With plenty of interactives to play with, it’s great for kids as well as the young at heart! Enjoy the old consoles and games of yesteryear and bring yourself bang up to date with some of the very latest graphics. www.urbis.org.uk

Captured: The Extraordinary Life of Prisoners of War 23 May 2009 – 3 January 2010, Imperial War Museum North Extraordinary personal stories and experiences of men and women, service and civilians, during periods of captivity in Britain, Europe and the Far East. Family friendly and accessible. www.iwm.org.uk/north

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The Evolutionist: A Darwin Extravaganza

The American Scene: Prints from Hopper to Pollock

1 August 2009 - 30 August 2010, The Manchester Museum

19 September – 13 December 2009, The Whitworth Art Gallery

The Manchester Museum’s Darwin Festival includes a variety of exhibitions and events on the subject of Charles Darwin, to celebrate Darwin 200. These exhibitions will include Nature Discovery, a new permanent activity area for families (from 1 August 2009) and Charles Darwin: Evolution of a Scientist, which explores who Darwin was and the impact of his work in a fresh and engaging way. www.manchester.ac.uk/museum/whatson

The American Scene, on tour from the British Museum where it was a huge hit, shows compelling images of American society and culture from the early 1900s to 1960. Featuring 89 works by 60 artists, the exhibition includes the work of John Sloan, Edward Hopper, Josef Albers, Louise Bourgeois, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock. www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whatson

Angels of Anarchy The Mancunian Indian 15 September 2009 - June 2010, The Whitworth Art Gallery 2009 is the 100th anniversary of the death of Thomas Wardle, a local silk dyer and printer who was hugely influential in the silk and textiles industry in the UK. The exhibition shows how Wardle got involved in Indian silks, trying to improve working conditions on silk farms and how he promoted the industry across the British Empire. www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk

26 September 2009 – 10 January 2010, Manchester Art Gallery Outstanding artworks by 34 artists, not only well known women artists such as Frida Kahlo and Lee Miller, but the lesser known female pioneers of the movement, whose radical influence can still be felt today. www.manchestergalleries.org

SPORTS LEN European B Women’s Water Polo Championships

World Netball Series

5 – 12 July 2009, Manchester Aquatics Centre

Spectators will witness some of the world’s greatest netball in a fast and ferocious competition. With a number of innovative rule changes the new format will test the fitness, technical ability and tactical awareness of the world’s top six netball nations: England, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Samoa and Malawi.

Manchester will host the LEN European B Championships 2009 for Women after successfully staging the men’s event earlier this year. The championships provide another opportunity for British Swimming staff to gain valuable experience of hosting international events in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

9 – 11 October 2009, MEN Arena

Track Cycling World Cup Classics 30 October – 1 November 2009, Velodrome

BTCB British International Taekwondo Open Championships

The first major international event of the season which will feature high profile British Olympic and World Champions.

29 – 30 August 2009, Velodrome The event in 2008 received a record number of entries and spectators and 2009 is set to continue in the same fashion with Taekwondo going from strength to strength.

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Manchester Voices

Danny McNamara Danny McNamara is the lead singer for the highly acclaimed British band, Embrace.

He arrived in Manchester two years ago to deliver a regular night of new live music which he called e Aershow. Danny has since taken on the Manchester nightclub Moho Live, which he uses to host a variety of successful nights and events.

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why did you choose to bring e aershow to Manchester?

apart from Moho, which other venues would you recommend to try in Manchester?

I used to do a club night in London called Another Music = Another Kitchen and it was always the intention to go to Manchester aer. ere’s such great talent here. Bands like the Ting Tings, Twisted Wheel, Delphic and Kid British have proved me right that Manchester’s really on fire at the moment and that’s why I’ve picked it.

In terms of other clubs in town, there’s the Deaf Institute which is really cool. ere’s a club called South where Clint Boon (of Manchester band Inspiral Carpets) does a night on Saturdays which is always really good fun. And there’s a pub called Mojo’s as well which is just around the corner from South. ey do really good cocktails in there. ey have a place called the ‘room room’ where they tend to ply me with free cocktails.

and the success of e aershow led you onto buying your own club... e Aershow started at Sankeys. It went really well and we decided to move it to a Friday night. ey didn’t have Fridays at Sankeys because it’s already an established night there so I moved to a brand new club and it just felt really good. It went really well.

I just decided one night that I want to buy this place (Moho Live) because it’s really cool. It used to be a pub called the Lazy Pig, way, way back. I don’t know what it was before that, probably a bomb shelter by the looks of things! what makes Moho Live different to anywhere else?

My idea with Moho Live was to create a space where you felt welcome and where there’s an unpretentious vibe. It’s just a really loved venue. Every week there’s a little bit of something that happens that changes it and makes it better. We’ve had recently for example, new cloakrooms, new artwork. All the entire outside of the building is covered in artwork now. And the whole thing is being renovated because it’s really well loved.

Not just by me as the owner but by everyone that works here, coming here and taking pride in what they’re doing. We just want a place that people want to go to regardless of what night of the week it is. at takes time.

We’re from a standing start. No-one knows who or what Moho Live is at the moment but even so we’re still one of the busiest clubs in Manchester before most people even know about it so it’s all very positive.

what about new music emerging from Manchester right now, who do you recommend? ere’s a new band called the Hot Knives that I think are really, really good. I think they will go on and do big things. I booked the Ting Tings before they’d done any gigs, anywhere. I booked them for the first ever Aershow before I even knew what venue I was going to be putting them in. I paid them £50, so I’ve got pretty good A+R ears. I keep getting asked by record labels if I’d like to be an A+R man but I wonder why on earth I’d want to do that! of all the great songs associated with Manchester, which are your favourite?

‘Love will tear us apart’ by Joy Division or ‘Ever fallen in love with someone (you shouldn’t’ve fallen in love with)’ by the Buzzcocks. finally, what next for your band Embrace?

My brother is already writing the next Embrace album. Once I’ve got the ball rolling a bit further on here, I’ll be joining him so I should soon be working on Embrace album number six.

Moho Live is open throughout the week.

For more details including listings, visit: www.moholive.com or www.theaftershow.net

Image © Shirlaine Forrest

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Manchester International festival e Manchester International Festival returns in July 2009 for its second outing as the world’s only international festival to be made entirely of original, new work.

And with a wide-ranging programme and more free events, MIF:09 looks set to be an exhilarating, thought-provoking and welcoming experience for all.

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Previous page: Kraftwerk is page: Carlos Acosta Facing page: Top Elbow, below Prima Donna

Between praying for better weather than that of the first Manchester International Festival in 2007, the organiser’s have pulled together a line-up nothing short of spectacular for the second run of the event this July. ey’ve lured a handful of names from the inaugural festival to return with brand new shows and have handpicked an array of other artists from around the world to create a programme that covers the entire cultural spectrum.

An event that has already proved to be one of July’s hottest tickets is the collaboration of two Mancunian musical institutions: Brit Award winners, Elbow, and Manchester's (and indeed Britain’s!) longest-established professional symphony orchestra, e Hallé.

Performing for two nights at e Bridgewater Hall, Elbow will be playing songs from across their career and beyond. e event is curated in partnership with composer Joe Duddell.

Over at e Palace eatre, acclaimed singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright is preparing to stage his debut opera – Prima Donna. Set in 1970s Paris, it tells the story of Régine Saint Laurent, once the world’s most revered operatic sopranos, and her return to the stage aer six years of silence.

Composed by Rufus Wainwright and realised with award-winning director Daniel Kramer, British designer Antony McDonald, leading French conductor Pierre-André Valade, celebrated soprano Janis Kelly and the combined talents of Opera North, Prima Donna is definitely ‘one to watch’.

For lovers of modern music, the festival has secured the two true pioneers of the genre: German electronic wizards Krawerk and dynamic American composer Steve Reich, who join forces for a unique show at the Manchester Velodrome.

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Having spent the last four decades as one of the most influential bands in pop history, Manchester International Festival 09 will bring Krawerk back to Manchester for the first time since their near-legendary concert at the Apollo in 2004. e performance will include not only a two-hour set that draws on their entire musical catalogue, but also includes the world premiere of Steve Reich’s 2×5, which was commissioned by the festival, directed by the composer, and performed by New York’s Bang On A Can. One of the returning artists is Carlos Acosta.

In 2007 Carlos thrilled packed houses at e Lowry with a series of breathtaking performances. Now, in 2009, the greatest male ballet dancer of his generation returns to the city with the BBC Philharmonic in tow for a number of awe-inspiring dances in an exclusive programme of works, both classic and modern.

Following in the footsteps of such giants as Nijinsky and Nureyev, Acosta will be exploring the nature of the male muse in classical ballet. e programme includes Balanchine’s classic Apollo and Robbins’ A Suite of Dances, the latter never before performed by Acosta in public. ere will also be a brand new work entitled Young Apollo, specially co-commissioned with Salford City Council from rising-star choreographer Adam Hougland. And if Acosta’s 2007 festival shows were anything to go by, book early, as they were nearinstant sell-outs.

And before all of that, Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller kick-starts the festival in style by storming the Deansgate mile with a free and uniquely Mancunian procession, entitled quite simply, Procession.

Over the page we have listed some more of our favourites from this year’s event, but check out www.mif.co.uk to find your own!

HOW TO BOOK As many of the events have limited capacity, please book early to avoid disappointment.

Tickets are available online at: www.mif.co.uk Alternatively, please telephone: +44 (0) 844 815 4960

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Antony and the Johnsons

Here are some of our other MIF:09 favourites…

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It Felt Like a Kiss

Marina Abramovi Presents…

Thu 2 July - Sun 19 July, Hardman Square

Fri 3 - Sun 19 July, Whitworth Art Gallery

It Felt Like a Kiss tells the story of America’s rise to power in the golden age of pop, and the unforeseen consequences it had on the world and in our minds. Beginning in 1959, the show spotlights the dreams and desires that America inspired during the ’60s, when the world began to embrace the country and its culture as never before.

Following the iconoclastic Il Tempo del Postino in 2007, world-renowned artist Marina Abramovi curates an epic group show featuring some of the most innovative live artists working today.

The show will begin with an hour-long performance initiation with Marina Abramovi , leading up to a series of extraordinary encounters between artists and audience.

Marina Abramovi Presents

Everybody Loves a Winner

Flailing Trees

The Great Indoors

Fri 3 July - Sat 18 July, Royal Exchange Theatre

Fri 3 - Sun 19 July, Manchester Peace Garden

Sat 11 & Sun 12 July, Manchester Town Hall

Transforming the iconic Royal Exchange into a working bingo hall for the occasion, Everybody Loves a Winner tracks a group of twenty players through their night out. From the doors opening for the early session to the lights going out at the end of another cheerfully wasted evening, it’s all here: the cheap jokes, the unspoken thoughts, the empty handbags and the sheer disbelief.

Flailing Trees is an arresting and poignant new piece of public art that comprises 21 inverted willows, a subversion of the natural order that brings nature and the environment into sharp focus. With flourishing branches replaced by dying roots, the sculpture is both a plea for reflection and a plaintive cry for change, and is sure to provide a catalyst for debate.

One of the great successes of MIF: 07, The Great Indoors is back with a brand new big adventure that lasts an entire weekend. Held in the stunning surroundings of Manchester Town Hall, The Great Indoors offers a world of events and activities from a host of fabulous international performers.

Antony and the Johnsons

End of the Road

Fri 3 & Sat 4 July, Opera House

Young@Heart, No Theater Fri 10 - Sat 18 July, Royal Northern College of Music

A genuine one-of-a-kind performer, Antony Hegarty shot to fame in 2005, when I Am A Bird Now beat a host of big names to win the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. Exclusively for the Festival, Antony will be joined by the 36piece Manchester Camerata, performing new arrangements by New York composer Nico Muhly of songs from across his career and beyond.

While others their age have been collecting their bus passes, the Massachusetts based Young@Heart Chorus have been busy racking up air miles touring their remarkable collaborations with No Theater. Made up entirely of amateur singers of a certain age (the youngest 73, the eldest approaching 90), the extraordinary Young@Heart made its name by lending vitality and poignancy to the unlikeliest of pop songs.

De La Soul Thu 16 & Fri 17 July, The Ritz Since the late 1980’s, hip hop trio De La Soul have been proving to audiences worldwide that three really is the magic number. Now, for their only full-scale UK shows of the year, they’re going back to the Daisy Age. Joined by special guests and a ten-piece band, the group will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their era-defining album 3 Feet High and Rising.

The Manchester International Festival takes place between Thursday 2nd and Sunday 19th July 2009. For more information, visit: www.mif.co.uk

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INDOOR CULTURE Summer brings with it dreams of endless sunshine, alfresco dining and the opportunity to make the most of your holiday wardrobe. Unfortunately, history teaches us that even the best of British summers can be interrupted with the occasional spot of rain. Thankfully, Manchester has more than its share of indoor attractions to keep you entertained be it an exhibition at the Imperial War Museum North over at The Quays, a costume performance at MOSI (The Museum of Science & Industry) or a tour of the BBC Manchester studios on Oxford Road. Of course there’s also a chance it might be so hot that you simply want to duck in somewhere for a bit of shade and a blast of air conditioning – we can but

hope. Whatever the reason, on the following pages you’ll find some suggestions of how to spend a couple of hours if you find yourself without sunscreen, or, more realistically, without umbrella. Enjoy!

For more information: www.visitmanchester.com

2–19 July 2009

www.mif.co.uk

JS Bach Zaha Hadid Architects An extraordinary new chamber music hall especially created for performances of Bach’s solo instrumental works within Manchester Art Gallery.

Free lunchtime concerts 4 – 19 July, 1pm (15-30 mins) Students from the Royal Northern College of Music and Chetham’s School of Music give short performances every day (except Mon).

Evening concerts 3 – 18 July, 7.45pm Performances by Piotr Anderszewski, Jean-Guihen Gueyras and Alina Ibragimova.

Returns only

Commissioned by Manchester International Festival, Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation, Holland Festival.

Produced by Manchester International Festival and Manchester Art Gallery.

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Free daytime entry 4 July – 31 August Tue – Sun (and Bank Holiday Mon) 10am – 5pm

For full details see www.mif.co.uk

Manchester Art Gallery Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3JL T. +44 (0)161 235 8888 www.manchestergalleries.org

Manchester Art Gallery is one of the city’s most popular attractions.

The collections include world famous Pre-Raphaelite paintings and a Manchester themed gallery of art and design. Visitors can relax in the café or browse in the gallery shop. Families are welcome too: bring the kids to the Clore Interactive Gallery or join in one of the summer workshops. Highlights of the gallery’s exhibitions programme this year include: JS Bach/Zaha Hadid Architects 4 July – 31 August (Free entry) A major new commission by Manchester International Festival with Manchester Art Gallery. Buy a ticket for one of the evening concerts in July (www.mif.co.uk), enjoy a free lunchtime concert or visit Zaha Hadid’s extraordinary chamber music hall until the end of August.

Angels of Anarchy: Women Artists and Surrealism 26 September – 10 January £6 (£4 concs, under 18s free) The first major exhibition of 20th century women artists and Surrealism ever to be held in Europe. Exhibition supported by the Northwest Development Agency.

FREE entry. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm Closed Mondays except Bank Holidays Winner: Large Visitor Attraction of the Year, Northwest Tourism Awards 2008

MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry)

WINNER MANCHESTER TOURISM AWARDS 09

Liverpool Road, Castlefield, Manchester, M3 4FP T. +44 (0)161 832 2244 www.mosi.org.uk

One of Manchester’s top attractions, MOSI is located on the site of the world’s oldest surviving passenger railway station (1830).

Five listed buildings house many lively and interactive exhibitions, showcasing the Northwest’s industrial, scientific and social achievements.

Visit ‘Baby’: the world’s first stored-program computer or marvel at the magnificent flying machines that made aviation history. Daily demonstrations of original mill engines and textile machinery, costumed historical characters and exciting and informative events and activities, make a visit to MOSI a truly memorable one.

FREE entry. Open daily 10.00am – 5.00pm (except 24 – 26 Dec & 1 Jan) Coming soon!

Da Vinci – The Genius. (14 November 2009 – 31 May 2010) This fascinating exhibition explores the genius behind da Vinci's amazing inventions, drawings and paintings, with replica large-scale models, 3D animations and reproductions of his most famous pieces. Admission charges apply.

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Imperial War Museum North

WINNER MANCHESTER TOURISM AWARDS 09

The Quays, Trafford Wharf Road, Manchester, M17 1TZ T. +44 (0)161 836 4000 www.iwm.org.uk

The award-winning Imperial War Museum North is about people and their stories, about how lives have been and still are shaped by war and conflict. The Museum has a shop selling gifts and souvenirs and the WaterShard Cafe overlooking the Quays.

“Moving and incredibly thought-provoking, it's a must see that remains with you long after your visit” Visitor.

A fascinating day out for all, the Museum is open seven days a week and is FREE entry.

Opening Times: 10am – 6pm (closes 5pm Nov-Feb)

John Rylands Library 150 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3EH, England t. +44 (0)161 306 0555 www.manchester.ac.uk/library

Experience the Gothic splendour of one of Manchester’s most beautiful buildings and discover the library’s world famous collections through themed displays and hands-on activities. Enjoy a full and inspiring programme of exhibitions, talks, and family events throughout the year. Entry to the library and all exhibitions is free, and there is a fabulous café and gift shop to enjoy during your visit.

BBC Manchester Tours New Broadcasting House, Oxford Road, Manchester, M60 7HB T. +44 (0)370 901 1227* (Booking Line) www.bbc.co.uk/tours

BBC Manchester is offering a peek behind the scenes. Visitors will see the BBC North West Tonight studio, pop into BBC Radio Manchester and visit the home of the world famous BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. They can even have a go at presenting the weather and take part in a special radio drama.

BBC Tours run regularly on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Ticket prices range from £4.50 to £5.50 per person.

For group bookings call 0370 901 1227. * UK-wide rate charged at no more than 01/02 geographic numbers. Calls may be recorded for training.

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Manchester Voices

John Ryan John Ryan is a newly qualified Manchester green badge tour guide.

He is the managing editor of BBC Radio Manchester and also a board member of Manchester Pride, the city’s annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) festival.

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what made you want to train as a tour guide in Manchester?

I was looking for something that would help me to learn more about Manchester. I’m a Mancunian by choice, rather than birth and love all that the city offers.

It’s great to see visitors discover Manchester, particularly when they find out about our firsts – the first split atom, the first (modern) computer, and our world-class architecture. what is the most exciting fact about Manchester that you’ve discovered since becoming a guide? ere are so many! I guess the thing I’ve thought about most was whilst researching the Manchester Ship Canal. I had never appreciated the sheer vision of digging a route to literally bring the sea into Salford, to avoid paying taxes to Liverpool! what is the most irreverent fact you’ve learnt? at alongside our other firsts – suffragettes, vegetarianism, gay bars – Manchester is the place that the term ‘hypnotism’ was first coined.

How does guiding contrast to your role as managing editor for bbc Radio Manchester?

Actually, there’s a lot of cross-over.

Researching a story and presenting it in an interesting way for your audience are all radio skills. Although, on radio you have the advantage of having your notes in front of you so it is much easier to ‘remember’ facts! will tourists be able to enjoy MediacityuK when it arrives?

MediaCityUK will give people the opportunity to experience many elements of broadcasting first hand. e new buildings are being designed to facilitate interaction with audiences, including production areas at ground level where you'll be able to see what is going on. We believe it will become a place for special events, with giant screens, cafés and restaurants.

ere are plans to improve the links between the existing tourist attractions at e Quays and the tram will be extended into the heart of MediaCityUK. We currently run tours of the BBC at Oxford Road. What would be interesting is to do a tour now and then come to MediaCityUK in 2011 to see how much has changed. what kind of tours can visitors expect in Manchester and do you plan to specialise in a particular area?

I’ll be delivering a wide range of tours but my particular interest is modern Manchester. is includes post-war architecture, media, film and Manchester’s LGBT market.

If you had a visitor with limited time in Manchester, which attractions would you recommend for a quick look? e John Rylands Library, the new Civil Justice Building, the Northern Quarter, Canal Street, Manchester Art Gallery and the Manchester Wheel to take in the spectacular view. as a board member for Manchester pride, what can you tell us about Manchester as an LGbT destination?

It’s the reason I first discovered Manchester and that was before the rest of country had seen Queer As Folk!

Nowhere in the UK has a better defined gay quarter. e scale of our LGBT community means there’s something for everyone. Pride has just been voted the UK’s favourite gay event for the third year running and raised £105,000 for charity in 2008 thanks to all those who supported the Big Weekend.

Go to www.manchestours.com or www.bbc.co.uk/tours for more information about tours by John and the BBC.

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Withy Grove, Manchester c.1895. Image courtesy of Manchester Archives & Local Studies, Central Library.

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e Engine of civilisation

by Dr. Tristram Hunt

Manchester was the first. What Athens was to ancient Greece and Florence to the Italian Renaissance, so Manchester defined the urban, industrial age.

It was the engine of a civilization. It was the original, modern city.

When the nineteenth century dawned, writers rushed to study the awesome spectacle of ‘Cottonopolis’ – the city whose streets, culture, and civic ethos symbolised the epoch of industry. ‘Hast thou heard, with sound ears’, asked the Victorian sage omas Carlyle, ‘the awakening of a Manchester, on Monday morning, at halfpast five by the clock; the rushing-off of its thousand mills, like the boom of an Atlantic tide, ten thousand times ten-thousand spools and spindles all set humming there, - it is perhaps if thou knew it well, sublime as a Niagra, or more so.’

Jacob George Holyoake, the co-operative pioneer, was simply overwhelmed by the vitality and filth of 1800s Manchester, thinking it ‘more forbidding than the entrance to Dante’s inferno.’ Yet from these mills and factories, something historic emerged. ‘From this foul drain the greatest stream of human industry flows out to fertilise the whole world,’ as the French author Alexis de Tocqueville put it. ‘From this filthy sewer pure gold flows.’

Why Manchester? We used to be taught that it was the drizzly, cotton-friendly climate and easy access to docks and mines which secured Manchester’s prosperity. Now it is clear that it was not just the physical

advantages, but also Manchester’s human and intellectual capital – an extraordinary culture of innovation and enterprise which made it the boom-town of the Industrial Revolution. e cotton lords came to Manchester as much for the people as the place.

‘What Art was to the ancient world, Science is to the modern; the distinctive faculty,’ wrote the Conservative politician Benjamin Disraeli in 1845. ‘Rightly understood, Manchester is as great a human exploit as Athens.’ For this was a city of science and discovery: not just spinning jennies and beating looms, but John Dalton and atomic theory, James Joule and modern physics, later on Alan Turing and computing. And with it, an extraordinary public culture of ‘useful knowledge’ and self-improvement which extended from the Owenite Halls of Science to Owens College itself. In her novel Mary Barton (1848), Elizabeth Gaskell elegiacally described how, ‘in the neighbourhood of Oldham there are weavers, common hand-loom weavers, who throw the shuttle with unceasing sound, though Newton’s “Principia” lies open on the loom, to be snatched at in work hours, but revelled over in meal times, or at night.’ From the operatives to the aristocrats, technology and commerce marched hand-in-hand.

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is page right: The Royal Exchange Theatre, formerly Manchester’s Cotton Exchange, once the largest trading floor in the country which helped build Manchester’s status as the Cottonopolis of the world. below: Spinning Mule c.1840. (source: J.R.Barfoot 'The Progress of Cotton' - from a series of 12 prints drawn in the 1840's). The woman is piecing together broken threads. The child cleaning below is a scavenger. Image courtesy of Manchester Archives & Local Studies, Central Library.

And so much of this technological advance was the product of immigrant minds. For Victorian Manchester was a city with an imperial, even global vista. In the words of one historian, Manchester had a famous disregard for metropolitan opinion - ‘it cared little for what was going on “down there.”

London was not expected to provide either ideas or material direction.’ Instead, Manchester looked to the Stock Exchanges of New York and Berlin, the cotton fields of the American south, the docks of Bombay and Calcutta, the shipping routes from Hong Kong and Melbourne, and the intellectuals of Boston, Dublin and Paris. Manchester was a British city with a self-consciously worldly remit, soaking up ideas, innovations, and new residents.

In turn, the city was itself improved, its streetscape transformed as Manchester lured Britain’s finest architects to design and build the ‘Florence of the North.’ New warehouses along Portland and Princess Street, public buildings from Free Trade Hall to the Town Hall to Victoria Baths, and local parks all echoed the prosperity and pride of a purposefully ambitious city drawing inspiration from the great city-states of the

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Victoria Baths, © Paul McDonald

past. In art too, Manchester was an innovator, democratising high culture as never before. e 1857 Art Treasures Exhibition, with tens of thousands of works of art brought together under one glass-andsteel canopy on Trafford Park for the edification of the working-class, constituted the largest fine art exhibition ever held.

and operative. Alongside them came the cricket greens, swimming baths and football clubs. And then there was the welter of pubs which dominated the city and suburbs. ‘e public house is for the operative, what the public square was for the ancients’, reported the French journalist Leon Faucher of Manchester in 1844.

Of course, not everyone was so enamoured by this aesthetic re-branding. 'What in the world do you want with art in Manchester?’ growled the Duke of Devonshire. ‘Why can't you stick to your cotton spinning?’

Which was, of course, the point: to try to shed the caricature of a city which, in the words of the Manchester Guardian, always viewed ‘men and measures through an atmosphere of cotton.’

For Manchester was always more than just Cottonopolis. From the battle for democracy on the fields of Peterloo in 1819 onwards, Manchester’s urban energy (in pubs and council chambers) fostered a wealth of new ideas. It was the birthplace of the ‘Manchester School’ - those liberal freetraders whose belief in open markets and a minimal state provided the groundwork for contemporary conservatism. ey turned Manchester, in the words of AJP Taylor, into ‘the symbol of a civilisation’, ‘an ambition of mankind.’ But it was also the city whose stark inequality and capitalist rapaciousness helped to mould Marx and Engels’s communism, not to mention Manchester’s role in the anti-slavery campaign, trade unionism, the Labour Party, the Suffragettes, and the vegetarian movement.

And the city successfully challenged such caricatures through a remarkably rich civic society. Club, institutes, colleges, churches and chapels honeycombed 19th Century Manchester: from the Literary and Philosophical Society to the Portico Library to the working-class Mechanics’ Institutes and Friendly Societies dedicated to improving the cultural outlook of the artisan

So many of the ideas that continue to shape our world first found their voice in Manchester. Alongside the Satanic mills and booming factories, here was where traditions crumbled, urban life was pioneered, and originality thrived. Here was where the modern was born.

Dr. Tristram Hunt is one of Britain’s leading historians, a lecturer in modern British history at Queen Mary, University of London and a presenter of numerous radio and television series for both the BBC and Channel 4.

He is the author of The English Civil War: At First Hand, the critically acclaimed Building Jerusalem: The Rise and Fall of the Victorian City, and the biographer of Friedrich Engels.

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Daily Express Building, Great Ancoats Street

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art, atmohere & ancoats Jonathan Schofield explores one of Manchester’s most historical and beautiful hidden parts of the city - Ancoats.

Jorg Raach was a German journalist in Manchester writing about city architecture.

He visited Ancoats in March 2009 and it fascinated him: “Look at these buildings,” he said as we walked round, “such energy and power were here, this is like walking around ruins in Rome, only these connect directly with our world today.”

Ancoats is like that, an echo of a mighty past and a promising future wrapped up in a series of set pieces. ese range from the finest Modernist exterior in the North of England to a sequence of cotton mills, via classic terraces and the oldest slum clearance scheme in Manchester. ere are also churches, canals, exciting artworks and one of Manchester’s premier nightclubs, Sankey’s Soap.

A little behind the Williams’ building are rows of terraced houses. ese date from the 1890s and were built by the city. e central street is called Anita Street, an abbreviation of the old name Sanitary Street. e occupants complained about being named aer the good works of the Manchester and Salford Sanitary Society. e residents might never aspire to the affluent society but they didn’t want to be part of the effluent society.

Beyond Anita Street is Victoria Square built by the city in 1897 by Spalding and Cross as slum clearance. is is a vast tenement of five storeys built around a central courtyard.

It featured prominently in episodes of classic TV cop series Prime Suspect, with Helen Mirren and also in Cracker, with Robbie Coltrane and the BBC’s Clocking Off series. It’s an overwhelming presence, with tall brick gables.

Let’s pick on five of these.

On Great Ancoats Street is the former Daily Express Building from 1939 by Sir Owen Williams. Now offices, this is as good as it gets for modernist architecture, a dream of the future finished on the eve of WWII, a miracle of black and translucent glass flowing sensuously round the curves of the building. Unless you know the answer already it’s hard to guess when it was built: yesterday, the sixties, the thirties?

Tucked between Oldham Road and Rochdale Canal is St Peter’s church with its pretty landmark tower. Restored with Heritage Lottery money, there are plans to use the 1859 building for a variety of purposes in the near future.

A little south of St Peter’s lie the mills alongside Rochdale Canal and now converted (or in the process of being converted) to office or apartment use.

ese are the most important of our five highlights. e oldest is Murrays’ Mill of 1798, and the last is from 1912. French writer Alexis de Toqueville commented in the 1830s about the largest here, owned by McConnell and Kennedy: ‘1,500 workers labouring 69 hours a week…three quarters of the workers in [the] factory are women and children.’ To visitors, the scale of the new industrial process was something far beyond their range of experience. ‘Here are buildings seven to eight storeys, as high and as big as the Royal Palace in Berlin,’ said the German architect Schinkel in 1825. e Ancoats’ mills are the hub of the matter: get a blast of Coming from the Mill at e Lowry by the artist LS Lowry for a view of what they would have looked like when operating at full steam. e mills signified the break with the past which Manchester represented. Here was the new world of industrialised mass production and it wasn’t going to go away. From the moment these mills rose the globe was sent on its present path of urban domination over rural: here man began the process of becoming a city-dweller. Today, across the planet, there are more people living in cities than in the countryside.

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And here’s a lovely irony.

Scratch many a visitor from home or abroad about what classic British tourism is about and they’ll probably talk about the Tower of London, half-timbered Chester, the sweet rolling Cotswolds or the mountains of Wales and Scotland.

But Ancoats was one of the first major tourist attractions in the country almost two hundred years ago. In the 1820s and 1830s the suburb probably got more international tourists than the Lake District, the Peak District and the Yorkshire Dales put together. People came to gawp at the new industrial system and their reactions were never neutral: Ancoats was either hell or the future, exploitation or crystallised energy.

And there’s another lovely irony. ose visitors would probably have choked on their steak in the Bridgewater Arms in Piccadilly if you’d told them that those mills they’d toured would one day be living quarters. e workers spending long, loud, dangerous hours in terrible conditions would have laughed bitterly to think of their spinning sheds split into apartments, with young professionals, lolling on bright settees, watching satellite TV, with a balcony and potted plants.

But Ancoats is about change.

St Peter’s Church before and after restoration. © Ian Finlay Architects/Heritage Works BPT

e bricks and mortar are merely one aspect of that. e people are the other. From a Lancastrian population in the early days, to a 50% Irish population by the mid-nineteenth century, joined by a vigorous Italian community of textile workers and ice creammakers later, Ancoats has played host to a population as diverse as its history. e city workers in their apartments are merely the latest part of the story. Bengal Street in Ancoats has the Shamrock pub. It’s no coincidence.

Ancoats’ artist in residence, Dan Dubowitz, is fascinated by all this. He has created a series of Peeps across the Ancoats conservation area which let you see inside buildings via a brass cylinder. For example you can peer down into a connecting tunnel between factories, now disused, through which thousands passed.

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Dubowitz is trying to catch that sense of time passing, of lives lived, of the meaningful becoming redundant and of Ancoats permanent legacy being one of transition.

He says: ‘I’m interested in the diaspora of the workforce and the residents in Ancoats, the way the place was rejected and is now going through a process of acceptance again. In other words I’m asking whether walls can speak, can they let us stop for a moment and make us think of the time before ours. I want to create pivotal points, little schisms in the city where you get catapulted into other ways of understanding.”

His latest work is the Cutting Room, five concrete monoliths, in a public space, next to St Peter’s Church which is set to become the heart of the new Ancoats. is will feature panels with representations of cloth and other materials from the cutting room in Royal Mill before its refurbishment. e cutting room was where textiles were cut by hanging them on the walls with cardboard templates which provided the outline for clothes.

Top: Peep Below: Chips, image courtesy of Urban Splash Ltd

is was a fairly small room in the mill and Dubowitz has tried to capture its intimacy with the new square, emphasising this by sinking the floor of the public space and thus enclosing it. e name Cutting Room might also refer to film editing, reflecting the large number of occasions on which Ancoats has been a movie or TV location, as with Prime Suspect.

Tourism takes many forms. Ancoats isn’t easy. ere’s dereliction still, half finished projects, wastelands but for all that there’s a perverse magic about the place: a certain beauty in this pause before full regeneration.

In any case you suspect Ancoats has always been half-finished. As Dubowitz says, the walls speak. A walk around will give you an echo of how the world’s first industrial suburb rocked our world: why writers on cities such as Jorg Raach are drawn to it like a moth to a flame. www.civicworks.net

www.ancoatsbpt.co.uk

Ready Steady

Go! Manchester is renowned for its orting prowess, particularly in the world of football, with the cityregion being home to no fewer than four premier league football teams, including the world’s most popular, Manchester United, and its richest, Manchester City.

However, the beautiful game isn’t the only sport that is followed here with passion. e successful hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and the six world championship sports events that took place in the city during 2008 have brought all manner of sports to Manchester and they have certainly made their mark.

Whilst it’s great to buy a ticket and cheer your side on, why not get into the saddle yourself? ere are lots of sports activities you can have a go at during your stay.

Here are just a few of the options…

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CYCLING AT THE VELODROME The National Cycle Centre, Stuart Street, Clayton, Manchester, M11 4DQ Britain’s success at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was due in no small part to the Manchester Velodrome - the National Cycling Centre, Britain's primary indoor Olympic cycle track and the home of the Great Britain Cycling team.

Members of the public can take part in a one hour taster session. The bike, helmet and the coaching are all provided and you’ll be under the watchful eye of one of The Velodrome’s. experienced coaches.

Tip: Reduced rates for School, college and university student groups. For more information: www.manchestervelodrome.com

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WINTER SPORTS & CLIMBING AT CHILL FACTORe Chill Factore, Trafford Quays Leisure Village, Manchester, M41 7JA Chill Factore is the UK's longest real snow indoor ski slope. Here you can ski, snowboard, tube and luge to your hearts content. Tuition is available, if required, and there is also a snow play area for children that can be enjoyed all year round.

All equipment can be hired so don’t worry if you haven’t packed your ski gear!

Chill Factore is also home to a 12 metre high indoor climbing wall for those that fancy an adrenaline rush of a different kind. Experienced climbers will find enough challenges to keep them enthralled and there are experts on hand to assist beginners on their first delve into this exhilarating sport.

Tip: Chill Factore is part of a wider leisure complex: The Trafford Leisure Quays which includes the mighty Trafford Centre, Playgolf, Premier Travel Inn and lots more – all in one unique destination. For more information: www.chillfactore.com

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GOLF AT PLAYGOLF MANCHESTER Playgolf Manchester, Old Park Lane, Trafford Quays, Manchester, M17 8PG Improve your golf swing with a session at Playgolf - one of the UK's largest golf teaching centres. The driving range has 64 golf driving bays and four state-of-the-art video teaching studios that allow you to review your swing and receive a detailed analysis, helping to refine your skills.

Here you’ll also find Championship MiniatureGolf - nine mini versions of world-famous golf holes.

You can play accurate, challenging versions of the 16th at Augusta, the 17th at St Andrews, and the 18th at The Belfry – all within minutes of each other! Constructed using high quality all-weather putting surfaces, the holes vary in length from 10 to 20 metres. Each is a real test of skill - but lots of fun too!

Tip: Check online for details of packages, reduced rates. For more information: www.manchestergolf.co.uk For more information about sporting events a nd attractions, visit: www.manchesterworldsport.com

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Manchester Voices

Gary James Gary James had his first book published in 1989 at the age of 21. Since then, he has written for a variety of publications, including eTimes and the Oxford Diionary of National Biography.

His latest work is ‘Manchester: A Football History’ and in between his writing he somehow found the time to take on the proje of creating the Manchester City Football Club Museum & Stadium Tour. He ent almost seven years promoting the museum and tour before taking a break at the end of February 2009. first of all, (and this is the most important question!), who do you support?

I've been a fan of Man City since birth.

In fact, a week before I was born my mum attended the Manchester derby at Maine Road. Having said that I am very interested in all aspects of Manchester's football history and I have as many books and other material on Man United as I do on City. To me, City and United are like two sides of the same coin - occasionally one may get all the attention, but in truth you need the other to ensure there's a real value to both sides.

During the research period for ‘Manchester: a football History’, you must have gained a fascinating insight into Manchester’s story. what is the most amazing fact you’ve discovered? ere's so many. Manchester City's birth in the late 1870’s owes a great deal to a woman who wanted to create meaningful activities to stop local youths from "scuttling" (gang warfare). Manchester United's first president (when they were still known as Newton Heath) was from Liverpool. City and United came together in 1931 to stop a third Manchester side, Manchester Central, from joining the league – had they joined, United's existence would have been under threat! I also identified that a City director held discussions with United directors in the early 1960’s suggesting the two sides should merge! Can you imagine?

what do you consider to be the reason that Manchester has not only the world’s most famous football club, but also it’s richest?

Manchester excels in lots of ways and there's something about us that means we want to demonstrate our spirit. Football allows that. roughout our history the two main sides have enjoyed great success and great failure.

Pre-war, City were by far the bigger club.

Today it's United but the fact there are two sides that have represented the region successfully over the years says a lot about our attitude. where (or what) would you recommend in Greater Manchester for visitors to get a true flavour of the football spirit here?

Attending a game at City or United obviously gives a flavour of the region, but it would also be worth attending a lower division match or non-League. Have a look at Bury, Droylsden, Hyde United, Maine Road or FC United to get a feel for what the game means at other levels.

If you’ve got time to kill before going to a match in Manchester, what would you recommend to do?

If you're off to City then visit the bars and shops of the Northern Quarter for a proper taste of Mancunian life. For United, it's best to hang around Deansgate and perhaps take a barge to the game from Castlefield. Ideally, you should get to either ground early and have a good wander, soaking in the atmosphere.

of all the managers or players, past and present, that have represented a Greater Manchester team, who do you most admire and why?

Joe Mercer - he was City's great manager in the sixties and early seventies and I had the good fortune to meet him a few times.

When he died in 1990 I immediately realised I had to tell his story and in 1993 I published "Football With A Smile: e authorised biography of Joe Mercer OBE". at I believe is my best book because I really loved researching his life. Joe enjoyed tremendous success as a player at Everton, Arsenal and England and then as a manager with City, Aston Villa and England. He always stressed that football was a game to enjoy. In my book I included a quote of his which basically said that there's nothing wrong with the game - there's plenty wrong with players, directors and so on but nothing wrong with the game itself. I think that's entirely accurate. finally, what’s next for your career? Do you plan to write another book?

I’m finalising my next book at the moment. is one's specifically on City, and then in 2010 it looks like I'll be writing an updated version of "Manchester: A Football History".

Details of these books will be announced via my publisher's website www.manchesterfootball.org

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HEROES, LEGENDS AND THE GREATEST FOOTBALL STORY EVER TOLD.

Every day is a great day at Old Trafford. On match day there’s no better experience than watching your modern day heroes in their quest for silverware whilst enjoying world-class hospitality. Or you can immerse yourself in the legacy and legend of Manchester United on every non-match day by taking a glance behind the scenes of the world’s greatest football club at our captivating Museum & Tour Centre.

For a truly great day out call 0161 868 8000, email hospitality@manutd.co.uk or tours@manutd.co.uk

Visit The Quays, Greater Manchester’s unique waterfront destination and discover a world of entertainment and leisure on your doorstep.

Internationally renowned venues, dazzling architecture, superb shopping and world-class sport all combine to create the perfect day out.

In fact, there’s so much to see, why not make a weekend of it? Our partner hotels are within easy walking distance of the attractions and a short tram ride from Manchester city centre. Weekend breaks start from just £49.00 per night!

Plan your visit today – call Salford Tourist Information Centre on 0870 420 4145 or visit the website where you can also sign up for special offers.

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Retail therapy From quirky vintage and high street to designer labels and independents – Manchester’s shopping caters for every style and budget. It’s progressive attitude and individuality allow you to express yourself and create your own identity. But where do you start?

On the following pages discover where your style and wallet should take you.

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High Street WHERE TO GO: Market Street - want to look fabulous without spending a small fortune? Market Street is good for spotting chic bargains.

Trafford Centre - a short bus ride from Manchester city centre, it’s a shopper’s heaven with over 230 stores all under one roof.

WHERE TO BUY: Primark - bargains galore over three floors.

Manchester Arndale - a double layer of renovated loveliness stuffed to the rafters with big names including Topshop, Levis, Apple, Next and Adidas.

American Apparel - the latest styles and colours at affordable prices.

Visitor Information Centre - for all your Manchester souvenir ideas, from t-shirts to ‘I Love Manchester’ mugs and key rings.

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Cool WHERE TO GO: Deansgate - find stylish outlets such as The General Store and Den among an array of cafĂŠs and bars.

Barton Arcade - boutiques galore in this Victorian arcade built in 1850.

Northern Quarter - independent outlets.

WHERE TO SHOP: Oi Polloi, Northern Quarter - this Mancunian institution offers Fred Perry (originated from Stockport), Lyle & Scott, Spring Court and other exclusive brands.

Ran - cutting-edge style that make a statement.

Thomas Street Post Office - brings brands from around the world such as Pointer, Edwin and Idiom and unforgettable retail experience.

The General Store - a taste of true Mancunian style and rock n roll, find cutting edge brands including Ringspun, Elvis Jesus and Buddhist Punk.

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Bohemian WHERE TO GO: Northern Quarter - this bohemian quarter is a hub of independent businesses: find everything from vintage clothing, retro furniture, records and books.

Chorlton (Beech Grove)/West Didsbury just a short distance away from the city centre: find hidden gems including independent boutiques and kitsch gift shops and cafes.

WHERE TO SHOP: Afflecks - an ‘alternative’ department store packed with local designers, vintage, beads, tattoo parlours and more.

Rags to Bitches - reworked vintage at its best, pick up a specially altered item or custom made dress.

Piccadilly Records - established independent record store since 1978, find new and rare records, white label, signings and live sessions Manchester Craft & Design Centre - tranquil retreat where artists work in individual studios: the perfect place for a hand-made, unique gift.

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Designer WHERE TO GO: King Street - a place for prestigious retail therapy since the 19th century and home to designer shops.

Exchange Square - once the Corn Exchange, this stunning old corner building is home to a range of smart shopping outlets and eateries.

WHERE TO SHOP: Selfridges - the ultimate shopping paradise.

Splash the money on Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Hermès etc and relax over a cocktail at the cool bar.

Reiss - stylish, trendy and innovative clothing store.

Vivienne Westwood on Bridge Street – Dame Vivienne’s latest venture is the opening of her first UK Anglomania store in Manchester which was chosen over London to become home of the Anglomania range: a more youthful and streetorientated line with an avant-garde twist.

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The heart of shopping.

The pulse of the city.

Manchester Arndale.

MEN arena

printworks

withy grove

urbis

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victoria station

dea

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ate

selfridges

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debenhams

primark

Indulge yourself at one of our many eateries or coffee shops such as Starbucks, Eat, Costa Coffee, Bagel Nash and Baskin Robbins. Or for a more leisurely dining experience, try Bella Italia, Est Caffe or Nandos restaurant. Our Food Court is also home to Pizza Hut Express, Subway, McDonalds and Wings, so there's something to suit everyone!

manchesterarndale.com

Bursting at the seams with the latest fashion, footwear, accessories, music and entertainment, Manchester Arndale forms the heart of the city's shopping district. It boasts more than 240 retailers including Next and All Saints flagship stores.

Hot high street fashion names such as Topshop, Oasis and Warehouse, stand next to cult independents like Superdry, G-Star, and new concept stores from Puma and Disney.

CENTRE OPENING HOURS Monday - Friday Saturday Sunday

9am - 8pm 9am - 7pm 10am - 6pm

Telephone: 0161 833 9851

the centre of the city

Manchester’s folk trains According to the hype, music and football are Manchester’s greatest modern day exports. e latter is in little doubt: apparently 5% of the global population consider themselves to be fans of Old Trafford’s resident football club, Manchester United. e notoriety of Manchester’s music is a little trickier to summarise. From the hair-raising power of the Hallé Orchestra’s symphonies to the swagger of the Gallagher brothers onstage with Oasis, Manchester’s musical variety is one of extreme contrasts.

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One of Manchester’s most unique musicrelated events stems not from the glamorous world of popular culture but from the UK’s tradition of folk music. ere surely couldn’t be a better way to enjoy the city that spawned the world’s first passenger railway, than hopping on a train with a great big folk band and heading for the hills. Folk trains are a regular occurrence from Manchester’s Piccadilly Station, heading out to destinations including Buxton, Glossop, Hathersage and Goostrey.

e premise is simple... find out the time that your train departs, meet the band at the station and enjoy their company and music throughout the journey. Once you arrive at your destination, move onto the nearest pub for a drink and more singsong before finally heading back to Manchester with musicians continuing with the entertainment on the return leg.

e best thing of all is that apart from the train fare and the beer, it’s completely free.

As this is a charmingly low key affair, it is perhaps wisest to type ‘Manchester folk trains’ into Google and see what you get. www.folktrain.org.uk and www.hvhptp.org.uk are also as good a starting point as any. If in doubt you can always contact Tony Wills on +44 (0161) 427 5207.

Image: Goostrey, Cheshire, © Roger Dyke

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Arley Hall, Cheshire

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Stately charm You’ll be surprised by the magical gardens, regal stately homes and romantic castles on Manchester’s doorstep. Discover the heritage of Earls and Lords, ghost stories of historic houses and awardwinning gardens as you immerse yourself in a world of period drama and stories from centuries ago. Here are some of our favourites...

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î‚ťis page: top Peckforton Castle, below Bramall Hall Facing page: top Tatton Park, below Arley Hall

Heaton Park, Mancheer www.heatonpark.org.uk T: +44 (0)161 773 1085

At the foothills of the Pennines, Heaton Park is one of the largest municipal parks in Europe. Discover the ornamental ponds, extensive gardens and Grade I listed, 18th century neoclassical Heaton Hall. Historic buildings tell the story of the park through the ages from the magnificent James Wyatt Hall to the Tram Museum.

Smithills Hall & Country Park, Bolton www.boltonmuseums.org.uk T: +44 (0)1204 332 377

Dating back to medieval times, Smithills Hall is one of the oldest and best preserved manor houses in the Northwest.

It contains fine examples of architecture through the ages, from Medieval and Tudor right through to Victorian times. Uncover fascinating stories of ghosts and explore more than 2,000 acres of moorland, woodland and farmland.

Haigh Hall & Country Park, Wigan www.wlct.org T: +44 (0)1942 832 895

Formerly the home of the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, the Grade II listed hall dates back to 1840. The house is surrounded by 250 acres of parkland with magnificent views across the Douglas Valley to the Welsh Hills. The nature trails offer a guided route throughout the park whilst the miniature railway provides an interesting ride past the walled gardens and Swan Pond.

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Tatton Park, Cheshire

Arley Hall & Gardens, Cheshire

Peckforton Castle, Cheshire

www.tattonpark.org.uk T: +44 (0)1625 374400

www.arleyhallandgardens.com T: +44 (0)1565 777 353

www.peckfortoncastle.co.uk T: +44 (0)1829 260 930

Set in 1,000 acres of award-winning parkland, the 18th century mansion and Tudor Old Hall offer a fascinating insight into 400 years of the Egerton family.

Highlights include the collections of fine art and furniture, the Japanese Garden dating from 1910, the over 200 year old Topiary and RHS Flower Show every July.

Recently voted in the top 50 in Europe and in Britain’s top ten, these award-winning gardens are a result of 250 years of family tradition. Combining elements of design from earlier centuries and modern ideas they really are a work of art. Standing on the same site as the first house built in 1469, the hall gives a glimpse of 550 years of family history.

The only Grade I listed medieval-style castle in Britain and former stately home of Lord Tollemache, Peckforton Castle offers accommodation in authentic chambers, an 1851 restaurant and a Falconry with an impressive collection of birds of prey. The Great Hall or the Hexagonal Dining room are perfect for medieval banquets. A truly unforgettable experience, all set in the beautiful Cheshire countryside.

Lyme Park, Cheshire www.nationaltrust.org.uk T: +44 (0)1663 762 023

Most famously the location of the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, the Tudor mansion has been transformed into an ornate Italianate palace which houses a colourful family history. The immaculate Victorian gardens and beautiful lakes are all surrounded by a 1,400 acre medieval deer park. Seek out The Cage, 18th century hunting tour and breathtaking views.

Bramall Hall, Cheshire www.bramallhall.org.uk T: +44 (0)161 485 3708

Bramall Hall is one of Cheshire's grandest black and white timber-framed buildings.

The magnificent 16th century wall paintings, Elizabethan fine plaster ceiling and the Victorian kitchens and servant quarters give the hall its unique charm.

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Manchester Voices

Patsy Slevin Patsy Slevin is the creator of Proe Brewery – one of the best micro-breweries in Greater Manchester. Alongside the local attention the brewery has received, Proe has recently featured on BBC2’s ‘Oz and James drink to Britain’. We caught up with Patsy to get the lowdown on her beers and her life in the Manchester brewing industry. prospect brewery only launched in 2007 and already your ales are on tap at an everincreasing number of pubs in the Northwest. what made you choose this exciting career path and how does it feel to have launched something so successful?

I looked for a change in direction that included my love of good food and drink and a remark by my husband, John, that he had always fancied running a brewery.

I booked a training course as a 'toe in the water' and the rest is history. I’m very proud of the brewery’s achievements and it gives me a great buzz when I see customers enjoying the beers, then coming back to buy another. My beers are now on sale at e Crown at Worthington, e Royal Oak and e Boulevard in Wigan and e Windmill at Parbold, to mention a few. All the pubs we supply are listed on our website.

Your methods of brewing beers are interesting and unique. what’s the secret behind your brewing and how do you keep a local identity to your brand? ere is no secret but a degree in biology helps the understanding of the brewing process and my love of food and flavours gives me an insight into what will work. I don't use lots of technology to brew; I merely base upon touch, taste, smell and how it looks. It is very satisfying that many of my customers are within a few miles of the brewery, as I do try to limit the food miles

that my beer travels, although they occasionally travel further afield for beer festivals.

You claim that your mission is, quite simply, to produce imaginative but traditional real ale. How do you commit to this statement?

Beer has been brewed for thousands of years and in this country when every village and town had a brewery it was women (Brewsters) who brewed, so I have revived that. I also brew using only malted barley, hops, water and yeast so I can call my beers ‘traditional’. I spend a lot of time thinking about flavours and I read around the ideas to make unique tastes, oen looking at old brewing flavours and styles that I can put a modern twist to.

Particular recommendations are the awardwinning ‘Nutty Slack’ and the best selling beer, ‘Silver Tally’ at only 3.7% ABV, but packed with flavour. are there any events throughout the year where your beer is available alongside food from other local producers?

You were born locally to wigan… what makes it different, in your point of view, to the other borough towns in Greater Manchester?

I was born at Red Rock, a small hamlet about four miles outside Wigan and my family are from the area. e people who live and work here make the difference with their interest in all things local and have great pride in Wigan’s past and present. what would you recommend that international visitors to the Greater Manchester area should not leave without seeing?

I would say visit the beautiful countryside that can be found within a few miles of the city, visit the unique local pubs and sample good local food and maybe a pint of real ale. I would particularly recommend e Crown at Worthington, which is my local, e Angel in Manchester city centre and e Fox at Roby Mill.

For more information about Prospect Brewery: www.prospectbrewery.org.uk

Many of the pubs I supply sell good local food so my beers can be drunk alongside local food all year round. e Crown at Worthington holds gourmet evenings where beer and food are matched in an imaginative tasting menu. For more details: www.crownatworthington.so.uk

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a night on the tiles

by Joe Shaw and Matt Tansey

What do you get when you cross a training architect with a bicycle courier? In this case, due to their combined passion for all things Mancunian, the answer is a slightly strange but delightful pub crawl, which celebrates the social and aesthetic value of some of the city’s best hostelries and the beverages to be found there.

Mancunian arrogance oen charmingly oversteps itself: as if laying claim to splitting the atom and mothering inventions such as the programmable computer wasn't enough, the city has a habit of asserting authorship over concepts as well. e Saturday Night, it is said, originated in Our City at the grim height of the industrial revolution, where everyone getting tipsy logically appeared to be the only adequate release from long hours of dirty work and God (both of which we had invented earlier on). Tipsy being an understatement of course: don't anyone kid you that binge drinking is a new thing.

However, because this summer is due some good weather (the last two have been woeful even by Mancunian standards), the drinking order of the day should hopefully be a more

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leisurely one of lazy refinement: luscious pints of real ale consumed slowly with friends; a celebration of hops and all that business. Maybe join CAMRA. With all the government interference, beer needs those friendly, bearded crusaders more than ever.

Start a pub crawl in the sun and pick pubs that look good for it. Back at the dawn of the 20th century the Manchester Brewery Co. and others made sure there would be plenty to choose from by dressing up their favourites in wall-to-wall and floor-toceiling ceramics.

In the name of responsible drinking, a great manner in which to start your lazy day is always with a hearty meal. e two can be nicely combined by either Mr omas's Chop House on Cross Street or Sam's Chop

House just off it on Back Pool Fold. Tilewise, omas's is a Flemish terracotta affair that typifies the subtle introduction of Art Nouveau details into such décor at the time and pub-wise it would be a great beer asset to any major High Street. Inside, the floor boasts some fine Italian mosaic. Why not have a half-pint of Black Sheep in both and then pick which to eat in?

If these are a bit packed, a bit pricey or a bit too sweaty, as they may well be on a balmy weekend evening in the middle of a recession, then tear up the book. Head to Manchester's 'Roman Quarter' and make Cask on Liverpool Road your rallying point.

It's neither a traditional pub nor is there a tile in sight but as a self-styled continental bar it rightly serves a wide variety of

excellent beers. ere's also a great chippy next door and a nice little yard at the back.

Watch out for their tempting range of super strong, monastic continental lagers though: it's all about the local ales in a protectionist economy, demand one!

the rubber-necking drivers negate a peaceful outdoor drinking space, but the Rain Bar over the road does benefit from a large canal-side retreat and some nice J.W. Lees bitters. It's a big, converted umbrella warehouse though, so no pretty tiles.

To keep the subject of this walk in focus you should then head towards Great Bridgewater Street, where our trail will yield its finest examples of ceramic Manchester. e Briton's Protection hits all the elaborate gin palace notes inside the vault, but it can sometimes be overbearing, so take quick advantage of impeccable service and at least five cask beers, oen from the splendid Warrington-based Coach House Brewery, and head out to the leafy back end of the pub. If it's the first Monday of the month then consider sticking around for the cracking pub quiz upstairs.

Last on Great Bridgewater Street is the true black sheep of the list. e Temple of Convenience is obscure for being a converted public toilet, hidden wholly underground. However, it has bottled beers and spirits to rival the best of our local produce and qualifies through being a tiled premises, albeit with very plain little white tiles manufactured by Armitage Shanks. It is also a late-opening bar that embodies the true Mancunian Saturday Night spirit and as such, is not for the faint-hearted. Perhaps head back around when the rest are shut.

Further up the road is a Manchester institution, e Peveril of the Peak, dating back to at least 1830. It got 'tiled-up' around the turn of the century and is so pleasing to look at that it is surprising the bend in the road isn't an accident black-spot. e interior is also charming and the ubiquitous Stout ticks over well. e location is both a blessing to the pub and a curse because all

Not so far away, around the corner on Charles Street, sits the Lass O' Gowrie, its glazed exterior proving that brown can be an extremely beautiful colour. It is remarkable for being well-run with several rotating cask ales as well as being the site of 'Manchester's Oldest Pissoir' – if you go and sit on their wonderful new balcony over the Medlock River you can see the circular blue heritage sign that says so, or you can wonder at

either: a) how much cleaner the Medlock is these days – 'is that a fish?!'; b) what is this Mancunian connection between beer and toilets; or c) can you make any swear word sound acceptably posh by adding French bits to it? Really though, you should be thinking about how fantastically engineered that cantilevered balcony is!

It's difficult to line up a walkable journey of great beer in any city, when employing such an obscure architectural criterion as vertical baked clay, so these recommendations should really carry the caveat of a far flung treat. is obvious tiled marvel is e Marble Arch on Rochdale Road. However, neither its glorious innards, renowned on site micro-brewery, honest food nor excellent beers should be merely read about here. ey should all be experienced first hand and a dedicated trip is most certainly warranted. It is the grandest glazed emporium for summer ales of them all. Cheers!

Authors Joe Shaw and Matt Tansey are editors of the new, Manchester-inspired fanzine Belle Vue. The rest of the time they can be declared training architect and bicycle courier, combined by a love for good beer and FC United of Manchester.

The Temple of Convenience, Great Bridgewater Street

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Take it away It goes without saying that Manchester is blessed with great places to eat, from fine dining restaurants to curry cafés. But if you prefer to make the most of the summer weather and spend your lunchtime eating alfresco in Castlefield, the Northern Quarter or in Albert Square outside the Town Hall - here are some suggestions for local providers of high quality take-away food. We’ve also given some indoor alternatives.

Remember: keep Manchester tidy please dispose of your litter responsibly.

CATHEDRAL GARDENS The Social Urbis, Cathedral Gardens, Manchester M4 3BG T. +44 (0)161 605 8200 www.urbis.org.uk

Tucked away on the ground floor of Urbis, the centre for urban life, The Social’s takeaway menu can keep you sustained throughout the day: from fruit smoothies, porridge and bacon sandwiches for breakfast, pains au chocolat for brunch, to salads, sandwiches and pasta for lunch and a tasty cake and hot drink for afternoon tea. Everything is freshly made and terrific value – you should be able to pick up a satisfying snack for under £5.00.

Even more than the delicious fare, the real draw of The Social is its location. Whilst you relax amid the grassy expanse of Cathedral Gardens, your itinerary for the next couple of hours will write itself, for this is where the old and new mingle to dramatic effect. Take a turn around the exhibitions inside Urbis and admire the building’s striking façade, made up of over 2,000 individual panes of glass. Dedicated shoppers might be interested to know that by walking in the direction indicated by the tapered prow of the building, the joys await of The Triangle shopping centre, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols. For a change of pace and a more spiritual experience, walk in the opposite direction and visit the exquisite, 15th century Manchester Cathedral.

If you time things right, you might be lucky enough to catch a daytime concert performed by students of Chetham’s School of Music, or the Cathedral choristers’ Evensong service.

INDOOR ALTERNATIVES: The Modern; Urbis; Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant,

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CASTLEFIELD

NORTHERN QUARTER

ALBERT SQUARE

The Fish Hut

Sweet Mandarin

Shlurp!

27 Liverpool Road, Manchester M3 4NW

19 Copperas Street (off High Street), Manchester M4 1HS T. +44 (0)161 832 8848 www.sweetmandarin.com

Unit 2, Brazennose House East, Brazennose Street, Manchester, M2 5BP T. +44 (0)161 839 5199 www.shlurp.co.uk

The Tse sisters are shining stars in the firmament of Manchester dining. Their restaurant, Sweet Mandarin offers a young, vibrant style of cuisine: modern Chinese food, complemented by much-loved family dishes such as Lily Kwok’s Chicken Curry, recipe courtesy of the owners’ grandmother. Of course, taking a table inside the restaurant is highly recommended, but Sweet Mandarin’s takeaway counter offers an al fresco alternative at hard-tobeat prices: light bites cost an average of £4.00, with main courses at around £6.00.

With such a marvellously onomatopoeic name, it probably comes as no surprise to learn that Shlurp! describes itself as a “soup bar”. And not only soup, but stews, casseroles, sandwiches, salads, wraps, pitas, smoothies, cakes...

Mancunians adore Shlurp! as does the UK national press, if recent reviews are to be believed. Shlurp! cares about food, cooked slowly and lovingly, without chemical preservatives and with minimum use of added salt, sugar and wheat-based products. The menu is divided into helpful sections, such as: value; skinny; veggie; fish and changes regularly according to seasonal produce, but dishes such as spring green vegetable soup, Manhattan clam chowder and lamb tagine with cous cous give an idea of the delights on offer, for an average cost of about £4.00 each.

T. +44 (0)161 839 0957

Don’t be fooled by its unassuming exterior: the Fish Hut is a Manchester institution, revered by locals as one of the city’s finest purveyors of takeaway food. As its name suggests, the Fish Hut’s menu centres around that British classic – fish and chips – and its traditional accompaniments: bread and butter; gravy; mushy peas. There are no airs and graces here, just honest, fresh, down to earth food and a loyal clientele of locals (and you know what they say: there’s no better recommendation than that).

Two portions of fish and chips shouldn’t set you back more than £10.00, with added mushy peas costing a few pence more.

The Fish Hut is perfectly situated for lunch outdoors, thanks to its location at the heart of Castlefield. Slow things down and take a seat alongside the canal basin, admiring the brightlycoloured barges that meander along Manchester’s waterways, or contemplate the ruined Roman fort of Mamucium, a relic from the city’s ancient past. In the unlikely event that the Manchester weather isn’t conducive to open air dining, head for a table inside The Fish Hut and then dash across the road to MOSI (The Museum of Science & Industry) and spend a few hours discovering the city’s scientific and industrial history.

INDOOR ALTERNATIVES: Choice Bar & Restaurant; Albert’s Shed

If the food at Sweet Mandarin appeals to you, why not dip into ‘Sweet Mandarin’, Helen Tse’s critically acclaimed debut as an author, the story of her family’s journey from China, to Hong Kong and finally to Manchester and the dramatic events and upheavals they overcame along the way. Helen is the first British-born, Chinese author and is definitely one to watch.

Sweet Mandarin is situated opposite the Old Smithfield Fish Market façade, at the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. Eat whilst you walk, gaze covetously at the window displays of the independent fashion boutiques and soak up the atmosphere of the city’s most quirky and creative neighbourhood.

INDOOR ALTERNATIVES: Market Restaurant; Soup Kitchen

Settle down on a sunny bench in Albert Square with Manchester Town Hall providing an impressive backdrop, to enjoy your lunch and watch the world go by. Afterwards, why not make your way back along Brazennose Street and have a peep at St Mary’s, an ornate Roman Catholic church also known as the ‘Hidden Gem’?

INDOOR ALTERNATIVES: Grill on the Alley; Room Restaurant

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24-hour party people Manchester’s passion for music and nightlight ensures a great night out whatever scene takes your fancy. Here, Laura Marsden, a local writer and musician gives a laid back introduction to Manchester’s eclectic nightlife.

DEANSGATE LOCKS / CASTLEFIELD is area contains probably the most diverse range of places to eat and hang out. e best place to start, especially on a clear day, is Cloud 23 the swanky sky bar located halfway up the prominent Beetham Tower. e cocktails are brilliant as are the views across the city and the transparent peepholes in the floor.

Around the corner is the popular Deansgate Locks, a strip of big name establishments such as Revolution, Baa Bar, Cheerleaders and the Pitcher and Piano. ese places play mainstream pop and R&B although the club, Area 51 plays dubstep and harder house and has an impressive Function One soundsystem. e Comedy Store is also worth a visit as it plays host to big name comedians as well as the best of Northwest talent. A night out in itself, this place is really good value for money.

If you’re less inclined to sling on your gladrags and get down to banging beats there are a number of typically Mancunian pubs in and around the Deansgate area. e Britons Protection is a lovely northern pub, complete with nooks and crannies and polished brasses.

Another place worth a look is e Old Grapes, part owned by Liz Dawn, better known as the former character, Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street. If only to muse at the psychotic amount of photographs of the star, this is a massive pub with a big massive slab of Mancunian openess, humour and charm.

Le: Cloud 23 Facing page: top Canal Street

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OXFORD ROAD Oxford Road is the road to Oxford but is dotted with plenty of things to keep you in Manchester. e universities are located on this road and with over 85,000 students all wanting their own brand of fun, there’s a lot to choose from. Near the universities are the Apollo and the Academy, two of the larger capacity music venues in the city. It is worth checking listings for these places.

Next to the Academy is Big Hands, which is the unofficial aer-bar for many acts. Full of kitschy sleaze, this bar has a great jukebox and very relaxed, red-leather vibe. ey sell a great selection of beer here in correspondingly interesting glasses and they also do a good cup of coffee. Its sister bar, the Temple of Convenience, is located further up Oxford Road and is also a must for lovers of dive bars, Tom Waits and good lager. e Deaf Institute has developed a reputation for stylish and diverse entertainment hosting trendy club nights and hotly-tipped, up and coming bands. eir mojitos are certainly amongst the best in Manchester. e chips are pretty good too.

e Cornerhouse shows art-house and world cinema and has a sophisticated bar popular with existentialists and trendy young parents. is cinema is located near what is unofficially the city’s ‘heavy metal district’ – a clutch of pubs populated with rockers and punks - e Salisbury, Grand Central and the irsty Scholar. ese boozers are great for a few pints of cider before hitting Jilly’s Rockworld, one of Manchester’s stalwart clubs playing various types of rock music.

THE GAY VILLAGE e Gay Village is the most colourful and friendly place in Manchester. e fun and frivolity spills out of the bars and clubs and all over the streets, making the whole area feel very European and inclusive. e heart of 24-hour partying, this place is for disco dollies, divas and cheesy queens.

Queer is a mainstream pop bar and is bright, flashy and plastic. Video screens play constant hits by, mainly, female vocalists and is popular with fashionable youngsters and students for drinks before hitting mega club Essential for Poptastic madness.

Rembrandts and Company Bar are both men only places and are more fetishistic in their clientele, catering for bears and skinheads.

Vanilla is a lesbian bar and all-round support system for girls, offering a friendly environment, live music and a fanzine for club night Sugar. Wednesday night is transvestite night in the village which is super fun – especially at Napoleons, the cross-dressers’ bar.

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THE NORTHERN QUARTER Fieen years ago, the area now known as the Northern Quarter was little more than a collection of seedy backstreets and a place that you wouldn’t necessarily want to go aer dark. Nowadays, the place is crammed with independently run, quirky bars and clubs playing all sorts of music. e Roadhouse and Night & Day are both music venues with ramshackle, no frills charm offering decent club nights as well as live bands most nights. e Ruby Lounge is a smarter venue of similar size and also plays host to up and coming bands from around the world.

Caged Asylum kicks off there at 10pm every Saturday and is a club night/rock bar/lapdancing club modelled on the Titty Twister. Popular with both sexes, this is an amusing place to drop in for a tequila. e Bay Horse on omas Street offers live music and boasts its own secret garden whilst down the road, Matt & Phreds offers live jazz every night and could not possibly be any more full of character and atmos. Red velvet drapes and great sound, this place also sells the best pizza in Manchester. Around the corner is Common, a cute bar illustrated with cartoons and popular with young arty hipsters with good taste in music and culture.

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Top: Odd bar Facing page: The Printworks & The Lowry Hotel

The River Bar at The Lowry Hotel

WINNER MANCHESTER TOURISM AWARDS 09

If there’s an A-lister in town you can almost bet they’ll call here for one on their way back to one of The Lowry Hotel’s super-plush suites.

Overlooking the River Irwell and without doubt one of the most fashionable watering holes in the city, The River Bar offers all manner of tipples in luxurious and exclusive surroundings.

The Lowry Hotel was named the city’s Large Hotel of the Year in the 2009 Manchester Tourism Awards.

DEANSGATE If you’re into hangbags, WAGS and gladrags then head down John Dalton Street to Panacea, the ‘sophisticated playground’ popular with footballers and pop stars. Famous for its champagne cocktails, Panacea is classy, glossy and chic.

Around the corner, on Deansgate you’ll find more ‘mainstream’ locations such as e Living Room, Label and e Moon Under Water – a Wetherspoons pub. ese places oen have startlingly cheap drink promotions and are suitable for pre-nightclub drinks.

Just off King Street, nearby, is South, one of Manchester’s longest running nightclubs (see also e Star and Garter for well established indi night Smile). Expect to hear the best of indie-rock and pop in this underground club.

If you prefer pop and R&B then go towards the end of Deansgate and then head for the ‘big wheel’. Just beyond this is e Printworks, a corporate caricature of a bygone era.

Purpose built for entertainment, e Printworks is very popular with tourists and locals and contains the IMAX cinema, Manchester’s Hard Rock Café and many other famous franchises. XFM DJs host a night at Tiger Tiger and there is also karaoke here. Opposite e Printworks is the Birdcage nightclub, a camp paradise very popular with large hen night parties and regular girls’ nights out.

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Valet Service Packages Collection Only - £20* Your vehicle will be collected from your destination and securely stored for return at our valet reception at The Grand car park, Chatham Street.

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Please call - 0207 510 1631 or visit www.ncp.co.uk/manchester for further details.

Alternatively, send the following information to: manchestervaletparking@ncp.co.uk

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Want to explore Manchester in comfort?

Coming to Manchester? Want to get closer to where you want to be?

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Time is precious – to make the most of your break why not visit www.ncp.co.uk/manchester or call +44 (0)161 817 8900

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Queer as folk - ten years on On the 23rd of February 1999, a television drama burst onto British TV screens in a blaze of media outrage and flashy billboard ads. It showed a dazzling and glossy world where trees were lit by twinkling fairy-lights and glitter-covered muscle-boys cruised the canal-side. is was a world of fabulous friends and outrageous adventures – the show was Queer as Folk, the place was Manchester’s Canal Street.

by Adam Zane

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As Channel 4’s ratings grew, so did the number of visitors to the Gay Village – searching for a glimpse of Stuart, Vince and Nathan or ‘Babylon’ – the sexy, spectacular club where our heroes danced. It must have been a little disappointing to discover that trees on Canal Street were not fairy-lit and that ‘Babylon’ didn’t really exist (or rather, it was actually a rather run-down straight club in Bolton). at said, the visitors kept coming and the Village kept growing. Ten years on and the Village has become much more like the glamorous setting of Queer as Folk.

A Canal Street venue that does exist in real life and also featured in the very first scene of Queer as Folk is Mantos. It was a fitting tribute to the bar. In 1990 Mantos signalled the start of the Village as we know it today.

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e 1990s saw the Village transform from a scattering of dimly-lit back-street pubs to a more confident and visible gay scene, lead by the opening of Mantos. For the first time, Canal Street had a bar with large glass windows, allowing passers-by to see inside. is signalled the start of the cosmopolitan, canal-side culture and Mantos still stands today as a symbol of the Village’s beginnings.

As an actor living in Manchester at the time, I was unaware of Manto’s significance in the history of the Gay scene, it was just another bar on my regular pub-crawl that included the New Union , Via Fossa and New York, New York (all still standing and ageing rather better than the clientele). It was on one of these pub-crawls that I first heard

rumours of a ‘gay soap-opera’ due to be made in the Village. Fast forward six months and aer an audition with the great man himself; writer Russell T Davis and an agonising wait in a gay hotel in Maspalomas – I was told I had the part of ‘Dane’ – an accident-prone, gay friend of Stuart and Vince.

Filming began in the autumn of 1998 and took place on location across the city. It was clear from the beginning that one of the main stars of the series would be the city of Manchester. From the first episode’s dazzling shot of Stuart and Vince looking out across the city skyline re-enacting Titanic, to the fairy-lit, disco-pumping Village scenes, Manchester was out, proud and centre-stage.

e practicality of filming in Canal Street venues sometimes proved difficult and other locations across the city were scouted to double up. Via Fossa interiors were filmed in a pub near the now vibrant Deansgate Locks area. is waterside location and the stunning Merchant Bridge were the backdrop to many iconic Queer as Folk scenes, including Vince’s dumping of Cameron via mobile phone (“We’re breaking up!”).

One of the main settings for the show was to be Cruz 101, which at that time was the only gay club in the Village. Probably due to the sex and drugs featured in the show, the owners of Cruz 101 refused to allow the name to be used. e main club in Queer as Folk was now simply called Babylon. Canal Street clubbers were hired as extras and transported to a straight club in the nearby town of Bolton, where we hit the dance-floor every aernoon to a high-energy beat.

Even before the first episode had aired some of the British tabloids were calling for Queer as Folk to be banned. At the press launch, journalists fired questions about morality as the rest of the cast and I let Russell and producer Nicola Schindler defend the show.

On the day of the first episode, the Daily Mail called it a ‘degrading spectacle’ and said the nation was ‘hell-bent on destruction’ for allowing it to be aired. Aer three episodes, my character arrived and that week Queer as Folk lost its sponsors. I don’t think it had anything to do with my performance but it was a sign that the show was causing a stir.

In America, boot-leg copies were circulated in bars and Elton John rang up Channel 4 wanting copies of the series. Charlie Hunnan, who played school-boy Nathan Maloney was invited to meet Madonna in L.A. Back on Canal Street, bars showed episodes live and everyone was talking about Stuart, Vince and Nathan (and which one they lusted aer). At the hugely popular club night Poptastic, the dance-floor would fill whenever the DJ played the Queer as Folk theme. When the final episode of the first season aired, a huge party was held in the newly opened Prague5 bar (since closed and reopened as View). Russell, Nicola and a few of us Manchester-based cast took to the stage as glitter showered down. (I may have made up the glitter bit...). Earlier that night we had all watched the final scene where Stuart and

Vince launch onto Babylon’s dance-floor to the strains of ‘It’s Raining Men’. For me, it’s a moment that celebrates the Village and that absolute Queer as Folk feeling of fabulousness.

As for the real star of the show, the Village revelled in its new-found fame and became famous across the world. e places that Stuart, Vince and even Dane stumbled out of are still there, joined by a growing list of bars, clubs, restaurants and hotels. In the ten years since Queer as Folk, the Village has developed into more than just a great night out and has become a true community.

Clubs are now joined by actual clubs – Manchester’s LGBT Chorus, the Village Spartan’s Rugby team and the Northern

Wave Swimming club to name but a few.

All these organisations and venues come together every August for Manchester Pride. ousands of people arrive in the Village and across Manchester for this unique tenday event. As a new Patron of Manchester Pride I am sure to be found somewhere on Canal Street looking rather like Dane from Queer as Folk, only ten years older.

Ten years on, fabulous friends still dance on podiums to ‘It’s Raining Men’ or cruise the cobbles looking for love like Nathan Maloney. People still arrive in Manchester’s Gay Village looking for Babylon but at least now they find that Canal Street’s trees really do twinkle with fairy lights.

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Manchester Voices

Joe Stretch

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‘Wildlife’ and ‘Friction’ are in shops and available online now. Visit Joe at www.myspace.com/joestretchthewriter

Joe Stretch lives in Manchester. He’s a creative writer with two published novels under his belt – Friion and Wildlife. He sings with the band e Living as well as writing and performing as a solo artist.

How has Manchester inspired your work as a musician and a novelist?

Before I moved to Manchester I lived in a small village near Lancaster. I was pretty green when I arrived in the year 2000 aged 18. So the stuff I know about the world, about youth, culture, violence, drugs, drink and society – I’ve mostly learned here in Manchester. It was moving to Manchester that introduced me to the idea that I could actually write songs and novels myself. It suddenly felt possible.

Friction depicts an alternate Manchester somewhere in the near future. How do you think this city is likely to shape up in the next 20 years or so?

It’s fun to predict the future in novels.

But in real life, I’m not sure. An interesting place is omas Street. I did a job down there in 2000 and felt confident of certain death each time I went. Nowadays it’s a paradise of aspirational boozers in expensive clothes. Safe as houses. e most important battle that all British cities face is retaining their individuality in the context of globalisation. I think Manchester will fight this battle better than most.

what can you tell us about your new book project Wildlife? Is it in a similar vein to Friction?

A good room. ere’s a great literary night there every month called ‘No Point Not Being Friends’. Well worth a trip.

Wildlife is similar to Friction insofar as it’s satire. It’s an attempt to take the reader on a journey into an extreme version of our reality. Wildlife focuses more on the individual, as defined by celebrity culture, social networking, deregulation of the culture industry. It’s a comedy really... where most people die.

where do you recommend to go in Manchester and why?

I wanted to write a trilogy of novels because I grew up loving Jean-Paul Sartre’s Roads to Freedom trilogy. But I’ve written two now and I think I might save the third. I’ve got this idea that I want to go away from Manchester for ten years, then come back and write the third. It would be called Demoralised.

If you had to recommend one live music venue to Manchester’s visitors, where would that be?

I guess e Deaf Institute. Everyone loves it, I know, but for good reasons. It’s just a great space. When did people start saying ‘space’ instead of ‘room’? e Deaf Institute is a good room to play in and listen to music.

I’d recommend the first floor of Forsythe’s music shop on Deansgate. It’s full of grand pianos and a beautiful light. Walking the canal from Deansgate to Canal Street is great and I’d also recommend Essy’s diner near Bridge Street. ey sell sausages that look like human flesh!

If Manchester disappeared off the face of the earth, what would you miss the most?

My flat. A few friends. e CIS tower but not Beetham Tower. I’m not saying I don’t like Beetham Tower, it’s just I know I wouldn’t miss it. I would miss the public address system at Victoria Station - it announces the first train to Clitheroe into the silence of a Sunday morning and it echoes around the grand buildings of Corporation Street, the MEN Arena and Exchange Square. I love that. In fact, I’d miss that most, I reckon.

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ALBUMS TO LISTEN TO Yvette Livesey is the chief executive of In The City (ITC) - the world’s premier new music event which takes place in Manchester each October. Over the years ITC has helped launch the careers of Oasis, Radiohead, Suede, Elastica, Coldplay, The Darkness, Doves, Foo Fighters, Elbow and the Stereophonics.

Yvette took time out from planning the 2009 event to reveal her top five Manchester albums.

ones to watch e best way to really get to know a city is, of course, to visit it in person. But one way to get ‘under the skin’ before you arrive is to check out its exports in the media world.

On the following pages, local experts from the fields of music, TV, literature and new media outline their top five albums, programmes, books and blogs that will give you a glimpse into the spirit and soul of Manchester.

Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division In a city where we’re spoilt for truly great debut albums – The Roses and Oasis certainly both deserve a mention on those terms – it’s not too great a stretch of the imagination to say that in terms of influence and longevity there’s only one winner when it comes to the great Manc first album. It has influenced more bands than perhaps any other and continues to do so to this day, which is testament indeed to how good it really is.

Pills ‘N’ Thrills and Bellyaches Happy Mondays Another Factory band, but what the hell. It’s tempting to pick their debut “Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out)’ - to give it it’s full title but as one album that that sums up everything that was great, new and exciting about The Mondays, tracks like “Step On”, “Kinky Afro” and “Loose Fit” say it all – plus the Central Station artwork helped define a baggy generation.

Substance - New Order Is it lazy to suggest a compilation album?

Perhaps, but then again perhaps not when it’s ‘Substance’: released in 1987, it contains all of the band’s singles as 12-inch versions at that point in their career, plus all the B-sides. Take your pick from “True Faith”, “Bizarre Love Triangle”, “Ceremony” and more, but let’s face it you can’t come to Manchester and not listen to ‘Blue Monday’ at least once. Expensive though it turned out to be!

The Last Broadcast - Doves Putting paid to both traditional ‘second album syndrome’ and those now ridiculous sounding allegations that they were somehow a melancholy band, Andy, Jimi and Jez’s second album thrust them into the big leagues. As Sub Sub they were local heroes – and in ‘Space Face’ had a bonafide Hacienda classic - but great singles like ‘Pounding’ and ‘There Goes The Fear’ took them to a whole new level and were just impossible to ignore.

Leaders Of The Free World – Elbow It’d have been easier to pick their excellent, Mercury Music winning fourth album “The Seldom Seen Kid” given the mass outpouring of critical and commercial acclaim, but the troubles they were having with their record label at the time put a whole new context on this – an album that is easily as good as their more famous latest. All in all, a stunning example of the power of perseverance and positive thinking.

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In The City 2009 will take place between 18-20 October at The Midland Hotel and other venues across Manchester.

BOOKS TO READ Cathy Bolton is the artistic director of the Manchester Literature Festival. She previously worked as a writing development worker for Commonword and is currently completing an MA in writing at Sheffield Hallam University. Here, she outlines her top five reads that provide novel insights into Manchester’s rich cultural heritage.

Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton (1848)

Andrea Ashworth, Once in a house on fire (1988)

In 2010, Manchester will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of one of its most celebrated literary citizens, Elizabeth Gaskell. Her first novel Mary Barton, combining class conflict, romance and murder mystery, was published to great acclaim from the likes of Charles Dickens.

Gaskell's powerful and moving depiction of working class life in Victorian times continues to pack an emotional punch for modern readers and is a quintessential read for anyone wanting to become acquainted with Manchester’s industrial heritage.

This childhood memoir about growing up with abusive stepfathers in Manchester (and for a time, Canada) at once conveys the traumatic experience of domestic violence and entertains like the best of novels. A literary pre-cursor to the Misery Lit that has recently deluged the publishing world, Once in a house on fire is a cut far above the genre pulp, and should be read for the beauty of its language and vivid evocation of late 70’s Manchester as much as for the poignancy of its subject matter.

Jeff Noon, Vurt (1993)

Howard Jacobson, The Mighty Walzer (1999)

This cyber punk novel, set in a futuristic Manchester, follows in the footsteps of another local literary icon, Anthony Burgess, and has become a modern cult classic. Through the characters of Scribble and his gang, we experience a drug-induced vurtual version of the city. Noon drew heavily on musical influences in his writing, so you might want to play some Pixies or Ambient Dub in the background to help you enter the psychedelic world of Vurt.

One of several novels set in Jacobson’s home city, this comic, coming of age story tells the tale of Oliver Walzer and his dual obsession for ping pong and women. It’s a hugely entertaining novel and provides a wonderful insight into Manchester’s Jewish community in the 1950s. It not surprisingly scooped up several awards on publication, including the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic writing and the Jewish Quarterly Literary Prize for Fiction in 2000.

Mike Duff, Low Life (2000) This gritty comedy tells the tale of petty criminal Rooftop Rafferty – he's an anti-hero who will stoop as low as it takes to get his unfair share of the spoils, but one whom the reader feels ultimate empathy for. Low Life’s seedy depiction of North Manchester may not be the greatest of tourist adverts for the city, but Duff’s humane insight into the lives of characters most of us wouldn’t chose to cross in real life, make him a modern successor to Dickens.

The Manchester Literature Festival features some of the world’s most inspirational writers in prestigious and unusual venues across the city.

As well as hosting renowned literary figures, the festival also showcases up and coming Northwest literary luminaries via live events and innovative digital projects. The 2009 festival takes place between Thursday 15th and Sunday 25th October. For more information, visit: www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk

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FILMS & TV TO WATCH Susan Williams is the film liaison officer for Greater Manchester at Northwest Vision and Media.

Susan has worked on many of the large and small screen productions that have been filmed in the city during the past six years. Here, she outlines her top five film and TV programmes you should watch before your visit to Manchester.

Hell is a City (1960) This hardboiled crime film based on the novel by Maurice Procter starred the big heartthrob of the day, Stanley Baker. It’s a true gem of a film showing a bygone Manchester, when Piccadilly bus station looked like New York City and the Mancunian skyline was littered with chimneys pumping out thick black smoke. It’s a true Manchester film; even the premiere took place here, in the Apollo Theatre in Ardwick (now the Carling Apollo).

24 Hour Party People (2002) This is a riot of a movie featuring the good, the bad and the ugly of the Manchester music scene from the past 30 years. Do you want to know why Manchester music is still a huge influence on today’s sound? Watch this film and you’ll have a laugh too.

Cracker (1993-1995) One of the must-see programmes of the 90s.

This genre defining series has Robbie Coltrane as the eponymous anti-hero, stomping around the streets of Manchester like a bear with a sore head and highlights a Manchester on the verge of change. The city’s transformation can be seen as the series progresses. When you look at the Printworks, think of this show; when it was a just a deserted newspaper building, the early series were filmed there.

Life on Mars (2006-2007) The Street (2006 – present) These multi award winning dramas have transformed the locations they used into cultural hot spots. Stopford House in Stockport is no longer just a 70s municipal building, it’s been immortalised as the police station in Life on Mars where DCI Gene Hunt regularly vented his sexist, racist spleen on the displaced Sam Tyler.

An ordinary street in Salford is now hallowed ground, as the characters in Jimmy McGovern’s The Street play out their ordinary lives in extraordinary ways.

Northwest Vision and Media works on behalf of the digital and creative industries in the Northwest to grow a world-class digital and creative economy within the region. For more information: www.visionandmedia.co.uk

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BLOGS TO READ Chi-chi Ekweozor is founder and managing director of Real Fresh TV, a social media consultancy based in Manchester. (www.realfresh.tv) Real Fresh TV helps companies as diverse as PUMA, T-Mobile and KEO films run social media marketing campaigns on the web using blogs, online video and social media sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

Here are her top five Manchester-based blogs.

Chi-chi blogs at http://www.realfresh.tv and twitters to over 800 followers at http://twitter.com/realfreshtv.

The Manchizzle http://manchizzle.blogspot.com/ The Manchizzle is a popular Manchester blog featuring news about Manchester arts, media and culture. With links to pretty much every Manchester blog of note from its never ending sidebar, the Manchizzle is the place to find out about the city's latest literary and cultural news.

Ever wondered what happened to a much loved cafĂŠ in the Northern Quarter that recently closed down? The Manchizzle probably knows. The Manchizzle is also behind intriguing projects like Rainy City Stories http://www.rainycitystories.com/ , a writer's map about Manchester. According to the Guardian it is "the pick of Manchester culture and hub of blogging goodness". Who am I to argue?

The Mancunian Way blog http://blogs.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ themancunianway/ Part of the Manchester Evening News series of blogs on Manchester city life, the Mancunian Way blog is particularly great at surfacing news of arty, tech and media industry happenings in Manchester, especially when there is a social media slant to proceedings. Contributors include Manchester Evening News journalist Sarah Hartley and digital innovators Adrian Slatcher and Paul Robinson. The place to unearth new blogging gems, the Mancunian Way's 'Blog of the Week' feature is a great way to discover new literary voices from across the whole spectrum of business and community life in Manchester.

There is always up to date commentary on tech, social media and arty events that take place in Manchester. In fact, it's worth checking out the Mancunian Way blog before or whilst attending a tech-related conference in Manchester as chances are, one of the site's contributors could well be delivering erudite live event coverage of the event!

Scatterdrum http://gillmoorephotography.wordpress.com/ If you're more interested in a visual perspective on Manchester, then checking out a photography blog (aka photoblog) maintained by Manchesterbased photographer Gill Moore may be more your thing. Scatterdrum is billed as "ramblings from inside a photographer's head" but don't let that fool you. Amongst the articles on 'Classic British Designs on the new Royal Mail stamps' are well researched notes on eco friendly fonts, how to be a great photographic assistant and links to striking images from Moore's accomplished portfolio. Of particular note is her well-received 'Chorlton bench project' during which she photographed a number of park benches in the popular South Manchester suburb of Chorlton, putting up shortlist of seven to the public vote in mid 2008.

Run Paint Run Run http://runpaintrunrun.blogspot.com/ Yet another arty and visual blog, Run Paint Run Run is loosely described as "a blog about arts, culture and comics in Manchester". I came across this one by way of the Mancunian Way's 'blog of the week' feature and have been a fan ever since. Maintained by Art History graduate, Ella Wredenfors, Run Paint Run Run is a smorgasboard of visual and literary delights: she literally attends art exhibitions and blogs about them! Her write up on the Witness: Women War Artists exhibition at Imperial War Museum North is well worth a read.

Mancubist http://www.mancubist.co.uk/ One of the first ever Manchester blogs I came across, Mancubist is a Manchester blogging institution, covering artsy, music, media and cultural events in the city for over three years.

I for one particularly appreciate their musical and creative slant: where else can you find out about local singer songwriter Denis Jones’s newest quarterly folk event and a 'capture Manchester' photography event offering you the chance to win a £500 award for capturing the city in a photograph? As their tag line goes: 'Life is good in Manchester'.

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Hidden gems of England’s Northwest Stuart Maconie is an accomplished writer, journalist, broadcaster and TV presenter from Wigan in Greater Manchester. His recent work includes ‘Stuart’s Short Stories for Short Breaks’ - an insider’s view of the Northwest.

In an extract from that work, Stuart gives us a glimpse of some of the amazing sights and sounds that can be found in England’s Northwest from one hundred life-size cast iron figures on Crosby Beach near Liverpool and the sandals of centurions in Chester to the Vikings in the Northern Lake District and a UFO-like ‘Panopticon’ in East Lancashire.

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LANCASHIRE

The Halo

Close Encounters of the Third Kind, an 800-year old castle and a crash pad for Oliver Cromwell Look up ‘Panopticons’ on the internet and the first definition you’ll be met with describes a type of prison building designed

by English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in 1785. Having earmarked a weekend to spend visiting the Panopticons, I have to say that I began to panic a little. ankfully, I scrolled down the page and was met with an altogether more agreeable explanation, this time describing an arts project in East Lancashire involving the construction of a series of 21st century landmarks, or Panopticons (structures providing a comprehensive view). Phew, I sighed. at sounds much more like my kind of thing. So it was with a newly kindled sense of enthusiasm that I set off for Clitheroe in East Lancashire.

Dominating the skyline of Clitheroe for more than 800 years and standing on a rocky outcrop 35 metres above the River Ribble Valley floor, the town’s Norman castle is said to house the second smallest keep in England with the rooms measuring 20 feet square. I don’t know about you, but if I’d

been around during Norman times I’d much rather the rooms be snug than cavernous and cold. Just think how much they’d save on heating bills!

Another reason for my visit to Clitheroe was to delve into the famous connections of Stonyhurst College. Famed for being an overnight stop for Oliver Cromwell, having Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (writer of Sherlock Holmes) as one of its former pupils and housing the classroom where J.R.R. Tolkien spent much of his time writing ‘Lord of the Rings’, Stonyhurst College can justifiably claim to be one of Lancashire’s most inspirational places.

Next stop was Top o’ Slate. e name is a nod to the site’s old days as a quarry. Today however, at the centre of this newly landscaped public space sits a UFO. Actually it’s an 18-metre diameter steel structure supported by a mighty tripod and christened ‘Halo’, but it certainly resembles alien transportation from Spielberg’s blockbuster film Close Encounters of the ird Kind.

Even more so when night falls and Halo radiates a sky blue colour using the very latest LED technology. I expect the local police were inundated with reports that E.T. had landed on the night Halo first glowed. e final Panopticon of the day was to be found in the remote Wycoller Country Park.

Resting high above the little village of Wycoller that dates back beyond 1000BC, Atom is a mighty bronze coated egg that acts as both viewpoint and shelter. Resting inside, I was able to savour spectacular views of the surrounding countryside through its circular viewing spaces, whilst feeling not unlike Mork from the American sci-fi sitcom Mork and Mindy, who came to earth in a large eggshaped space ship. Priceless.

For more information about Lancashire: www.visitlancashire.com

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THE LAKE DISTRICT

Crag Rat, Vikings and Britain’s favourite view

e Northern Lake District, empty, austerely lovely, delightfully unspoilt, is a world away from the traditional image of the Lakes.

Here you’ll find the market town of Cockermouth, a gem of a place with a wide, handsome main thoroughfare lined with quirky shops and cracking little pubs. It’s also home to William Wordsworth’s place of birth.

Described by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as ‘quite a swagger house for such a town’, Wordsworth’s House is still an impressive edifice and certainly the grandest building in the town today. It wasn’t hard to understand why Wordsworth looked back so fondly on the childhood years he spent here. It must have been quite magical.

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Strolling through the peaceful walled gardens, my nostrils detected a familiar scent permeating the air. It wasn’t the scent of flowers, fruit or herbs, but hops. Beer hops.

Cockermouth is home to the famous Jennings Brewery which proudly creates a range of superb Lakeland ales including Cumberland Ale, the light and luscious Crag Rat and the dark and fearsome winter brew Sneck Lier which will certainly separate the men from the boys.

Over in Grizedale a new 19 kilometre mountain bike trail has just opened. And don’t panic if you’re not exactly the sporty type as there are plenty of forest walks to enjoy as well as the opportunity to catch a

THE LAKE DISTRICT

Wastwater

glimpse of the Bassenthwaite ospreys from Dodd Viewpoint. So popular have these raptors become that a live webcam provides a daily update from the nest, which is far more enjoyable than a nanosecond of Big Brother.

Bassenthwaite Lake itself is simply stunning, quiet and very much unspoilt. Bassenthwaite locals will also tell you it’s the only lake in the Lake District; the rest are meres or waters as their names include. One such water is Wastwater. Described by Wordsworth as long, stern and desolate, Wastwater shot to fame in 2007 when it was named as ‘Britain’s Favourite View’. e famed panorama toward the head of the

valley showing Kirk Fell, Gable and Lingmell towering above the tiny hamlet of Wasdale is actually the symbol of the Lake District National Park. It’s fabulous, but I actually prefer the menacing two-thousand foot wall of the Wastwater screes seen across the eerie stillness of the lake.

Last, but by no means least, the awe inspiring mountain range made up of Scafell, Great Gable, Kirk Fell and Pillar is a must.

It’s a bit of a stony slog and you’ll never have it to yourself but once on its rocky summit you can feel quite proud of the fact that noone on foot in England is nearer to the stars.

Next stop was Wasdale Head. Not only does this tranquil corner of the Lake District boast the highest mountain in England and the deepest lake, it’s also home to the smallest church - St Olaf ’s roof trusses are thought to have come from a Viking longboat.

For more information on Cumbria and the Lake District: www.golakes.co.uk

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CHESTER

The sandals of centurions, the tread of Tudors, the silent feet of ghosts I’m patrolling the ancient walls of Deva, a far-flung outpost of imperial Rome. Not in a toga, but in my holiday togs. Because to use its present day name, this is Chester, and I have to say the Romans made a very good job of civilising it.

Granted, for all their renowned road building skills, they didn’t construct the M53 that brought me so easily by coach to its doorstep. ough they did know a thing or two about dramatic settings, as testified by the amphitheatre that I could see from the ramparts of the most complete Roman defensive ring of stone in England.

Around two miles long, the walls completely encircle the city centre, and they serve a very useful purpose today as a means of getting around the place without getting knocked down by a chariot – sorry, bus. And as you stroll along, every so oen you come across metal panels set into the stonework that tell stories about that particular part of the route and help you get your bearings. Just in case you’re wondering, they’re not in Latin. ey were put up by the council, not the proconsul.

Chester is said to be one of the most haunted cities in the country, and I could easily imagine being confronted by a spectral centurion keeping an eternally loyal vigil on the battlements. So it’s probably a good thing that there are many points where you can come down off the wall and into the busy streets. And what wonderful streets they are, with an eclectic mix of architecture from the middle ages to the modern, and pretty much everything in between.

e Tudors were fairly late arrivals considering, though they too le their indelible mark with ‘e Rows’... black and white half-timbered arcades that were the medieval equivalent of shopping malls, only with a lot more of ye olde character. ere are shops at street level, then up the creaking stairs, yet more on the upper level. And rather than being ‘do not touch’ museum pieces, they are still full of bijou little outlets today, offering clothes and shoes with ye very modern designer labels. But you don’t have to part with a penny to enjoy the experience of exploring this unique setting.

As I stood trying to take it all in, I was buttonholed by a very sweet little old lady – planted by the tourist board? – and given chapter and verse on the history. Apparently, the layout of these galleried streets goes back to the 13th century, but nobody can quite agree as to why the shops were built on two levels. One theory is so the land owner could charge two rents for occupying one space.

Nothing changes, does it?

Another ‘must’ is Telford’s Warehouse.

Conceived in the 1790s by omas Telford, one of the men who kick-started the Industrial Revolution, this Georgian building is now the centrepiece of Chester’s canal basin. With bare brick walls and exposed timbers, it still has a lot of the original features, though I doubt if any of the old bargees would believe their eyes if they were to step inside today. No floor to ceiling stacks of goods, but a massive bar. Wall-towall good time.

Eastgate Clock

All in all, I’m not surprised Chester has its fair share of ghosts… I can easily understand why anyone would want to linger in Chester for a very long time.

For more information on Chester: www.visitchester.com

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LIVERPOOL

Below: St George’s Hall Right: Liverpool at night

Ancient Greece, endless art and John Lennon’s pub Stepping off the train at Lime Street, with the jukebox in my head – alright ipod, I'm showing my age - automatically selecting and playing a medley of Beatles hits, with England's most brassy, sassy and exotic accent ringing in my ears, I was definitely in Liverpool. Or was I? Because the first sight that hits you – and it does hit you, la - when you walk out of the station is straight out of ancient Athens: the awe inspiring St George’s Hall. Imagine the Parthenon, but in much better nick. A 19th Century manifestation of municipal chutzpah on a monumental scale. is was Liverpool's swaggering announcement to the world that it had arrived. I paused for a minute, letting my awe be well and truly inspired.

But I didn't linger too long, I had, if you'll forgive me, a ticket to ride and instinct was drawing me to the Liverpool Philharmonic. e ‘Phil’, as it’s known locally, is a pub - a mini-symphony of boozer architecture and one of John Lennon’s favourites in his preFab days. e place began life as a Victorian gin palace and is still wonderfully over the top. It’s a place where ladies frequent the

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gents more than the bar, on a guided tour that is, to visit the grade 2 listed toilets. ere were any number of virtuosi conversationalists in the bar and it was tempting to stay for the encore.

Scousers aren’t shy to boast about their home city. And there's nothing to be shy about.

Buy me a pint in the Phil sometime and I'll expound on my theory that Liverpool is the eastern-most city of the USA, positively American in its gregarious big-hearted energy and streetwise cool. Don’t believe me? Get yourself the round trip ticket on the Mersey Ferry and, as you feel the breeze in your hair, the sun on your face and marvel at the best-looking waterfront in England, you'll feel positively Manhattanite.

Suitably refreshed, the tang of the sea in the air led me inevitably in the direction of the docks. More precisely, the historic Albert Dock, where Tate Liverpool is now moored with its cargo of national treasures. As a very well informed member of staff told me, in that unmistakeable accent, this includes works from the Tate Collection, plus a

LIVERPOOL

programme of exhibitions of the best in modern and contemporary art. I could have stayed there for hours. Literally so, because on the last ursday of every month 'Late at the Tate' means the gallery is open until nine in the evening for special events. Not that long ago, this huge commercial harbour was a bleak overgrown wasteland, an eyesore and a painful reminder of the city's decline. Now it's a metaphor for Liverpool's rebirth, and a good place to pick up everything from that ipod to a sherbet dab to a replica Everton top. e culture vulture in me said to press on to the Walker Art Gallery to rub shoulders with the likes of Rembrandt, Monet and Turner, Liverpool has galleries the way some cities have roadworks and the Walker is the Bill Shankly and daddy of them all. One hundred and thirty years in the making, the gallery houses one of the finest art collections in Europe.

Just a short Merseyrail journey brings you to Port Sunlight and the Lady Lever Art Gallery. Built by a man who made millions out of soap, and dedicated to the memory of his wife, all I can say is there must be money in soap, because it has pretty amazing displays of 18th and 19th century painting and furniture.

One of the latest cultural additions to Liverpool and Merseyside is the one hundred cast iron life-size figures by 'Angel of the North' sculptor Antony Gormley that can be found on Crosby Beach. Titled 'Another Place' it's meant to capture the conflicting emotions of the sadness of emigration, but the hope of a new future. e problem with Liverpool is not finding things to do but finding time to fit them all in. Whether it is history, rock and roll, or those cast iron figures on Crosby Beach that float your boat, there’s something for everyone.

For more information on Liverpool: www.visitliverpool.com To read more of Stuart's short stories go to www.stuartsstories.com

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Gallery Manchester ey say a picture paints a thousand words, and with so many incredibly beautiful photographs of Manchester out there, we decided to bring four of them together for a special Manchester Gallery feature. We asked four local photographers to choose their favourite image of Manchester and tell us a little about what they think their shot says about our great city.

Jan Chlebik “This photo was a happy accident for me. I wasn't looking to take a photo of a man in a suit by the canal. I was looking at something else when it happened. However, the more I looked at it the more it seemed to show a lot of what I like about life in the city.

Manchester is a place of contrasts, a place where despite being in the middle of a busy city you can find a quite spot to be yourself.”

For more information: www.janchlebik.com

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Ed Chadwick “This is one of my favourite photographs. It has something of an old-world Manhattan look about it - even though it was actually taken on Tib Street in the Northern Quarter.

I love the contrast of the industrial brick upper floor with the warmth of the bar below.

Centro is a really chilled out place to relax with a drink and I think this photograph encapsulates that feeling. The car was a complete bonus.�

For more information: www.craftanddesign.com

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Andrew Brooks "This photograph is one of the images from my Hidden Manchester show at URBIS. I wanted to create an image that captures the old and the new of Manchester and shows how they weave together in the city, from the angles on top of the Town Hall clock tower to the Beetham tower in the distance. I like the way it shows the new, modern city framed by one of the grand old buildings which has played such a key part in the foundations of the city. It is built from over 200 shots which helps me clearly capture detail in the brickwork in the foreground as well as the distant lights of the city and the rain clouds rushing by."

For more information: www.andrewbrooksphotography.com

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Paul Jones “I love Canal Street. It’s the heart and soul of the gay village and I think it’s the best quarter of the city. In the summer it’s standing room only as the bars spill onto the streets – but even in the winter the lights in the trees along the canal give it a magical feeling. You’re free to be whoever you want to be and for someone like me, whose passion is poeple, it’s a great location. This photograph shows how diverse an area it is. You never quite know what’s around the corner, and I like that.”

For more information e-mail: exposuregroup@aol.com

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MANCHESTER AIRPORT Your gateway to the North of England.

Situated in the heart of the UK, Manchester’s award-winning airport prides itself on being one of the world’s busiest and friendliest.

As the largest airport outside of London, Manchester Airport handles over 20 million passengers per year. Its facilities are world class with three terminals, two runways, over 250 check-in desks and 65 airline operators.

Over 190 destinations worldwide are served from this international hub and a comprehensive European and domestic air network enables visitors to use the city as a convenient base for transfers to the rest of the UK and indeed Europe.

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The £35m transformation of Terminal 1 will see the unveiling of stylish new retail outlets and restaurants as well as increased security lanes, to make your journey through the airport so much easier.

In fact, it has never been easier to fly to Manchester with a variety of competitive fares and direct scheduled flights offered by major US, UK and European airlines.

If Manchester is your gateway to exploring the many attractions the North of England has to offer, or alternatively the venue for a connecting flight, why not take advantage of the fantastic offers available from the array of hotels located on the doorstep of Manchester Airport. From budget to four star luxury, these venues make for a perfect take off or touch down.

When you arrive at Manchester Airport, head for The Station, a £60 million ground transport interchange which brings rail, coach, bus and taxi under one roof, offering frequent and direct transport services to Manchester city centre, York, Leeds, Windermere, Blackpool and Newcastle to name but a few. State of the art technology with an impressive ticket sales facility provides up-to-date travel; visitors will enjoy a relaxing introduction to the region. Alternatively pick up a hire car at the airport and take to the open roads of Greater Manchester.

A train service from Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly railway station operates every 10 minutes, with a journey time of approximately 15-20 minutes.

For further details of the many airlines that fly into Manchester, visit www.manchesterairport.co.uk

MANCHESTER AIRPORT SCHEDULED FLIGHTS

DOMESTIC SCHEDULED FLIGHTS

Geneva

Aberdeen Belfast - International Belfast - City Cork Dublin Edinburgh Exeter Galway Glasgow Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Kerry Knock London - Gatwick London - Heathrow Newquay Norwich Plymouth Shannon Sligo Southampton Waterford

Gothenburg Hamburg Hanover Helsinki Islamabad Istanbul Jeddah Karachi Lahore Lanzarote Larnaca La Rochelle Las Palmas Lisbon Luxembourg Lyon Malaga

bmi bmibaby Flybe bmibaby, Aer Lingus Aer Lingus, Ryanair bmi, Flybe Flybe Aer Arann bmi, Flybe Aurigny, Flybe Flybe bmibaby, Flybe Aer Arann bmibaby British Airways bmi, British Airways bmibaby, Air Southwest Flybe Air Southwest Ryanair Aer Arann Flybe Aer Arann

INTERNATIONAL SCHEDULED FLIGHTS Abu Dhabi Alicante Almeria Amsterdam Antwerp Athens Atlanta Barbados Barcelona Basel Bergerac Billund Bordeaux Bratislava Brest Brussels Budapest Calgary Chambery Chicago Cologne Copenhagen Crete Dalaman Doha Dubai Dusseldorf Faro Frankfurt

Etihad Airways Thomson, Monarch Scheduled, Jet2.com, bmibaby, easyJet Monarch Scheduled KLM, bmibaby VLM Olympic Airlines, easyjet Delta Air Lines Virgin Atlantic Monarch Scheduled, bmibaby Swiss International Air Lines Flybe British Airways bmibaby SkyEurope Flybe Flybe, Brussels Airlines, Ryanair Jet2.com Flyglobespan Jet2.com American Airlines TUIfly SAS easyJet Kibris Turkish Airlines, Jet2.com Qatar Airways Emirates Flybe, Lufthansa Jet2.com, Monarch Scheduled Flybe, Lufthansa

Malta Marrakech Menorca Milan Munich Murcia Naples New York (Newark) New York (JFK) Nice Niedderhein Olbia Orlando Oslo Paderborn Palma Mallorca Paphos Paris Perpignan Philadelphia Pisa Prague Rennes Rome Rotterdam Reykjavik Riyadh Salzburg Sharm El Sheik Singapore Sofia Stockholm Stuttgart Tel Aviv Tenerife Tolouse Toronto Tripoli Vancouver Zurich

bmibaby, Jet2.com, Saudi Arabian Airlines, easyJet, Swiss International Air Lines City Airline Lufthansa Flybe Finnair Air Blue, Pakistan International Airlines Turkish Airlines Saudia Arabian Airlines Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines Monarch Scheduled, Jet2.com Cyprus Airways, easyJet Flybe Thomson bmibaby VLM bmi bmibaby, Jet2.com, easyJet Monarch Scheduled, Thomson Air Malta, easyJet Thomson Monarch Scheduled Flybe Lufthansa Jet2.com, Monarch Scheduled Thomson Continental Airlines Delta Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines Jet2.com Ryanair Jet2.com Virgin Atlantic SAS Air Berlin bmibaby, Monarch Scheduled, Jet2.com Cyprus Airways, easyJet Air France, Flybe bmibaby US Airways Jet2.com bmibaby, CSA Czech Airlines Flybe Jet2.com VLM Icelandair Saudi Arabian Airlines Thomson Jet2.com Singapore Airlines Bulgaria Air, easyJet SAS TUIFly Thomson, Jet2.com Monarch Scheduled, Jet2.com, easyJet bmibaby Air Transat Libyan Arab Air Transat, Flyglobespan Swiss International Air Lines

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Why pay more than you have to for your train tickets?

Just switch to crosscountrytrains.co.uk and we’ll search every train company’s schedule to find you the right train, at the right time, at the right price. And unlike some other train ticket booking websites, we won’t charge you a booking fee. The more you plan and book in advance, the more you’ll save.

And, if you’re travelling on a CrossCountry train, you could even print your ticket off at home.

Click on crosscountrytrains.co.uk and let your search engine search out some big savings for you.

crosscountrytrains.co.uk your search engine

GETTING AROUND GREATER MANCHESTER Manchester’s central location, coupled with excellent tranort links, makes it one of the most accessible cities in the UK.

Whatever your preferred mode of transport, Manchester has it covered, offering a comprehensive local public transport system. So once in Manchester you’ll have no problems getting around using buses, trains and trams.

BUS Buses are an excellent way to see the city and the wider region of Greater Manchester. A comprehensive network of buses offer fast and frequent services to many destinations.

In the city centre hop on one of the Metroshuttle buses. Metroshuttle buses are free and link the main rail stations, shopping areas and businesses in the city centre. www.gmpte.com

TRAMS Metrolink is Manchester’s innovative tram system. It allows easy travel in the city centre and further afield. Because Metrolink runs every few minutes you don’t need a timetable, you can just turn up and go anytime from early morning until late in the evening. Remember to purchase your ticket from the machine before you board. www.metrolink.co.uk

TRAINS There are four key train stations in the centre of Manchester - Piccadilly, Victoria, Oxford Road and Deansgate. Piccadilly is the main hub and is most visitors’ principal arrival point into the city.

There is a comprehensive network of local services to many local destinations and beyond. Trains run every 10 minutes or so from Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly Station. The journey takes around 15 to 20 minutes. www.nationalrail.co.uk or phone +44 (0)8457 484950.

DAYSAVER SYSTEM ONE TRAVELCARD

TRAVELLING FURTHER AFIELD

DaySaver is a Travelcard that is accepted by most bus, train and tram companies and allows you to transfer effortlessly from one form of transport to another, as many times as you wish. Available from Piccadilly Gardens, bus drivers, tram ticket machines and train stations. www.systemonetravelcards.co.uk or phone +44 (0)8717 818181.

National Express operates from the modern Chorlton Street Coach Station to cities throughout the UK. www.nationalexpress.com or phone +44 (0)8705 808080.

For more information about public transport in Greater Manchester visit: www.gmpte.com or phone Traveline on +44 (0)871 200 22 33 (7am - 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am - 8pm at weekends and public holidays).

Frequent rail services run to London and many other major UK cities, including Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle and Glasgow. www.virgintrains.co.uk or phone +44 (0)8457 484950.

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Looking for a memento of your visit or a present to take home?

From books and t-shirts to magnets and mugs, you’ll find everything you could possibly want.

Call in and choose from our unique range of Manchester gifts!

Or shop on-line at

www.visitmanchester/giftshop.com Manchester Visitor Information Centre and Gift Shop Town Hall Extension Building, Lloyd Street (off St. Peter's Square), Manchester M60 2LA T: +44 (0)871 222 8223 E: touristinformation@visitmanchester.com W: visitmanchester.com Open: Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm, Sun and public holidays 10.30am-4.30pm

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Check in as Mr. & Mrs. Smith from ÂŁ11.

With three trains every hour direct from London and an average journey time of only 2hrs 8mins, it’s never been easier to sneak off for a cheeky weekend in Manchester.

Book in advance at virgintrains.com

Fares quoted above are London to Manchester Advance Standard one way fares only which must be booked in advance of travel and are subject to availability. Visit virgintrains.com for full details. Terms and conditions apply.

The Lowry Hotel

WHERE TO STAY Manchester has achieved an international reputation as a vibrant and dynamic leisure and business destination. This could not have happened without the quality accommodation to go with it. All the accommodation in this section has been quality assessed by either Quality in Tourism or The AA, or has recently applied for a rating and is awaiting assessment.

All types of accommodation including hotels and guest accommodation (B & Bs, guesthouses etc) are now assessed to the same criteria and awarded one to five stars; the more stars the higher the quality. Budget accommodation such as Premier Travel Inns which includes roadside or lodge-style accommodation do not have a star rating.

Ratings made easy: «Simple, practical, no frills ««Well presented and well run «««Good level of quality and comfort ««««Excellent standard throughout «««««Exceptional with a degree of luxury You can rest assured that wherever you choose to stay in Manchester, you can book with confidence that the highest standards of service, facilities and comfort await you. For more information on star ratings go to www.enjoyengland.com.

More detailed information on accommodation facilities are available online at www.visitmanchester.com.

Greater Manchester has a huge variety of accommodation available from chic five star hotels to stylish boutique hotels to traditional B&B’s. If you prefer to spend your money on restaurants and shops and Manchester’s nightlife, than you should check out the wide range of budget hotels and youth hostels available.

Price Bands: All establishments are listed within a price band, that shows the minimum charge per person, per night, based on two people sharing.

AAA AA A B C D E

How to Book Go to www.visitmanchester.com for a huge selection of accommodation in Greater Manchester. Real-time availability and online pricing make it easier than ever to book your accommodation. Alternatively contact the team at the visitor information centre who can provide advice and assistance with your booking.

Manchester Visitor Information Centre Town Hall Extension, Lloyd Street, Manchester M60 2LA T. +44 (0)871 222 8223 E. touristinformation@visitmanchester.com

£80.00 and above £66.00 – 79.99 £50.00 – 65.99 £36.00 – 49.99 £26.00 – 35.99 £16.00 – 25.99 under £16.00

Price bands are given as guidance only, as rates can often fluctuate due to availability and demand. All prices should be confirmed at the time of booking to avoid any misunderstanding.

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Britannia Hotels www.britanniahotels.com Price Band: C/D

Britannia Hotels - has over 1500 rooms in 8 hotels throughout Manchester all offering excellent locations, comfortable accommodation and extensive facilities for business or leisure – including 4 with health clubs and pools.

The Britannia Hotel Manchester & Britannia Sachas Hotel both enjoy city centre locations with a range of restaurants, bars, meeting & event facilities and comfortable, well appointed rooms. Sachas also boasts a health club with swimming pool and gym which can be used by guests at the Manchester hotel Each hotel is ideally situated at the heart of the city with all major entertainment and shopping venues, including the MEN Arena, close by. The hotels are served by excellent transport links with national rail, bus and Manchester Metro within walking distance.

The Britannia Ashley Hotel Hale & Britannia Stockport are located in leafy suburbs offering comfortable accommodation and, at Stockport, a health club with swimming pool. Hale itself offers exclusive shopping, bars, and restaurants whilst Stockport town centre hosts markets, theatre and museums. Both hotels offer easy access to Manchester and the scenic Cheshire countryside.

The Britannia Airport, Country House & Stockport hotels are within a few miles of Manchester airport and offer ‘Stay & Fly’ packages as the ideal way to start your holiday early and relax before flying. The Britannia Country House Hotel also has an excellent health club complete with pool and gym. Again all 3 hotels are well positioned to give easy access to Manchester and its many attractions.

The Britannia Wigan Hotel is adjacent to J27 of the M6 and offers a light, airy lobby, comfortable bedrooms and a health club with pool and gym. The location means that the many attractions of the North West are easily reached from this welcoming hotel.

The Britannia Hotel Bolton is just minutes from the M61 and has 96 well appointed bedrooms alongside a welcoming bar & restaurant. The hotel’s position means Manchester & Bolton are easy to get to as is the Trafford centre and the magnificent Lancashire countryside.

Britannia Hotels offer the following, please contact us for details: Free places available to parties of 20 or more Free Bar Packages Festive Packages from £160 pp Turkey & Tinsel Murdery Mystery Packages

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Please Contact our Travel Trade Team on +44 (0)871 222 5502 E: grouptravel@britanniahotels.com www.britanniahotels.com

Britannia Airport Hotel «««

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Britannia Ashley Hotel ««

Britannia Manchester Hotel

Britannia Country House Hotel «««

Britannia Manchester Hotel «««

Britannia Sachas Hotel «««

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Marriott Hotels

Manchester Airport Marriott Hotel «««« Hale Road, Hale Barns, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA15 8XW T. +44 (0)161 904 0301 www.manchesterairportmarriott.co.uk Price band. B

Ideally located amongst the Cheshire countryside minutes from International Airport the 4 star Manchester Airport Marriott Hotel embodies a unique mix of Manchester energy and Cheshire charm.

The hotel is located close to Wilmslow, Altrincham and Knutsford offering WIFI high speed internet access, car parking and transfers by airport shuttle. It has evolved into an exclusive hotel that is vibrant and stylish with our newly designed Lounge Bar and Restaurant. Experience our hotels exclusive Executive Lounge and richly appointed smoking and non smoking Executive Bedrooms, with our luxurious Marriott bedding package. Indulge in our hotels Leisure Club and Marriott Day Spa offering massages, waxing, facials and more, worlds away from the stress of the day.

For more on Marriott and Renaissance in Manchester visit www.manchestermarriotthotels.co.uk

Renaissance Manchester Hotel «««« Blackfriars Street, Deansgate, Manchester M3 2EQ T. +44 (0)161 831 6000 www.renaissancemanchester.co.uk Price band. A

Located in one of the most exciting cities in UK, the 4 star Renaissance Manchester Hotel is at the heart of Manchester's entertainment quarter. Experience the vibrant café and bar culture of this bustling cosmopolitan city. Situated on Deansgate within walking distance to Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, MEN Arena and Manchester Central International Conference Centre. The hotel is the perfect choice for large conferences, group or private dinners and weddings. Upon entering The Renaissance in city centre Manchester you will feel instantly taken care of with outstanding levels of service. Excellent public transport links with Piccadilly and Victoria Rail stations just a short walk away as well as being close to Manchester International Airport the Renaissance Manchester is ideal for both business or leisure travel.

For more on Marriott and Renaissance in Manchester visit www.manchestermarriotthotels.co.uk

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Marriott Hotels

Manchester Marriott Victoria & Albert Hotel «««« Water Street, Manchester, M3 4JQ T. +44 (0)161 832 1188 www.Manchestermarriottva.co.uk Price band. A

Located in the city centre on the banks of the River Irwell, the Manchester Marriott Victoria & Albert Hotel exudes historical charm that appeals to business and leisure travellers. The Hotel is opposite Granada Television Studios and adjacent to Manchester’s newest business and leisure district, Spinningfields. Luxuriously appointed guest rooms are graced by original oak beams, exposed brick, and feature plush bedding and high-speed Internet access. For dining, the brassiere-style V&A Restaurant offers international fare and delightful river views, whilst the V&A Lounge Bar has become a favourite haunt of celebrities. For business events or intimate weddings, the Manchester Marriott Victoria & Albert Hotel offers a superior conference facility, with 8 meeting rooms, expert catering and audiovisual services.

For more on Marriott and Renaissance in Manchester visit www.manchestermarriotthotels.co.uk

Worsley Park, A Marriott Hotel & Country Club «««« Walkden Road, Worsley, Manchester, M28 2QT T. +44 (0)161 975 2000 www.MarriottWorsleyPark.co.uk Price band. AAA

Tucked away in over 200 acres of parkland with its own championship golf course, Worsley Park is still only minutes away from the motorway network and just 7 miles from the heart of Manchester City Centre. With 9 conference rooms, it is a perfect venue to combine a meeting with outdoor activities such as quad biking or archery.

Built around traditional Victorian architecture, once inside the hotel you will discover a host of thoroughly modern facilities. Indulge in the ‘Spa of Senses’ or enjoy an exercise session in the spacious fitness suite. Whether you are looking for a haven to escape to for a relaxing break, or a retreat for a conference or meeting Manchester’s Country Club offers the perfect setting.

For more on Marriott and Renaissance in Manchester visit manchestermarriotthotels.co.uk

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City Inn Manchester One Piccadilly Place, 1 Auburn Street, Manchester, M1 3DG T. +44 (0)161 242 1000 www.cityinn.com Price band. B

City Inn Manchester is an award-winning, stylish, contemporary hotel in the heart of the dynamic city centre of Manchester and opposite Piccadilly train station.

Canal Street, the gay village, China Town, Piccadilly Gardens and shopping galore are all just on the doorstep.

Our 285 guest rooms, including City Club and City Suites all come complete with a light, fresh design, floor to ceiling windows, personal bars, fabulous Apple iMac entertainment systems, complimentary wi-fi, bespoke toiletries,

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bathrobes, walk-in power showers, 24 hour room service, library of movies and music and of course the best of beds!

The hotel also has two stunning bars Piccadilly Lounge and Blue Bar - two fantastic spaces to relax and chill out.

City CafĂŠ is our critically acclaimed restaurant offering innovative, modern European food using seasonal, fresh ingredients. Or why not eat alfresco on our lovely, sunny terrace. And if all the food and drink is too much, then we have a really great gym on the first floor.

Malmaison Manchester «««« 1-3 Picadilly, Manchester, M1 1LZ T. +44 (0)161 278 1000 www.malmaison-manchester Price band. xx

Located a stone's throw away from Canal Street and Picadilly train station this one time elegant warehouse is now a gorgeous boutique hotel with a very theatrical style Boasting 167 rooms, 13 luxury suites, 5 meeting rooms, a fabulous bar and brasserie and least we forget the Le Petit Spa we guarantee you won't be disappointed All bedrooms come with a complete set of Mal ingredients - great beds for sleepy heads, moody lighting, power showers, CD players, CD libraries, satellite TV, serious wines and naughty nibbles. Other little luxuries include fast and free internet access, same-day laundry, toiletries that you’re encouraged to take with you and ‘vroom’ room service for breakfast, dinner or those midnight munchies!

With 5 luxurious meeting and events rooms it's the perfect spot to give your business that important edge. Large windows create an abundance of light, with each room offering more than it's fair share of creative space. Then there's the state of the art equipment such as plasma TV's and wireless internet access throughout The Brasserie serves up divinely tasty, beautifully presented cuisine all prepared with incredible home, grown and local ingredients and served with a genuine passion. Whether you’re looking for a business lunch, a quick light healthy bite or a relaxed brassiere experience, you simply have to sample Manchester’s finest.

Eat, drink and sleep Malmaison Manchester, a hotel that dares to be different

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The Radisson Edwardian Hotel

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The Radisson Edwardian Hotel, Free Trade Hall, Peter Street, Manchester, M2 5GP T. +44 (0)161 835 9929 www.radissonedwardian.com/manchester Price band. AA

The acclaimed Radisson Edwardian Hotel on Peter Street, voted the city’s Best Large Hotel at the Manchester Tourism Awards 2007, Large Hotel of the Year in the North West at the Regional Tourism Awards 2007, and joint Silver at the Enjoy England 2008 awards, continues to be first choice for leisure and business visitors, offering the perfect fusion of luxury and city centre convenience.

With 263 rooms, ranging from king-size doubles to a range of 23 newly refurbished suites, each room is dramatic and indulgent containing everything expected of an up market hotel. The hotel offers guests dining opportunities for every occasion from the newly redesigned Alto

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Restaurant offering guests a relaxing and inviting dining experience; to the dramatic Opus One restaurant, which continues to gain acclaim for its stunning interiors and honest British food.

Sienna Spa and Health Club provides an urban retreat for guests, with five treatment rooms and two inviting relaxation rooms, as well as a swimming pool and full gym, sauna and steam room.

Conveniently positioned for Manchester’s vast business, cultural, retail and night life, the 5* Radisson Edwardian Hotel offers the ultimate city break experience.

The Place Hotel «««« Ducie Street, Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2TP T. +44 (0)161 778 7500 www.theplacehotel.com Price band. A

The Place offers a unique loft style living in the centre of Manchester; all the service and convenience of a hotel, with the comfort and space of home.

Each apartment has either one or two bedrooms, lounge and fully equipped kitchen, Sky TV, DVD player, CD player, two telephone lines, internet access, microwave, dishwasher, laundry and ironing facilities. It is an ideal base for both business and leisure visits by individuals, couples, groups and families.

For a special treat, enjoy panoramic city views from the roof terrace in our penthouses. Enjoy coffee, fine wines, continental beers and patisserie in The Place Bar. Full English and Continental Breakfasts, plus a dining menu, are available.

Car parking available on site and Piccadilly rail station is a short walk away.

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Arora International Hotel Manchester «««« 18 - 24 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 4LY T. +44 (0)161 236 8999 www.arorainternational.com Price band. A - AA

Contemporary in design yet maintaining the unique character of its Grade II listed heritage Arora International Hotel Manchester is located in the heart of the City. Only minutes away from the main business and shopping districts it is the perfect location.

Boasting 141 beautifully furnished bedrooms with many unique design features including “Cloud 9” beds, broadband access, power showers and air conditioning combining a feel of style, space and comfort along with award winning hospitality – an Arora trademark!

Lancashire County Cricket Club & Old Trafford Lodge ««« Talbot Road, Old Trafford, Manchester, M16 0PX T. +44 (0)161 874 3333 www.lccc.co.uk Price band. D

The superb 68-bedroom hotel is situated in Old Trafford Cricket Ground, one of the world’s great international sporting arenas and home to Lancashire County Cricket Club. With free parking, en-suite facilities and complimentary breakfast along with 36 executive bedrooms overlooking the famous Old Trafford pitch, where else can you relax on your own balcony at the end of the day as well as being close to the city centre and The Quays?

Ramada Manchester, Salford Quays «««« 17 Trafford Road, Salford Quays, Manchester, M5 3AW T. +44 (0)161 876 5305 www.ramadasalfordquays.com Price Band. C

Opened May 2008 and designed to a high standard, we are perfectly positioned for The Quays and City Centre. All our 142 en-suite rooms have LCD TV’s, power showers and amazingly comfortable beds, with free Wi-Fi throughout. Add comfort cooling, triple glazed windows, iron and ironing boards and you’ll have everything on hand to make your stay comfortable and relaxing. To compliment this, we have 5 versatile meeting rooms and on-site parking, along with our very own Italian Restaurant, Stresa. Enjoy!

YHA Manchester ««««

Hostel

Potato Wharf, Castlefield, Manchester, M3 4NB T. +44 (0)161 839 9960 www.yhamanchester.org.uk Price band. D

Some call it the best youth hostel in the world! Contemporary city centre hostel offering the highest quality budget accommodation in Manchester. All rooms are for four persons, and all are en-suite. Modern furnishings and décor compliment the stylish canalside location.

The Wharf bar and restaurant offers the best of British food and beers with an international flavour.

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GREATER MANCHESTER

Marketing Manchester, Carver’s Warehouse, 77 Dale St, Manchester, M1 2HG T. +44 (0)161 237 1010 F. +44 (0)161 228 2960 www.visitmanchester.com Designed & Published: Marketing Manchester, June 2009 Contributors: In addition to the authors of our feature articles and all our Manchester Voices, Marketing Manchester would like to thank everyone that has provided editorial for this issue of MCR.

Cover Photography: Paul Jones Photography: Ian Howarth, Steve Aland, Photolink, Jonty Wilde, Jan Chlebik, David Millington, Northwest Regional Development Agency, Paul Jones, Britain on View, David Lake, Manchester City Council, MIDAS, Joel Fildes Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy in this publication, Marketing Manchester cannot accept liability for any loss or damage arising from its use. As changes often occur after publication date, it is advisable to confirm the information given.

The information contained within this guide is copyright and no part of the guide may be reproduced in part or wholly by any means, be it electronic or mechanical, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

Marketing Manchester is the agency charged with promoting the city-region on a national and international stage.

Visit Manchester is the Tourist Board for Greater Manchester and