Bombed and Besieged: Manchester at War

Johnny James, Managing Editor

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Bombed and Besieged: Manchester at War

Hanging Ditch Wine Merchants, Cathedral Quarter
13 December 2025
Date
Time
Session Features
13 Dec 2025
10:30 am-12:30 pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Walking Stock Image
istock.com/Iryna Melnyk
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Close to the anniversary of the Christmas Blitz in 1940, join Jonathan Schofield Tours for a look at major conflicts that affected Manchester: the English Civil Wars, the 1945 Jacobite rebellion, the Napoleanic Wars, and the two World Wars of the 20th century.

Physically and historically, this walking tour of Manchester covers a lot of ground. It stretches from the Romans right through to 22 May 2017, via the English Civil War, the Bonnie Prince Charlie rebellion, World War I, the arrival of Guernica for a week, World War II, and multiple terrorist attacks.

All the principle players – and some lesser known characters – will be brought to vivid life as you thread your way through Manchester. And the significant sites and buildings at which you’ll stop all help to tell the tales. Tales of drama, peril, bravery and ultimately hope.

Making sure there are lighter moments to balance the dark ones, your knowledgeable and experienced tour guide will bring humour, poetry and song. You’ll also encounter some great art with the story of how the most famous anti-war painting on the planet arrived in Manchester in 1939.

Perfect for an anyone with an interest in the history of conflict, and Manchester’s position within it, this walking tour places you at the heart of some astonishing stories.

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