Gothic Manchester Guided Tour
Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor
Starting at Manchester Cathedral, Gothic Manchester aims to expose some of the darker stories from around the city that hide behind grand architectural facades. Learn about John Dee, one of the more divisive figures to live in the city during the 16th Century. He straddled the worlds of mathematics, science, alchemy and magic with equal weighting and was well known for his attempted ‘angel summonings’. As you move through the city, stories of famous gothic novels and how Manchester was fundamental in their creation will be unveiled. Authors such as Dickens and Charlotte Bronte had connections with Manchester and were struck by the contrast of its architectural gothic grandeur and often chilling history. As well as the artistic connections you will explore graves that are hidden in plain sight. Situated in places which we might walk past, or over, on a daily basis.
Leading you on this tour of all things eerie is Anne Beswick. Her passion for digging up the more mysterious history which many over look is evident in her story telling. As someone who has been tour guiding for 10 years, she loves to offer an alternative view on the familiar streets of Manchester’s city centre. Whether that is by drawing your attention to artefacts with macabre tales of how they came to be, or uncovering the more sinister past associated with buildings already familiar to you.
Gothic Manchester is not a ghost walk, it is an informative tour based on the real gothic aspects of the city, be those architectural or social. In a place with such a seemingly glossy surface, Anne aims to show you that there are layers to this urban sprawl and some of them are more sinister than others. The tour starts at 6 pm allowing the night to fall as you venture deeper into Manchester’s darker past.
