Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx in Manchester

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Book now

Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx in Manchester

29 November 2025
Date
Time
Session Features
29 Nov 2025
10:30 am-12:30 pm

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

Photo of the John Rylands Library from outside
The University of Manchester
Book now

The fathers of communism, Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx, had deep connections with Manchester. Engels lived here, on and off, for 22 years, during which time Marx would stay with him for long periods. The remarkable tale of two men who changed the political world is told on this Jonathan Schofield tour, which explores the ways in which Manchester helped shape and reinforce their ideas.

In the 1840s, industrial Manchester appeared to confirm for both Engels and Marx the truth behind their ideas of how society was ordered and where it was inevitably headed. It seemed clear to them how the tensions between the ‘bourgeoisie’ and ‘proletariat’ would ultimately lead to the overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of communism.

It would probably not have been clear to them that present commemorations in Greater Manchester would include a climbing wall in the shape of the face and beard of Engels.

Still, the fact they filtered their ideas as young men through the experience of Manchester was crucial. Your knowledgeable and experienced tour guide will hone in on this experience as you walk through the city, exploring significant locations including the neo-Gothic John Rylands Library, where the ideas that spawned The Communist Manifesto were developed.

As the well-known historian Asa Briggs wrote in Victorian Cities, “If Engels had lived not in Manchester…his conception of class and his theories of the role of class might have been very different. In this case Marx might have been not a communist but a currency reformer. The fact that Manchester was taken to be the symbol of the age in the 1840s was of central importance in modern world history.

Where to go near Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx in Manchester

City Centre
Restaurant
Gusto

Gusto Manchester is a lavish Italian restaurant just off Deansgate, with 1920s décor and an extensive menu.

Manchester
Restaurant
KAJI

Tokyo meets Manchester in a series of awe-inspiring dishes and drinks at KAJI.

Stow
City Centre
Restaurant
Stow

Stow is a new fire-based restaurant on Bridge Street in Manchester, from the team behind Trof.

City Centre
Restaurant
Six By Nico Deansgate

This famously affordable six-course fine dining restaurant has a new Mad Hatter menu – and it’s up there with the best.

Manchester
Restaurant
Honest Burgers

This burger joint focuses on high-quality burgers and sides, homemade using local produce. After a series of pop-ups they’ve found a permanent home on Bridge Street in the centre of Manchester.

What's on: Tour

Cathedral of Sound - Lazerian
Until
Activity
Music for the Senses

Music for the Senses, a city-wide art trail by global art producer Wild in Art, takes over the streets of Manchester this summer.

Free entry
Ossett Brewery Exterior
Until
TourWakefield
Ossett Brewery Tour

Beer lovers, get to know the taste of Yorkshire with an Ossett Brewery Tour. Learn about the process before sampling the goods.

From £19.09
A mushroom growing on a stump of mossy wood
TourLeeds
Fungus Foray at Temple Newsam

Guided walk for families and beginners looking at Fungi at Temple Newsam. 

The walk aims to find examples of all the major genus of fungi so that the participants can more

From £8.00

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Theatre this month bursts with contrasts - from bold new writing and Black History Month highlights to contemporary arts and reimagined classics.

Cinema in the North

This month we recommend a season of Film noir, cult Australian movies and a huge celebration of DIY community cinema.

Exhibitions in the North

Galleries around the North are gearing up for a new season of exhibitions - from iconic art prizes to smaller, artist-led gems.

Wisp Press Image
Music in the North

From corrupted shoegaze to experimental electronica, post-hardcore to Indian classical, these are the shows that should be on your radar.