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Stretching all the way from the Curry Mile – with its glittering sari emporiums, Indian sweet shops and mixed reputation for actual curry – up toward the city centre, Oxford Road is not only home to two Universities, the Royal Northern College of Music, an Olympic-sized pool and a good number of the city’s best music venues, it’s also the busiest bus route in Europe. Yes, this is student land, but cultural institutions such as The Whitworth art gallery, Manchester Museum and International Anthony Burgess Centre also make the area a real draw for locals and tourists alike. There are also two parks: Whitworth Park, which dates back to 1890, and Grosvenor Square, a small patch of green that was once a church and where now, on sunny days, the locals come out to bask in bookish style.
The Oxford Road Corridor is the site of serious scientific innovation; here, you can visit the place where the atom was split, and doff your cap to the building dedicated to pioneering computer scientist and code breaker Alan Turing. Once home to philosopher Friedrich Engels and writer Elizabeth Gaskell, the area can boast its fair share of artistic prestige, too. Here, history and innovation still exist side by side.
In partnership with
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1. Manchester Museum
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2. Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
Image courtesy of Marketing Manchester / © Joel-Chester-Fildess Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, 84 Plymouth Grove, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M13 9LW - Visit now
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House has been lovingly restored; you can now sit at her desk, see where Charlotte Brontë hid behind the curtains, and have tea in the downstairs café. The Pankhurst Centre is also nearby.
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3. Contact Theatre
Contact Theatre, Oxford Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M15 6JA - Visit now
Contact has to be the go-to place for emerging theatre in the city, with commissioned work here going on to high acclaim. Set back from the road but recognizable by its H-shaped turrets. Currently closed for renovation, Contact’s In The City programme has put their rivals in the shade.
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4. The Whitworth
The Whitworth, Photo: Alan Williams The Whitworth, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M15 6ER - Visit now
It’s been a few years now since The Whitworth underwent a £15m redevelopment; it almost feels like the gallery has always jutted out into Whitworth park, seamlessly transitioning from old to new. The exhibitions here are excellent.
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5. Palace Theatre
Image courtesy of Palace Theatre Manchester. -
6. The Refuge
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7. The Deaf Institute
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8. Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM)
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9. Big Hands
Image courtesy Big Hands. Big Hands, 296 Oxford Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M13 9NS
Big Hands is the one-time haunt of legendary Manchester band Elbow; it’s shabby, loud and dark, with a jukebox and excellent roof terrace.
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10. Eighth Day
image courtesy of On the Eighth Day
In partnership with
The Lion King at the Palace Theatre
The sun may have set over our Manchester theatres during the pandemic – but now “it’s rolling high through the sapphire sky” once again. Hit musical The Lion King has added even more dates to its previously postponed run.
Flying Fighters of Taiwan at HOME
A film season of epic sword-wielding warriors and spectacular wuxia action featuring acrobatic performance skills in fantastical historical settings.
Split Britches: Last Gasp at Contact
Combining spoken word and movement, the legendary experimental duo return to the physical theatre with a wry performative reflection on the turbulent last couple of years.
Cinema on the Edge: Japanese Film in the 1970s at HOME
From gutsy genre pieces, to experimental art house classics, and challenging underground fare, HOME present a thrilling new film season.
Forward Prizes at Contact and online
It’s the 30th anniversary of the Forward Prizes for Poetry, the most influential awards for new poetry in the UK and Ireland, honouring fresh voices alongside internationally established names – and this year the glittering awards ceremony will take place right here in Manchester.
Forget Me Not exhibition at Manchester Poetry Library
Forget Me Not is a new exhibition exploring the relationship between poetry and pictures in Victorian and Edwardian greetings cards. The show aims to provide a snapshot of the Laura Seddon Collection, brimming with over 32,500 examples of 19th-century greetings cards and one of the largest and most comprehensive sources for their study.
Torrey Peters and Imogen Binnie at the Whitworth
Manchester’s independent gay bookshop Queer Lit has teamed up with The Whitworth to bring you an evening with novelists Torrey Peters and Imogen Binnie.
Adam Farrer in conversation with Jenn Ashworth at Blackwell’s
Like place-writing, then this could be one for you, as Manchester-based writer and The Real Story co-organiser Adam Farrer launches his debut book Cold Fish Soup, winner of the 2021 NorthBound Book Award, at a reading and in conversation event with Portico Prize-shortlisted author and memoirist Jenn Ashworth.
Playtime: Summer Family Activities at The Whitworth
Get creative and explore the art of play at The Whitworth this summer.
Manchester Folk Festival 2022
Manchester Folk Festival grows from strength to strength with a soul-melting lineup and the addition of a new venue.
Manchester Visitor Guides
Free family things to do in Manchester
The world’s at your fingertips with free history, art, science and creative capers for all ages in Manchester.
Vegan Food in Manchester
Whether you’re a proud vegan or merely curious, let us guide you towards the best vegan food in Manchester for Veganuary.
Afternoon Tea in Manchester
The finest places in Manchester to sip Darjeeling, eat dainty finger sandwiches and slap extra clotted cream on a freshly baked scone.
Art Galleries in Manchester & Salford
Here’s a list of our favourite art galleries in Manchester and Salford, and what to look forward to when they reopen.
Libraries in Manchester
Bibliophiles, rejoice: we have rounded up the best libraries in Manchester for your perusal.
Restaurants in Manchester
The very best restaurants in Manchester’s city centre, including ones you know, and future favourites.
Manchester District Guides
Medieval Quarter, Manchester
The Medieval Quarter, or Cathedral Quarter as it is sometimes known, is one of the oldest parts of Manchester and home to some historic gems and cultural must-sees.
Burton Road, West Didsbury, Manchester
Burton Road is the heart of West Didsbury, a beautifully maintained leafy hubbub of shops,…
Beech Road Chorlton, Manchester
A laid-back mix of gift shops, independent outfitters, restaurants, pubs and parks, on a sunny weekend afternoon it’s heaving.
Didsbury, Manchester
Follow Oxford Road South through the Curry Mile, along Wilmslow Road, past Platt Fields Park…
Chorlton, Manchester
Chorlton is a left-leaning suburb a few miles south of Manchester’s city centre (and only…
Cheetham Hill, Manchester
As an area, Cheetham Hill gets a pretty bad rep. The foreboding architecture of Strangeways…
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