the URBAN INSIDeR

Hello. It’s great to welcome you to Manchester, but in case you are wondering what to do next, we at Creative Tourist have been busy compiling notes on our favourite cultural highlights and distinctly Mancunian bars, shops, nightlife, restaurants and left-field events. Maybe just a little bit biased (after all we have variously built our lives and livings around Manchester’s creative and cultural scene), we promote an independent, honest but infectiously passionate account of our city’s creative life to visitors and locals alike. We really do hope that these bite-sized guides to the different central Quarters, replete with maps and countless tips and recommendations, will help you get quickly beneath the cultural skin of Manchester and Salford Quays, and that you come to cherish it just as much as we do. See you around.

Creative Tourist is a partnership between Manchester Museums & Galleries Consortium, Visit Manchester and All About Audiences. These partners share a vision: a desire to stage intelligent, thought-provoking and outward looking exhibitions and cultural events; and to celebrate the city in which they live, work and play. Bookmark creativetourist.com for the latest cultural city guide; follow @creativetourist on Twitter; join our mailing list via the website or find us on Facebook.

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If Central Manchester has a modern feel to it, that’s because so much of it was built in the last 15 years. Shocking though it was, most Mancunians now acknowledge that the 1996 IRA bomb destroyed a part of the city centre that had seen better days. It cleared the way for a new urban plan, and brought large-scale redevelopment with shiny new shopping and leisure precincts like Cathedral Gardens, Exchange Square and The Printworks.

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Fortunately, it’s not all new. The city centre may have undergone a tremendous period of development over the last two decades, but we haven’t forgotten our history. Manchester made it through the Second World War with most of its masterpieces intact; and some of these date back to medieval times (to say nothing of Castlefield’s Roman fort). As a result we now live in a rather lovely hodgepodge, with ornate treasures like Waterhouse’s masterpiece of a Town Hall and the grand curve of Central Library sitting cheek by jowl with audacious modernist showpieces like the Civil Justice Centre.

We are immensely proud of our city, and whilst we admit there’s room for improvement (we’d love more green space, a city centre playground and, if the river-gods are listening, a more impressive waterway please), there is a sense that things are continuing to evolve. Even in these difficult times development schemes like the Cooperative’s gigantic NOMA project in Angel Meadows are on course to transform the city further. It’s an interesting time to be here.

ManchesterArtGallery smack in the middle of the city may be a grand dame but is much more than somewhere to take your favourite Auntie. Hugely popular, and very family friendly, it combines a forward-looking programme of changing exhibitions with a treasure trove of a permanent collection.

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A particular strength is its holdings of Pre-Raphaelite art and so we’re especially excited about the Ford Madox Brown exhibition opening in September, the first major show of this once radical artist’s work for over a generation. Before that, though, the focus is firmly in the now with 11 Rooms. Part of Manchester International Festival, the installation co-curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist will see 11 live artists encounter each other in 11 specially-constructed rooms. Artists include John Baldessari, Lucy Raven and Cao Fei. You could live in Manchester for years and never have heard of ThePorticoLibraryandGallery; but you’d be missing out – there’s something rare and wonderful about this glass domed private lending library (cum old school luncheon spot) that’s been open since 1806. There’s still plenty going on there, including a programme of exhibitions, literary events and courses. Just a short stroll away on Portland Street is CUBE (Centre for the Urban Built Environment) whose thought-provoking exhibitions occupy the space between design, art and architecture. Want to take in a play? Housed in a lunar-like pod in the city’s old Cotton Exchange, RoyalExchange is one of the most celebrated theatres

in the country – regarded for both new writing and its take on the classics. Their production of Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge, on this May and June, and As You Like It this summer will be some of 2011’s hot tickets. With nearby CentralLibrary closed for renovation until 2013, the acclaimed LibraryTheatreCompany is temporarily based in The Lowry. But LTC has made a virtue of necessity by putting on site-specific productions like the upcoming Hard Times in Ancoats’ Murrays’ Mill this June. For touring musical variety shows, pantos and big-scale musical theatre, there’s the PalaceTheatre and ManchesterOperaHouse. Down the road a bit, the soaring BridgewaterHall was built on springs to absorb vibrations from passing trams. It’s home to Sir Mark Elder’s TheHallé, one of the oldest orchestras in Europe, and offers a fantastic musical programme. Upcoming highlights include Chinese pianist Lang Lang in May, Ladysmith Black Mambazo in June and this summer’s Hallé Proms. And might we suggest a post-concert drink at nearby PeverilofthePeak, a splendidly preserved tiled pub with a great beer selection? It’s practically your duty as an honorary Mancunian.

Manchester Art Gallery

Anish Kapoor: Flashback Manchester Art Gallery to 5 June

A View From The Bridge Royal Exchange Theatre 18 May – 25 June

Borderlands, Rupert Griffith CUBE, 5 May – 4 June

The Hallé Summer Proms Bridgewater Hall 26 June – 31 July

As You Like It Royal Exchange Theatre 29 June – 6 August

11 Rooms: Group ShowManchester Art Gallery9 – 17 July, mif.co.uk

Ford Madox Brown: Pre-Raphaelite Pioneer Manchester Art Gallery 24 September – 29 January 2012

Doctor DeePalace Theatre, 1 – 9 Julymif.co.uk

Festivals

Manchester International Festival, from 30 June – 17 Julymif.co.uk

24:7 Theatre Festival21 – 29 July247theatrefestival.co.uk

Manchester Jazz Festival from 22 – 30 July manchesterjazz.com

Manchester Literature Festival manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk

Manchester Comedy Festival manchestercomedyfestival.co.uk

Manchester Food and Drink Festival foodanddrinkfestival.com

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It will come as no surprise that the Manchester International Festival dominates the cultural scene in summer 2011, and many events are taking place at venues in the city centre. Definitely plan a visit to the ever-popular festival hub, with its lovely pavilion and open-air café, located in front of the Town Hall at Albert Square. Download the full guide at mif.co.uk. Following on MIF’s heels, the city’s Jazz Festival takes place in late July; this year’s acts will be announced soon. Come October, it gets a bit crazy when the annual festival fever hits. Manchester’s Literature Festival, Comedy Festival, Science Festival and Food and Drink Festival all conspire to turn the city into a buzzy cultural playpen. Here’s our pick of the year’s offerings in the city centre:

Her Blood, 1998, Anish Kapoor at Kunsthalle Helsinki, © Anish Kapoor, 2011 (photograph by Jussi Tianen, courtesy Lisson Gallery, Gladstone Gallery)

SeCRet GARDeNS1AlexandraPark,OldhamBenefitting from massive recent investment, Alexandra Park has a rather grand feel. It features beautiful formal gardens, a glasshouse, a boating lake, playgrounds and the only paddling pool we know of in Greater Manchester.

2WalkdenGardens,SaleKnown as “The Secret Garden”, this is a seemingly endless series of themed garden rooms tucked away on a suburban street. Twist and turn your way around the hedgerows and you’ll find plenty of surprises, from a Japanese Garden to the delightfully-named Sound and Poetry Garden.

3VicarageBotanicalGardens,CarringtonThe Christian Community Charitable Trust, has created a charming oasis of calm. Paths criss-cross the five acre site, taking you around gardens, ponds and woodland, and there’s a tearoom, a small children’s playground and an animal farm.

4PrestwichForestParkMany drivers will whizz past without realising they are moments away from a stunning urban forest, parks and an adventure playground. The forest forms part of National CycleRoute6, or you can get your thrills on the built mountain bike trail.

5ClaytonValeThis Green Flag flying, 100-acre local nature reserve had a former life as a landfill site. Now it’s all ponds, gurgling rivers, big skies and wildflower meadows. If you time your visit right, it’s well worth making a small detour to ClaytonHall, a few streets away.

Coffee ShopS1TeacupCarefully-coiffed bohemians preside over a counter stuffed with designer pies and hearty cake wedges. Wash it down with a pot of owner Mr Scruff’s very decent tea, or a livener from coffee company Union Hand-Roasted.

2HarveyNicholsCaféTucked into a few square feet between the deli counter, food market and a glass wall with views of Exchange Square, the café offers fabulous coffee and posh softies alongside a taste of whatever fine foodstuffs are being promoted in store.

3CaféattheRylandsNot many coffee bars come with an extraordinarily beautiful library attached. From potted shrimps to Goosnargh chicken the menu is impeccably local, and if you miss lunch there’s consolation in wobbly Manchester tarts.

4TheSculptureHallCafé,ManchesterTownHallService may be, erm, municipal, but the setting among busts of the city’s great and good is bewitching. A brief, well priced menu includes Lancashire hotpot and afternoon tea. Frivolities like frothy coffee are not tolerated.

5AnOutletGreat coffee, a tasty salad bar, free papers and wifi, chatty staff and even blankets for when it gets chilly all make this eccentric Northern Quarter mainstay something special. Last time we went they were playing early Woody Allen standup in the loos.

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Manchester Town Hall

Hungry? The city centre is a terrific place for restaurants with both the highfalutin’ and the humble in close proximity. The cluster of luxury

hotels near Piccadilly Station host some of the city’s most exciting kitchens, especially City Café at Mint Hotel and Michael Caines at Abode.

Other upscale dinners can be had at The Kitchen at The Circle Club and Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant. More casual diners

should head for the vicinity of the Town Hall, where Mr Thomas’ and Sam’s duel it out for the chophouse crown (both are excellent), and nearby

Chaophraya is Manchester’s most authentic Thai restaurant.

Our small but perfectly formed Chinatown is a real treasure, packed with everything from Teppanyaki bars to Vietnamese bubble tea cafes. Perennial

favourites include Chinese & Thai at Pacific, fiery Szechwan at Red Chilli, sushi at Wasabi, and the dim sum lunch at The New Emperor. Or for a quick snack, buy a pork bun at Ho’s Bakery and enjoy some people watching at the pagoda-topped benches.

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Mr Thomas’ Chophouse

When it comes to pubs we’re a bit spoiled, really. Manchester’s collection runs to curiosities like the truly miniscule Circus Tavern on Portland Street, Manchester’s smallest pub, or Oxford Street’s The Temple of

Convenience, a former underground public toilet block immortalised in Elbow’s song ‘Grounds for Divorce’. It’s home to some excellent real ale pubs such as The Briton’s Protection on Great Bridgewater Street and

City Arms on Kennedy Street near the Town Hall. The canalside tables of the Gay Village are always lively, with bars serving as relaxed cafes during the day and filling up with busy nightlife after dark. Some may recognise

Via Fossa from ‘Queer as Folk’, and we also like Taurus, a friendly village stalwart with its own theatre programme, and gorgeously

appointed newcomer The Molly House.

Shopaholics take note: Market Street and the squares and arcades branching off it comprise the city’s retail heart – we especially love

St. Ann’s Square and the uber-fashionable King Street (look up above the shop fronts to be reminded of Manchester’s Victorian mercantile past) for up-market high-street. For luxury shopping, head to New Cathedral

Street. The city’s main indoor mall, the Arndale Centre, recently had a much-needed spiffing up, but beneath its sleek new Winter Garden lurks

the delightfully scruffy traditional market. The new food market has the best fishmongers in town and a few gems like the Pancho’s stall, where a Mexican expat sells tacos alongside specialist chillies and

proper corn tortillas.

Fun and baby-friendly pan-Asian restaurant Tampopo (locations at The Triangle in Exchange Square and near the Town Hall in Albert

Square) is a safe bet when you have several ages eating together. Or head to nearby Croma for tasty wood-fired pizzas with all the trimmings. And don’t forget Manchester Art Gallery’s great café,

which sells baby food and offers a hot children’s menu.

Twenty years ago, most Mancunians associated the Northern Quarter with what we’ll euphemistically call the seamier side of life. But how things have changed. Yes, the fetish shops and tattoo parlours are still here, but now they’re fighting for room amid quirky tea rooms and hipster clothes emporia.

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Now it’s Manchester’s Greenwich Village, the arty bohemian precinct always poised on the brink of becoming a victim of its own success but never quite crossing the line from red hot and cool to gentrified boredom – at least, not yet. There’s no denying that the neighbourhood retains a certain sketchiness around the edges but the atmosphere of this place is what makes it special. You only have to venture into the silent, deserted network of alleys and warehouses around Back China Lane to understand its distinctive allure. Here, the scruffy old garment district is still in evidence, with “trade only” clothing wholesalers supplying most of the traditional markets in the region. The gritty alleys and tenement-style brick buildings, metal fire escapes climbing up their sides, remind enough people of New York for the neighbourhood to have a nice sideline as a movie location,

most recently standing in for Gotham in the forthcoming Captain America. Next door to this but several centuries away is the comparative quiet of Manchester’s medieval heart, now known as Cathedral Quarter, featuring the soaring heights of ManchesterCathedral and the splendid Chetham’sSchoolofMusic, one of the best music schools in the country. Inside the school’s bounds you’ll find Chetham’sLibrary, the oldest free public reference library in Britain and the place where Marx and Engels hammered out Communist theory. All this history provides quite a contrast to the modernist swoop of the Urbis building opposite, which becomes home to the NationalFootballMuseum soon. At its foot, Cathedral Gardens is one of the city centre’s few green spaces and it’s extremely well-used, especially in the summer when teenage tribes congregate here all day and into the night.

fRoMpop to pop–UpS.

Live music is a big part of what makes the Northern Quarter such an exciting place to be; it’s always had the lion’s share of the city’s best rock venues.

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Night&Day on Oldham Street does a relaxed food service during the day and packs them in for gigs after dark. TheRoadhouse is hidden down a flight of stairs on Newton Street and hosts raucous gigs and club-nights within its red glitter walls. Both of these venues have seen a legendary procession of bands grace their stages. Same goes for BandontheWall, fresh from a multi-million pound facelift that added music studios, a second performance space and a cafe. It now specialises in folk, world, jazz and soul music. Nearby MattandPhred’s is the place for live jazz (and tasty pizzas.) Other good clubs in the area include newish speakeasy TheBlackDogBallroom and the louche RubyLounge. For visual art, the ChineseArtsCentre offers a really engaging programme of exhibitions featuring Chinese and Anglo-Chinese artists. Nearby RichardGoodallGallery features rock concert posters and music-related art, while pop-up gallery Kraak focuses more on emerging

Manchester talent. Housed in an ornate former market building, ManchesterCraftandDesignCentre is occupied by artisans selling gorgeous handmade jewellery, textiles, and homewares – the on-site cafe is a nice spot to relax. On Turner Street, TheManchesterBuddhistCentre sits serenely opposite Oklahoma, a chaotic cafe, gallery and shop packed with offbeat gifts and cards. A new addition to the neighbourhood is the ManchesterDigitalLaboratory. Affectionately known as MadLab, it serves as a sort of village hall for the city’s arty digerati and hosts a wonderfully eclectic programme of events; exhibitions, cooking classes, Sci-Fi reading groups, and gatherings of people who can make musical instruments out of derelict printers. Near the Cathedral and the famously scruffy (but soon to be refurbished) Victoria Station is ManchesterEveningNewsArena, the city’s venue for big name pop concerts and stadium-filling comedians.

Band on the Wall

03 The Northern Quarter is a popular place for festivals, and this spring sees quite a few in the neighbourhood. First off, there’s a 1940’s-style StreetParty complete with bunting and homemade cakes planned for Edge Street on Royal Wedding day. Though it takes place in venues around the city, the spirit of FutureEverything, the annual festival of forward-looking art, music and ideas surely resides here. This year’s fest features music from Steve Reich, Beach House and Warpaint; its ideas strand explores what open data means for journalism, gaming’s intellectual legacy, and how participative media boosts community engagement. Later in May, the DottoDotFestival is headlined by local synth pop act Hurts. Usually held here in the spring, the HungryPigeon festival is having a year off in 2011 to plan a bigger event for next year. Here’s our pick of upcoming events in the area:

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Northern Quarter Street Party, Edge Street, 29 April

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Band on the Wall, 26 May

Jah Wobble and the Modern Jazz Ensemble Ruby Lounge, 20 May

Hard Times, Library Theatre Company, Murrays’ Mill, Ancoats, From June

Alina Ibragimova & The Quay Brothers Chetham’s School of Music 1 – 17 July, mif.co.uk

Nicola ConteBand on the Wall, 9 June

Arcade FireManchester Evening News Arena 31 August

Festivals

FutureEverything11 – 14 May futureeverything.org

Dot to Dot Festival30 Maydottodotfestival.co.uk

Warpaint (part of FutureEverything)

NoRtheRN QUARteR vINtAGe1PopBoutiqueThis longstanding Oldham Street favourite contains two floors of secondhand goodness as well as a retro barber. Good for print frocks, vintage 501s, sporty menswear and kitsch homewares.

2RetroRehabAs sweet as a cupcake, Retro Rehab stocks a range of vintage dresses alongside original clothes, bags, button earrings and soft toys made from sumptuous second-hand fabrics.

3AfflecksThis towering indie emporium contains dozens of vintage and fashion stalls, selling everything from military garb and goth-ware to tea dresses. It usually teems with teenagers but don’t let that put you off – head purposefully for the top-floor cafe.

4 OxfamOriginalsSelling the edited highlights of the pick-and-mix normally found in its high street shops, Oxfam Originals sells retro clothing and accessories for both men and women. Look sharp. We spotted a Hermès silk scarf on our last visit.

5 DenFurnitureIf you’re after an armchair to match your new 1970s shift dress, head to here for a good range of mid-century and bespoke furniture. The one-off sofas, chairs, tables and mirrors are well worth their reasonable price tags.

MANCheSteR BooKShopS1MagmaOn entering you may be overwhelmed by Magma’s limited edition t-shirts and cutesy manga toys. Look past the eye candy and there’s a solid selection of books on design, architecture and the creative arts, plus the best range of style mags in town.

2ParamountBookExchangeThis shop in the scraggy end of the Northern Quarter has a remarkably egalitarian secondhand fiction section with classic, literary and genre titles side by side. You’re likely to hear the place before you see it; opera and jazz boom from speakers above the door.

3SharstonBooksSituated on an industrial estate in Northenden, Sharston Books would be easy to miss but it’s absolutely worth making a pilgrimage for. Inside its humble walls is a labyrinth of well preserved editions on any and every subject.

4TravellingManThis friendly comics shop stocks a wide range of hard and softback graphic novels and trade collections, from heavy hitters Marvel and DC but also from smaller presses like Fantagraphic.

5TheArtofTeaLocated at the back of the coffee shop and restaurant in Didsbury, this secondhand bookshop boasts an excellent selection of titles as well as an eccentric proprietor who regales customers with Sinatra standards.

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Magma bookshop

It’d be just plain silly to try and list off all the bars and restaurants in the leisuretastic Northern Quarter, so we won’t try. But we’ll happily share

our favourites (with the caveat that they’re lots of other people’s favourites too – it’s always good to have a plan B when heading out for an evening

here.) Slightly off the beaten path on Edge Street, Common serves up great burgers and quality beers, with DJs and quiz nights filling its graffiti-art-bedecked rooms most nights. Common’s owners recently opened the Port Street Beer House, aimed at satisfying serious beer drinkers. These are

already well-catered for in the neighbourhood, thanks to The Castle Hotel, Marble Brewery’s tiny Thomas Street digs and Swan Street’s Bar Fringe,

an eclectic spot with a beer garden full of weirdy beardies, bikers and serious ale snobs. Cocktail lovers may prefer the classy and understated

Apotheca or the hipper, grungier Socio Rehab; Lamarr’s, named in memory of drag-queen Foo Foo Lamarr, is always fun.

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CloSe BYTeacup (photograph by David Lake)

Our favourite cafe here at the moment is the mighty North Tea Power, with addictive cakes, a serious selection of teas and coffees and a captivating playlist. Stylish Teacup on Thomas Street does hot breakfast, lunch and

dinner, and is often mobbed. Both offer free wifi. We’re also partial to Tib Street’s Bread & Butter, a quieter spot that’s just got some very

close competition in the shape of Sugar Junction.

Eating places abound. For a memorable meal proceed to The Market, a much-loved restaurant which has served up an eclectic traditional

menu for nigh on 30 years (booking recommended). Across the road there’s The Northern Quarter Restaurant for dependable Modern Brit, and if you’re eating with kids hit Dough for pizza. Only got pocket change? No problem. Unpretentious caffs offering “rice-n-three (curries)” are a

NQ speciality, and we swear by This & That (hidden down a tiny alley opposite Chinese Arts Centre). Also good: Soup Kitchen for cafeteria-style

lunches and The Koffee Pot for fry ups and attitude.

If nearby Market Street is the city’s High Street, then Oldham is its “low street” – Manchester’s main drag for independent, underground

and alternative commerce. Magma Books sells hard-to-find style magazines, art and design books and all manner of typographical coolness.

Hoary independent emporium Afflecks may have had a scrub-up but it’s still stuffed with stalls hawking clothes, records and a few real gems

like comic/zine shop Good Grief.

Oldham Street always was a great place for record shops, and Piccadilly Records is the champion, with very knowledgeable (and opinionated) staff and a laudable commitment to vinyl. Vintage clothes shopping is another strength of the area (see our favourites in the separate guide to the best).

For new clothes, check out edgy and interesting boutiques like Tib Street’s Curious and Curioser and menswear mecca Oi Polloi.

The Triangle shopping centre near Manchester Cathedral often hosts sample sales and pop-up shops. Fashionistas should also keep an eye on the Northern Quarter’s regular fashion markets. If you prefer to make

your own, check out gritty fabric and sewing supplies superstore Abakhan or Port Street’s Purl City Yarns. Also worthy of note: Fred Aldous, a huge art supply and stationery store on Stevenson Square. You can’t fail to feel

inspired by something in here.

Running from the bright lights of the CurryMile to the city centre, Oxford Road is infamous as the often cited, though never officially verified, busiest bus route in Europe. Don’t let the thundering traffic put you off though, as it’s also an energetic cultural corridor with a variety of galleries, museums and music venues punctuating its length.

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Oxford Road is also home to the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. The UniversityofManchester is the UK’s largest single site university with a world-class reputation and a roster of star lecturers including multi-award winning author Colm Tóibín and the man responsible for making Astrophysics sexy, Professor Brian Cox. The campus straddles Oxford Road and is dominated on one side of the corridor by the gothic grandeur of Whitworth Hall and, on the other, by the modern megalith of University Place (affectionately known as the tin can). Only a short wander away is ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity’s All Saints campus. The rag-tag collection of aging polytechnic buildings might not look like much but MMU, or the Met as it is commonly known, has over a thousand well-subscribed

courses, hosts an annual award for fiction, the Manchester Writing Prize, and also boasts an excellent reputation for performing arts. Comedians Victoria Wood and Steve Coogan are both alumni. Nestled between the two schools, the ManchesterAquaticsCentre is the only public leisure centre within striking distance of the city centre so it’s a good job it’s a big one, boasting two Olympic-sized swimming pools and extensive fitness studios. There are two public parks on Oxford Road: WhitworthPark, which was opened in1890 and where spring bulbs proudly mark out the forthcoming new extension to the Whitworth Art Gallery, and GrosvenorPark, a small patch of gated greenery that on sunny days is packed with students and locals indulging Manchester’s three most popular pastimes; eating, gossiping and kicking a ball around.

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The gallery continues to demonstrate its commitment to showcasing pioneering visual art. June sees the arrival of Crazy Mad, the debut solo show from cult UK artist Magda Archer whose work playfully employs pop-kitsch imagery and Constellations a constantly evolving exhibition featuring works from Kitty Kraus, Takahiro Iwasaki, Katie Paterson, Felix Gonzalez-Torres. The WhitworthArtGallery, named after its patron engineer, inventor and philanthropist Sir Joseph Whitworth, manages the tricky feat of being traditional and cutting edge at the same time. Alongside a permanent collection featuring paintings, sculptures and patterned textiles from artistic heavy hitters like Francis Bacon, Henry Moore and Pablo Picasso, and some extraordinary wallpapers, a provocative series of changing exhibitions continues to delight critics and gallery-goers alike. Currently on show is Mary Kelly: Projects 1973-2010, a new retrospective of the work of the American feminist artist. This summer’s Manchester International Festival commission is the world premiere of 1395 Days without Red, a 60 minute cinematic collaboration about the siege

The cultural hub of Oxford Road is Cornerhouse, an independent cinema and gallery. Easily as much a part of the cultural landscape as the Haçienda ever was, it’s a great place to see art and film and then discuss them over a drink or a meal.

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of Sarajevo. It is accompanied by works from the Artangel collection and, after dark in Whitworth Park, Tony Oursler’s haunting son-et-lumiere installation. Rewarding family-friendly activities continue right across the year, with toddlertastic activities, arty-picnics and Colourful Sundays. Eat in the award-winning cafe, or head to the nearby branch of Red Chilli where the kids can watch their noodles being made. The city centre may have most of Manchester’s theatres, but not all of them. Here on Oxford Road is Contact, the city’s home of emerging theatre and spoken word, with a strong programme of events for young people. Just off Oxford Road near Cornerhouse, greenroom features experimental theatre and live cabaret evenings. Musos will definitely want to check out TheRoyalNorthernCollegeofMusic. Its outstanding standard of student musicianship means the RNCM is able to attract big players and host well-received public events, including the upcoming Tales from the Sahel. At the other end of the musical spectrum, the ManchesterAcademies are customary tour stops for bands transitioning between the ‘hip and obscure’ and ‘difficult second

album’ phases of their careers, as well as better-known artists. The ManchesterMuseum is also owned by the University of Manchester but the rock you’re likely to find here is more likely to be igneous than indie. The museum has access to an archive of a staggering six million pieces including the star of the show, Stan the fossilised T-Rex skeleton. A must-see is the new Living Worlds gallery, the reinvention of the museum’s Animal Life gallery by art and fashion producers Villa Eugénie. Much beloved by families for its weekly activities, school holiday events and occasional museum nights, the museum also has an eclectic adult programme including its popular ideas cafe, and writing and drawing workshops. If you can, get there before June when the mummies get packed away and the gallery closes for refurbishment. The cultural contribution of the university doesn’t end there as its Centre for New Writing hosts LiteratureLive. It has featured appearances from literary luminaries including Will Self, Seamus Heaney, John Banville and outgoing professor Martin Amis.

Whitworth Art Gallery Cornerhouse

Like many university precincts, this area can be a bit sleepy in the summertime, but Oxford Road’s venues will be buzzing with Manchester International Festival action this year (see the city centre section for more about MIF). Before that, there’s Eurocultured the two-day festival in May that turns New Wakefield Street into a live music and street theatre-packed party. In autumn, the 2011 Asia Triennial Manchester takes place in venues around the city, including Cornerhouse, which will present a season of new cinema as well as a solo show from artist Rashid Rana. For good live music throughout the year, look out for student concerts at RNCM: many are free, or very cheap, and the performance is typically of a professional standard.

New Cartographies: Algeria-France-UK Cornerhouse to 5 June

Mary Kelly: Projects 1973-2010, Whitworth Art Galleryto 12 June

China: Journey to the East Manchester Museum, to 26 June

Steve Reich Royal Northern College of Music, 12 May, futureeverything.org

ConstellationsCornerhouse 25 June – 11 September

Noise of Many WatersRNCM students perform a site-specific composition in situ at Victoria Baths, 30 June – 2 July

Death Cab for Cutie Manchester Academy 1, 4 July

1395 Days without Red Whitworth Art Gallery, 2 – 17 July, mif.co.uk

RobynManchester Academy 19 September

Wonders in The Dark: Tales from the Shadows The Whitworth Art Gallery September – December

Festivals

Asia Triennial Manchester 1 October – 27 November asiatriennialmanchester.com

Eurocultured29-30 May, New Wakefield Streeteurocultured.com

Exposures film festival Cornerhouse, Februaryexposuresfestival.co.uk

04Mary Kelly, Love Songs, 2005-7, WLM Demo Remix, 2005, still, courtesy the artist

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foR teeNS1 CutloosefromthecatwalkYoung fashionistas will love TheGalleryofCostume. With over 20,000 fashion items from the 17th century to the present day, including Audrey Hepburn’s Givenchy evening dress, it’s best followed by a trip to Saturday’s cutting edge FashionMarket on Tib Street.

2 WakethedeadExplore Manchester’s hidden history on a half-dayguidedwalk looking at the buildings, streets and monuments that tell the story of the world’s first industrial city. Relive the squalor, chaos and deprivation of 19th century from the safety of the 21st. Walks take about 2 hours.

3StepitupBudding Black Swans should look no further than TheLowry’s challenging dance workshops, often featuring talent from some of the big name companies that regularly perform here. In choreographic sessions they can collaboratively create new dance works.

4DIGITFESTOrganised by VInspired this celebrates culture in a digital age. Aimed at late teens it is running from 10 – 12 June with headline acts, free workshops and performances.

5Shock‘emallA free membership scheme for teen photographers, animators, film-makers and critics, LiveWire runs a whole host of filmmaking, art and multi-technology projects at Cornerhouse, plus discounts on cinema tickets. Members can even vote for the workshops they want as it’s run by young people alongside Cornerhouse staff.

BRIllIANt BReKKIeS1KoffeePotThis rock n’ roll greasy spoon on Stevenson Square is the place to be weekend mornings, where their smoked haddock rarebit accompanied by 6Music proves a popular way to banish the morning after blues. Good luck bagging a table.

2ThymeOutThis well-appointed West Didsbury deli is a real find. Scoff their Foodie’s Breakfast then stock up on artisan breads, cheeses and other gastronomical delights. If it’s sunny, get a table in the “secret garden.”

3KatsourisThis Cypriot deli on Deansgate (and at Bury Market) offers high quality on a budget. We love their Eggs Benedict, the meze, and sandwiches on bread from Chorlton’s Barbakan Bakery. These overstuffed ciabattas may have saved lives.

4NorthTeaPowerThis winning café has a mind-boggling selection of teas; they even make espresso out of it (they sell excellent coffee as well.) No hot food, but their homemade pastries are a delight. We love their cheese danish almost as much as we love the friendly, calm vibe.

5TheChorltonEateryIn-the-know Chorltonites come here for all day, every day breakfast heavy on doorstop toast, quality meat and good veggie options. The outdoor tables are next to a bus stop on busy Barlow Moor Road, so stay inside.

Koffee Pot

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Despite the proximity of the two universities there are few scholars crawling around the pubs here (many of them stay in Fallowfield.) So, instead of the student ghetto you might expect, Oxford Road is a haven for unpretentious

and inexpensive bars without the self-regarding hipsterism of many Northern Quarter watering holes. The Deaf Institute does tasty,

bar-friendly food and also doubles as a venue, with space for music and edgy spoken word evenings in the upstairs hall and DJ thrills in the basement club. Across Grosvenor Street is the mighty Sandbar, with a rotating selection of guest ales, delicious homemade cakes and local independent comics all available from behind the bar. Space, a short

hop from Oxford Road railway station, is a café bar with a roof terrace covered on three sides to provide protection during Manchester’s, ahem, rainy season. Their weekly barbecues in the summer are always a hit.

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CloSe BYThe Deaf Institute

Manchester is a city of different cuisines and Oxford Road is a little bit like a greatest hits compilation; all killer, no filler. Spice lovers should

definitely visit the Curry Mile, as well as Red Chilli for mouth-blistering Szechwan. On Upper Brook Street, Seoul Kimchi is a small Korean diner which serves perfect sticky noodles, peerless dumplings and cheap and tasty

lunchboxes. Back on Oxford Road, or just a little off it, is Zouk Tea Bar and Grill. An Indian restaurant rather than a curry house, Zouk’s meat and seafood is delicately spiced and roasted on a charcoal grill. And local food hero Peter Booth, has just opened a tempting coffee shop in the city’s

newest venue, The International Anthony Burgess Centre.

Retail opportunities are a little thin on the ground on Oxford Road, but where there are shops they are real treasures. Buffeted by fried chicken

and pizza outlets, vegetarian food co-operative Eighth Day sells fantastic marinated olives, organic cider and artisan bread, and has a good café downstairs. Legendary one-stop musical instrument emporium Johnny Roadhouse occupies the same strip. A little further up the road is Venus,

one of the city’s loveliest designer florists.

International Anthony Burgess Centre (Image © International Anthony Burgess Foundation)

A simple meander through the area exposes you to centuries of design evolution. The Industrial Revolution may be long over, but many of its red brick warehouses now house bars and restaurants while others have been converted to the swanky apartments and offices that give this place its cachet. Rising from behind the canalside development with characteristic Mancunian swagger is the gargantuan BeethamTower. The 47-storey tower is, by some distance, the tallest building in the city. Divided between residential apartments, offices and the Deansgate Hilton, it is a visible marker on Manchester’s skyline that hums tunes on a windy day. For newcomers the building is particularly handy as it is difficult to get too lost when you have a 171-metre monolith acting as a handy reference point.

CAStlefIelD, DeANSGAte AND SpINNINGfIelDS

Nowhere is Manchester’s unique mingling of the modern and the historic more gloriously in evidence than in the canalside haven of Castlefield, the busy area around Deansgate and the new business district Spinningfields. Indeed some 30 years ago Castlefield was the spot where the city’s post-industrial renaissance truly began.

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While reminders of Manchester’s industrial past are relatively common, much of its early history remains hidden which makes the excavated RomanFort, on the bank of the canal, really unique. Named Mamucium, from which the etymology of ‘Manchester’ originates, the ancient garrison also gives Castlefield its name; derived from castle-in-the-field. Next to the fort, open-air CastlefieldArena has shown some authentic classical drama on a vast video screen: from tragedy (the public reception of the city’s second failed Olympic bid) to comedy (England’s performance at the recent World Cup). Although the sheer quantity of historic buildings in Castlefield and Deansgate can sometimes be desensitising, the magnificent JohnRylandsLibrary never fails

to impress. Finished in 1899 this late Victorian neo-gothic building was modelled after a traditional Oxford college library but put together on a grand Mancunian scale. Almost as impressive as the architecture are examples of rare writings and early printed texts stored within, including preserved papyrus fragments, the letters of local author Elizabeth Gaskell and an original Gutenberg Bible. It also has an interesting exhibition programme. At the edge of Deansgate is ManchesterCentral, still better known by its former handle of G-MEX. This impressive arched steel structure, built in 1875, was one of the city’s major rail termini until the route to it was closed in 1969. Now it’s a conference and exhibitions centre.

fRoM pASt to pReSeNt

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MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) (photograph by Ian Bruce Photography)

Manchester was the birthplace of the computer and nuclear physics, was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution and bizarrely, thanks to an enthusiastic local clergyman, was at the forefront of early submarine design. Of course, then, it’s only right that MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) is one of the biggest attractions in the city. Largely housed in the magnificent buildings of the world’s first passenger and goods railway, it’s in fine form thanks to a £9 million refurbishment and brand new displays in Revolution Manchester. Alongside ongoing favourites like mill machine demonstrations, steam train rides and lots of hands-on interaction, the museum offers a thoughtful exhibition programme. From April Customising, Culture & Harley-Davidson will feature these iconic machines – including one from every decade of the last century with some spectacular recent creations. At the Salford edge of Deansgate is the marvellous People’sHistoryMuseum. Part grade-II listed hydraulic pump-house, part weathered steel shell exhibition centre, the PHM is dedicated

to charting the history of working Britons and the struggle for democracy. This national story is given resonance in its location here in Manchester, where that struggle began. The museum contains a variety of unique artefacts, including a collection of painstakingly restored labour movement banners, has a dedicated community gallery and a great temporary exhibition programme. If you’re visiting, it’s useful to know that the museum’s Left Bank Café bar, with its lovely riverside terrace, has proven a popular addition to the area’s eating and drinking scene. CastlefieldGallery is a contemporary art gallery situated just behind Deansgate railway station. Small though it may be, this gallery represents the heart of visual art practice in the city and beyond and is a hot spot for cutting-edge contemporary art. On until May 29 is an exhibition from sculptors Kit Craig and Andrew Lim with a barmy- but-brilliant sounding combination of inspirations including flow charts, a medieval hovel and Rembrandt’s Self Portrait with Two Circles.

People’s History Museum

05 Castlefield’s always a fabulous place to hang out in the warmer months, but there’s extra reason to look forward to this summer. Manchester International Festival has managed to stage very exciting concerts in two of the area’s few remaining industrial spaces that haven’t been converted into lofts (Icelandic genius Bjork and mysterious, hotly-tipped local band WU LYF). Once things cool down again, the Manchester Science Festival comes to MOSI and other venues around the city in October, making geek chic the order of the day. We can’t wait.

WU LYF (photograph by J Flanders)

Death and the Working Class, People’s History Museum to 2 May

Customising, Culture & Harley-Davidson, MOSI 15 April – 11 September

Kit Craig and Andrew Lim 23 Castlefield Gallery April – 29 May

The Lego ShowMOSI, 30 April – 2 May

Desmond Paul Henry: Manchester Pioneer of Computer Art MOSI, to 7 May

Inside DNA: A Genomic Revolution, MOSI 14 May – 23 November

Ruth McLennan Castlefield Art Gallery 13 July – 18 September

The Life and Death of al-Mutanabbi Street John Rylands Library, to 26 June

WU LYF The Tunnel, Great Bridgewater Street, 16 July, mif.co.uk

Bjork: Biophilia Campfield Market Hall, MOSI 30 June – 16 July, mif.co.uk

Festivals

Manchester Science Festival 22 – 30 October manchestersciencefestival.com

Manchester Comedy FestivalOctobermanchestercomedyfestival.com

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Ale AND ARChIteCtURe

1TheMarbleArchThe home of Manchester craft brewers Marble Beers, this 1880s public house is Grade II listed and a fine example of Early Victorian architecture. The glazed tiling of the main bar is complete with cornice-level listings of the tipples that once delighted the original clientele.

2TheCrown&KettleLegend has it that this building was originally designed as a law court. Admiring its ornate ceiling and the striking arches above the bar area is a rewarding experience, especially if done whilst enjoying a pint of Owl’s Amber Light.

3Mr.Thomas’ChopHouseStepping inside is like entering a museum’s mock-Victorian street scene. Burnished tiles gleam in fine hues of green, alongside deeply polished wood and a tiled floor. The late 19th Century purple and coral light fittings lend an air of sophisticated gravitas to the dining room.

4TheOldWellingtonThis pub in Exchange Square is a medieval building of historic significance that was moved painstakingly to its present site after the IRA bombing in 1996. Avoid it on match days if you’re after a quiet pint, it’s right next to the BBC’s Big Screen.

5PeverilofthePeakThis Great Bridgewater Street Victorian masterpiece is bedecked with tiles in a distinctive olive green, and features a changing roster of real ales. Opening hours can be irregular, so if it’s shut try The Briton’s Protection down the street. The landlady celebrates 40 years behind the bar this spring.

weeKeNDS oUt of towN

1GreatLakesThe Lake District allows you to combine a strenuous hike and a gastro pub (or two) with the LakesAlive outdoor arts programme. We’re looking forward to Harmonic Fields, a soundscape of 500 wind-powered instruments near Ulverston (2-5 June) and Mintfest in September.

2HaveMerseyFrom 19 July, welcome the MuseumofLiverpool in a stunning new waterfront building offering then take in the Rene Magritte and Robert Therrien exhibitions at TateLiverpool. Watch the tide eerily reveal (or submerge) Anthony Gormley’s iron men.

3HopoverthePenninesWe can’t wait for the opening of HepworthWakefield on 21st May, a new national art gallery which celebrates the works of Barbara Hepworth. While you’re there, visit YorkshireSculpturePark’s 500 acres of rolling countryside.

4ArtonthebeachWales’ oldest art gallery, PlasGlyn-y-Weddw, is handily placed smack in the middle of the Llyn Peninsula. Traditionally the summering place of great-and-good Mancunians, it’s home to some of the most pristine beaches in the country. A visit to nearby Portmeiron is recommended.

5YorkshirerocksThe best place to bone up on Manchester music this summer may actually be Yorkshire. At Broughton Hall in July, TheMagicLoungeabout’s line up reads like a who’s who of Rainy City talent: Badly Drawn Boy, Haçienda DJ Graeme Park and Inspiral Carpets’ Clint Boon play alongside local talent like New Young Pony Club and The Human League.

Lakes Alive

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Eating and drinking around and along the canal can be a real pleasure but, as a general rule, it’s best to steer clear of the brash signage and

wipe-clean menus of the chain establishments along Deansgate Locks. Instead opt for Dukes 92, a former stable block with a great line in platters of cheeses, breads and cured meats. During the late spring and summer the canalside terrace is a popular place to catch the sun. Albert’s Shed, named for the restaurant building’s original function, has an uncomplicated menu with an emphasis on reinterpreted British classics. For group dining there are two great options; Sapporo Teppanyaki, a Japanese grill with dinner

entertainment in the shape of theatrical tossing and slicing performed by skilled chefs, or Dmitri’s a lively Greek taverna with friendly staff

and a satisfying meze selection.

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CloSe BYCloud 23 at the Hilton Hotel

As the home of two premier league football teams Manchester has no shortage of professional ball-kickers with wads of cash to throw around

(and prospective WAGS who would dearly love to help them) and a selection of establishments have sprung up around Deansgate to cater to this market. Prohibition and Panacea may seem luxe, but nowhere does it better than Cloud 23. This self-proclaimed ‘sky bar’ is set on the

23rd floor of the Hilton, serves cocktails named after Stone Roses singles and boasts unparalleled views across the city.

If tastes run more real ale than raspberry mojito then there is no shortage of great pubs in this neck of the woods and The Knott Bar is one of the best. Nestled under the iron railway bridge (the entire place rattles when trains pass overhead) this boozer sells a range of special ales including

brews from local beer heroes Marble.

With branches of Carluccios, Giraffe and Wagamama, Spinningfields started life as little more than a glorified food court catering to workers from nearby offices but has since begun a transformation into a living,

breathing part of the city. A selection of prestige brand outlets have recently opened and The Alchemist is one of the hottest see-and-be-seen bars in town. In summer the plazas come alive with Screenfields, a series of free outdoor films featuring crowd-pleasing hits and cult classics, and in the

winter outdoor ice-skating.

The Deansgate House of Fraser, formerly and still popularly known as Kendals will always hold a special place in the heart of a shopping Manc. Its glamorous incarnation can be found throughout the art deco building

(and while you’re examining the architecture you can always pick up a few completely vital pieces of jewellery and bottles of perfume). Just across the road is Waterstones Deansgate which, as well as stocking the usual range of thick papery things also organises special events, from monthly book groups to readings and major launches from the likes of Ian McEwan.

If you are powering through an afternoon of shopping then a refuel at Katsouris Deli, where an artisan ciabatta stuffed with freshly carved meat comes in at less than a fiver, is an absolute must.

SAlfoRD AND the QUAYS

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Gritty urban realism has been this city’s stock in trade made famous by L.S. Lowry. Its cultural influence extends far and wide, which is probably why many people who’ve never been here feel they know it well.

Some will have read about it in The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists or Love on the Dole. Some will have seen it depicted in kitchen sink dramas or Corrie. And others will forever associate the city with John Cooper Clarke rasping his way through Evidently Chickentown, or the dystopian anthems of Joy Division. The secret of Salford is it’s not as hard as all that. Yes, like anywhere else, some parts of the city are nicer than others. But on the whole, the Dirty Old Town is looking distinctly less dirty these days, thanks to some robust regeneration schemes and a period of relative prosperity. Come here expecting wall-to-wall urban unrest and you’ll be barking up the wrong tree. What you will find are people fiercely loyal to their city. If you spend any significant period of time here, you may begin to understand why they love it so much. The Quays is Manchester’s waterfront, once a busy mercantile pipeline jostling with ships and barges

full of cotton, cloth and other goods coming and going. While the whole area is popularly known as Salford Quays, half of it actually belongs to Trafford, including Imperial War Museum North and (naturally) Old Trafford’s cricket and football grounds. The Quays is a place of stark beauty long beloved of twitchers, runners and watersports enthusiasts – though these days, they all find the area a bit less peaceful than it used to be. Newly unwrapped on the Salford side is MediaCityUK – shiny brand new home of BBC North and The BBC Philharmonic. Listen out for the creative buzz from some 2300 BBC staff, students from Salford University, and a myriad of other media companies as it carries up the Irwell, and enjoy a wide range of public events outside at the Piazza and in the BBC Studios. And the past hasn’t been forgotten either, UnlockingSalfordQuays is a newly launched public sculpture trail celebrating its extraordinary history.

TheLowry is a multi-arts venue with two theatres, galleries and a studio space. The galleries aren’t limited to the work of native son L.S. Lowry (though obviously it’s a perennial focus); The Lowry offers an engaging series of changing art exhibitions encompassing all art forms. Recent exhibitions have included the likes of Maggi Hambling and Spencer Tunick; Warhol and The Diva, opening in late June, promises to be a cracker. This summer’s Manchester International Festival brings the world premiere of a new theatre piece, The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic, featuring the eponymous performance artist, actor Willem Dafoe and music from Antony Hegarty of Antony and The Johnsons. In addition to award-winning theatre, The Lowry’s two theatres host touring theatre, comedy, classical ballet, dance and opera. Arguably Manchester’s most compelling piece of contemporary architecture, the Daniel Libeskind-designed ImperialWarMuseumNorth houses a beautifully presented permanent collection and a well-thought-out series of changing exhibitions that consider how war shapes lives. A busy series of talks, events and activities make it a popular destination for all ages; The 360-degree Big Picture Show screens every hour and is completely free. On display in the Main Exhibition space from 16 April is Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller’s installation Baghdad, 5 March 2007, which features the wreckage of a car used in the bombing of the

URBAN SplASh06

For ten years, Salford’s cultural scene has been dominated by The Quays. And it’s easy to see why, with TheLowry and ImperialWarMuseumNorth towering on either side of the Manchester Ship Canal. Architecturally, they’re both stunning, but they’ve got just as much going on inside.

Imperial War Museum North

city’s historic book market. Later in the spring, there’s the museum’s major exhibition for 2011: War Correspondent: Reporting under fire since 1914. Planned to coincide with the opening of Media City, it explores how war journalism has evolved over the past century. Beyond The Quays, Salford’s home to a vibrant and varied cultural scene that’s still something of a local secret. Salford’s low rents and vacant mills has beckoned artists from across the Irwell to the likes of HotBedPress, CowLaneStudios, and MASA. The granddaddy of the studio scene is IslingtonMill, a once-abandoned cotton mill which now teems with life, housing artists studios, a gallery, a cafe, a rough-and-ready live music venue and even a small B&B. A popular events series includes art talks, film screenings, life drawing classes and yoga. Music is another area where Salford shines. Local heroes The Smiths and New Order have given way to the likes of The Ting Tings and Elbow, who record and produce their albums here at BlueprintStudios. Every May bank holiday, the SoundsfromtheOtherCity festival brings an incendiary mix of live bands, literary readings and art hi-jinks to an eclectic selection of venues in Salford. Often included in the line-up are two churches, SacredTrinity and St.Phillips, which host popular live gigs year-round (well, music is something like a religion here, after all.) The council-run SalfordMuseumandArtGallery is a friendly city museum with special appeal to families. The permanent collection holds a few gems, but the real highlight is Lark Hill Place, a charming Victorian Street installation, complete with costumes to wear as you explore. Nearby, the WorkingClassMovementLibrary provides a very different look at the past. The personal collection of labour historians Ruth and Edmund Frow, it’s a veritable treasure trove of fascinating material dating back to the 1760s – from pamphlets containing the testimony of child mill-workers to the rabble-rousing folk songs of Salfordian Ewan MacColl. And OrdsallHall, the city’s beautifully preserved (and supposedly haunted) Tudor mansion and museum will re-open in May following a thorough renovation. But the intellectual life of Salford isn’t just focused on the distant past. From its headquarters on Chapel Street, the ManchesterModernistSociety publishes a magazine, hosts talks, and runs a popular series of themed walks around the city. It’s also prone to the odd bit of activism: a crusade to save Manchester’s Odeon Cinema building, an at-risk modernist masterpiece, or a recent art installation which drew attention to the city’s few remaining red telephone kiosks.

The Lowry

06 This area has a lot to offer, but apart from things happening at The Lowry and IWMN it can be a bit difficult to hear about events. Twitter and Facebook may be the best place to keep up with interesting night-time happenings at Islington Mill and the King’s Arms, and if you like art look out for open days or workshops at the other studios. And remember: the busy Chapel Street district is just a short walk from the city centre, and there’s a rail station at Salford Crescent. Here’s our pick of upcoming events in Salford and The Quays:

Debbie Harry ca. 1980 Collection of The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh

CUltURAl hIGhlIGhtS

Unlocking Salford Quays Public sculpture trail

Reopening of Ordsall Hall 15 May

Opera North The Lowry, 17 – 20 May

War Correspondent: Reporting under fire since 1914Imperial War Museum North28 May – 2 January 2012

The Adventures of Baron von Munschausen The Lowry, 2 – 3 June

Liam Spencer: Paintings from Life, Salford Museum and Art Gallery, to 3 July

Warhol and The Diva The Lowry 25 June – 25 September

The Crash of the ElysiumMediaCityUK1 – 17 July, mif.co.uk

Music BoxesThe Piazza, MediaCityUK2 – 17 July, mif.co.uk

The Life and Death of Marina AbramovicThe Lowry, 9 - 16 July, mif.co.uk

Carlos Acosta: Premieres Plus, The Lowry, 24 – 25 July

Mr StinkThe Lowry, 2 – 14 August

Festivals

Sounds from the Other City Festival, 1 May soundsfromtheothercity.com

DIGITFESTThe Lowry, 10 – 11 Junedigitfest.com

Un-conventionOctober, unconventionhub.org

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Clifton Country Park

ReASoNS to love SAlfoRD1 OrdsallHall, which reopens in May after a top-to-bottom refurbishment. The Tudor stately home has a ghost, and according to local legend is the place where the Gunpowder Plot was plotted.

2 Hidden-in-plain-sight parks. Many Salfordians probably don’t even know these gems are on their doorstep. They’re missing out. BuileHillPark, CliftonCountryPark, and ClowesPark are lovely big green places for a wander around.

3 Few people outside the city realise that Salford is home to the country’s second largest orthodox Jewish community in Broughton Park and Kersal. You can thank them for Brackman’sKosherBakeryandCoffeeShop on Leicester Road.

4A global grassroots event, Un-Convention looks to the future of music in a technological age. Events happen in un-conventional spaces (boats, barges, churches and working men’s clubs) and involve some of the most inspiring, thought leaders in the music world. They say ‘think TEDtalks for the music community’ and it’s all co-ordinated from yes... Salford.

5 Mechanically-minded children (and grown ups) will love BartonSwingAqueduct, where the Bridgewater Canal crosses the Manchester Ship Canal. Built in 1893 and still swinging, it’s the only aqueduct of its kind in the world.

6 The Delph at Worsley, well really the whole village of Worsley, which is a conservation area, but especially this bit; once a coal mine joined by underground tunnels to the Bridgewater Canal, now a peaceful place for a walk. Bring some bread and feed the ducks by the Packet House.

7 SalfordLad’sClub. Smiths fans will never fail to be impressed by a visit to the building immortalised on the cover of the hugely influential Salford band’s 1986 album The Queen is Dead. Amazingly, this is still a functioning boys club (they now let girls in too.) It’s been at the centre of the Ordsall community since 1903.

8 Holy (rock and) rolling. Thanks to music-loving vicar Andy Salmon, Salford’s Churches of St.PhillipwithSt.StephenandSacredTrinity double as the city’s most beautifully unconventional rock venues. Recent acts pulling up a pew include The Low Anthem, Jens Lekman, and Trespassers William. Folksinger Emmy the Great plays Sacred Trinity June 6.

9You could cast one heck of a movie just using eminent Salfordians: Albert Finney, Christopher Eccleston, Ben Kingsley and Robert Powell for starters. Local boy Mike Leigh would direct. For music, how about a band composed of native sons Graham Nash, Mark E. Smith and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies? Hmmm. Maybe not the band.

10IslingtonMill. Ten years ago, this was a derelict cotton mill filled with pigeon droppings next to a tower block. It took Salford fashion designer-turned-entrepreneur Bill Campbell to see the potential, and now this buzzy multi-arts space has jump-started the area’s creative renaissance.

Mark Addy was a Victorian hero who saved more than fifty souls from drowning in the Irwell. His memory is worthily honoured by the Salford pub that bears his name, The Mark Addy. Renovated from a passengers’ waiting room for the packet boat that departed from a nearby landing

stage in the early 1800s, this picturesque riverside location (if it was any closer to the Irwell it would be in it) would probably be enough to ensure the Mark Addy a steady stream of customers even without the culinary

talents of Robert Owen Brown. This celebrated local chef has made a habit of giving pubs the genuine gastro treatment without sacrificing character

or charm. He arrived here in 2009 and his muscular modern British regional cooking is currently in top form. Roll on summer,

and barbecues on the newly-expanded terrace.

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CloSe BYThe River Bar and Restaurant at The Lowry Hotel

For fine dining The River Bar and Restaurant at The Lowry Hotel is the real deal. It’s capable of inducing the sort of post-meal glow

that can send you out into the streets accosting passersby and singing hosannas. Many foodies reckon it to be the best restaurant in the city. For the odd drink or light lunch, the River Bar has a lovely terrace along the same stretch of the river as The Mark Addy (local wags

have christened it the Salford Riviera).

In the market for an after-dinner drink? Real ale enthusiasts and pub people are well provided for in Salford, with The New Oxford on Bexley

Square and The Crescent on, erm, The Crescent, worthy of particular mention (the latter much beloved of students at the nearby university).

The King’s Arms on Bloom Street is a Salford institution celebrated for its excellent selection of continental beers and bohemian atmosphere.

Upstairs, it’s home to the Studio Salford theatre company.

If pubs aren’t your thing, Corridor Bar is as sleek a drinking den as you could ask for. But you’ll have to find it first. This speakeasy-style bar is hidden down Barlow’s Croft, an unremarkable alley off Chapel Street,

behind an unmarked door. It’s like they don’t want you to know it’s there (but of course they do. There’s a helpful map and pictures of the entrance

on their website.) Inside there’s some serious mixology happening, with juices squeezed fresh every day, scary-sounding experimentation

with molecular drinks, and an enticing cocktail list.

Due to its close proximity to the mercantile delights of Manchester, shopping in the area is pretty much limited to the Lowry Outlet Mall,

home to a respectable selection of outlets including Whistles, Gap, Marks & Spencer, Flannels, Bodum, and Molton Brown. If you’re

shopping there, it’s worthwhile to know that Pizza Express, Cafe Rouge and Costa Coffee are all on site, as well as a Vue Cinema. Don’t forget about The Lowry, which has a kid-friendly cafe and a more upscale

restaurant that serves lunch and pre-theatre dinners.

In other shopping news, we are very excited about the arrival of Booths, the family-owned Northwest chain of supermarkets with a truly laudable commitment to local produce. It’s scheduled to open in Media City this

Autumn. Past experience with Booths leads us to expect a wonderful wine selection, a good deli, and more Lancashire-grown meat and veg than

you can shake an (organic) stick at.

07QUICKCheCKlISt

A–Z venuesBand on the Wall 25 Swan Street, M4 5JZbandonthewall.org

Bridgewater HallLower Mosley Street, M2 3WSbridgewater-hall.co.uk

Castlefield Art Gallery Hewitt Street, M15 4GBcastlefieldgallery.co.uk

Chinese Arts Centre Thomas Street, M4 1EUchinese-arts-centre.org

Contact Oxford Road, M15 6JAcontact-theatre.org

Cornerhouse70 Oxford Street, M1 5NHcornerhouse.org

CubePortland Street, M1 6DWcube.org.uk

greenroomWhitworth Street West, M1 5WWgreenroomarts.org

International Anthony Burgess Foundation Cambridge Street, M1 5BYanthonyburgess.org

Imperial War Museum NorthThe Quays, Trafford Wharf Road, M17 1TZ iwm.org/north

Islington Millislingtonmill.com

John Rylands LibraryDeansgate, M3 3EHlibrary.manchester.ac.uk

The LowryPier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZthelowry.com

MadlabEdge Street, M4 1HNmadlab.org.uk

Manchester Art GalleryMosely Street, M2 3JLmanchestergalleries.org

Manchester Craft & Design CentreOak Street, M4 5JDcraftanddesign.com

The Manchester MuseumOxford Road, M13 9PLmuseum.manchester.ac.uk

MOSILiverpool Road, M3 4FPmosi.org.uk

National Football MuseumCathedral Gardens, M4 3BG nationalfootballmuseum.com

Palace TheatreOxford Street, M1 6FTmanchestertheatres.com/palacetheatre

People’s History MuseumLeft Bank, Spinningfields, M3 3ERphm.org.uk

Royal Exchange TheatreSt Ann’s Square, M2 7DH royalexchangetheatre.org.uk

Whitworth Art Gallery Oxford Road, M15 6ERwhitworth.manchester.ac.uk

Festivals24:7 Theatre Festival247theatrefestival.co.uk

Asia Triennial Manchester asiatriennialmanchester.com

DIGITFESTdigitfest.com

Dot to Dot Festivaldottodotfestival.co.uk

Euroculturedeurocultured.com

Exposures Film Festival exposuresfestival.co.uk

FutureEverythingfutureeverything.org

Manchester Comedy Festival manchestercomedyfestival.co.uk

Manchester Food and Drink Festival foodanddrinkfestival.com

Manchester International Festivalmif.co.uk

Manchester Jazz Festival manchesterjazz.com

Manchester Literature Festival manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk

Manchester Science Festival manchestersciencefestival.com

Salford Film Festival salfordfilmfestival.org.uk

Sounds from the Other Citysoundsfromtheothercity.com

Un-conventionunconventionhub.org

More InformationAnd if all of this isn’t enough here are some great resources to bookmark and subscribe to:

Creative Tourist i-appFind your way around Manchester with Creative Tourist i-app which features cultural treats, tips on local cafes, information about the city’s past and walking tours. Download it from iTunes or creativetourist.com/app

Go See This Subscribe to Go See This at goseethis.com for up-to-date information, ticket-purchase, reviews and news about what’s on all over the city

Family FriendlyAt Go See This you will also be able to subscribe to the legendary Family Friendly arts listing service, which no busy parent can live without. goseethis/familyfriendly

Modern HistoryModern History is a showcase for the region’s rich industrial heritage and highlights the inventions, achievements and stories that have shaped the modern world. modernhistory.co.uk

Salford Music MapYour guide to the venues that have been witness to some of popular music’s greatest moments. For more about the Salford Music Map go to visitsalford.info/musicmap

Visit ManchesterFor all other events, sport, travel, hotels, great deals and tourist information visit visitmanchester.com

Manchester Visitor Information Centre can be found on Lloyd Street, Piccadilly Gardens, M60 2LA. Open 10-5.30 Mon-Sat and 10.30-4.30 Sundays and Bank Holidays. It has a hotel and ticket booking service and lots of information to share including walking tours led by Blue and Green Badge Guides.

Words by Kate Feld and Matthew Hull; design by Modern Designers; illustrations by Christopher Gray.

All information correct at time of press.