Historic places in Manchester

Historic places in Manchester

1. BuyVictoria-Shopping District

   Affleck's

   formerly Affleck's Palace

   Afflecks Palace is a shopping arcade in a five-story Victorian building, featuring a range of over 50 independent stalls catering to a young alternative crowd. It's a lot of fun: strange costumes, lots of goths, punks, and teenagers.

   Mon-Fri 10:30AM-6PM, Sat Sun 10AM-6PM

2. SeeVictoria-Shopping District

   Chetham's School of Music & Library

   Library M-F 9AM-12:30PM, 1:30-4:30PM, closed Bank Holidays, call in advance; School is closed to general public. Chetham's is an independent private school of music and public library housed in the medieval priests' college next to the Cathedral. The library is the oldest public English library in the world. It is possible to look around without an appointment, but if you want to take a look at any of the collection, you will need to arrange this with the librarian beforehand.

   Free

3. DrinkVictoria-Shopping District

   Crown & Kettle

   Historic England Grade II listed pub with an unusual ceiling. Food available.

   Mon-Thu noon-11PM, Fri Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-10:30PM

4. SeeVictoria-Shopping District

   Manchester Cathedral

   Cathedral Yard (Visitor Centre at 10 Cateaton Street, around the corner). Cathedral M-F 8AM-7PM, Sa 8AM-5PM, Su 8:30AM-7:30PM, check website for service times and events; Visitor Centre is open M-Sa 10AM-4:30PM, Su 11:30AM-4PM. One of the few surviving medieval buildings in Manchester, the cathedral is a beautiful, dark Gothic building inside and out. It has a modern interactive Visitor Centre built around the excavations of the medieval 'Hanging Bridge' with an excellent licensed restaurant and gift shop. Entry to all attractions is free. Gamers may recognise the cathedral from its controversial setting in the video game Resistance: Fall of Man.

5. SeeUniversities

   Manchester Museum

   Manchester University's own museum is like a mini version of London's Natural History Museum and boasts real dinosaur skeletons (including Stan the T-Rex), Egyptian mummies, and architect Alfred Waterhouse's huge taxidermy collection, begun in 1888. Especially interesting is the Manchester Vivarium, the only legal zoo in Manchester, with the largest and most important collection of tree frogs in the world. Free; except for temporary exhibits - prices vary.

   Daily 10AM-5PM

6. SeeSpinningfields-Albert Square

   Manchester Opera House

   Sister theatre to The Palace Theatre. Host to touring musicals, ballet, concerts.

7. SeeSpinningfields-Albert Square

   People's History Museum

   This little museum down by the river on the border of Manchester and Salford aims to document the way the lives of ordinary people have developed since the industrial revolution. The museum owns many artifacts and documentation from the history of socialism in Britain, not least the building where the Trades Union Congress held its first meeting, on Princess Street, which it now uses as a public archive.

   Tue-Sun and Bank Holidays 11AM-4:30PM·Free

8. SeeVictoria-Shopping District

   St. Ann's Church

   Daily daytime, check the website for service times. St. Ann's Church is the main parish church of Manchester and one of only two surviving Medieval churches in the city centre (the other is the cathedral). It is also a venue for many sacred and secular classical music events. A small shop selling books and gifts is open at all times except during services.

   closed Mon, Tue-Fri 11AM-5PM, Sat 11AM-6PM, Sun 8:30AM-6PM. see website for service times.·Free

9. SeePiccadilly-East Centre

   The Portico Library and Gallery

   The Portico has been an exclusive members-only library since the early 19th century and many of Manchester's luminaries have been patrons of the Portico over the years. Now hosting its own public gallery and providing admission to some parts for non-members, it is a slice of Manchester's history that has remained almost unchanged since its inception. Call for the latest information.

   Free entry

10. DoThe Quays Not mapped

    Manchester United Museum & Tour

    Tour of the stadium facilities, plus museum of the club's history from its 1878 founding as Newton Heath, through the managerial eras of Busby and Ferguson, and a glittering cast of players. Exit via the gift shop: the club merchandising Megastore is within the east stand.

    Mon-Sat 9:30AM-5PM, Sun 10AM-4PM, closed matchdays·Standard tour adult £25, under-16 £15

11. SeeCastlefield-Petersfield Not mapped

    Roman Fort

    Mamucium, Mancunium

    Not much survives of Manchester's four Roman settlements, but what is left can be seen in the gardens of Castlefield running from Liverpool Road down to Castle Street. The North Gate of the fourth fort on Duke Street, along with a section of the fort's West Wall, its gatehouse, granaries, and other ancillary buildings from the vicus have been reconstructed and are open to the public.

12. BuyNorth

    Manchester Fort

    big retail complex

13. DoUniversities

    The Palace Theatre

    Hosts major touring shows.

    Seats from £15

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Manchester (CC BY-SA 4.0).