Culture Guides
Destination Guides
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
-
1. Manchester Museum
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
5. Palace Theatre
Image courtesy of Palace Theatre Manchester. -
6. The Refuge
Heritage Tomatoes, Red Onion -
7. The Deaf Institute
Pimped Fries -
8. Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM)
RNCM -
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.
-
10. Eighth Day
image courtesy of On the Eighth Day
In partnership with
The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel at HOME
Described as ‘immensely charming’ by The Stage, this hilarious homage to the masters of slapstick and silent comedy comes to HOME Manchester.
House of Suarez + Contact: Vogue Ball 2020 at Manchester Academy
Daring, fabulous and with a nautical twist for 2020, House of Suarez are back to host the ultimate battle for dance supremacy.
Video Jam Presents ‘Spaces-in-between’ at Royal Northern College of Music
Movies meet music as Video Jam presents an evening of five commissioned short films by international artists, each scored by a different UK composer.
Utopias at the Whitworth
How have visions of utopia and the visual culture that helped form it impacted upon the Brexit debate? A new exhibition at the Whitworth explores.
Anna Meredith at Gorilla
Straddling a multitude of genres, from techno to contemporary classical, Anna Meredith’s new album Fibs is a sheer delight. Her gig at Gorilla will be, too.
Yelena Popova: The Scholar Stones Project at The Holden Gallery
After growing up in the closed city of Ozyorsk – the birthplace of the Soviet nuclear weapons programme – Yelena Popova’s work reflects a fascination with nuclear history.
PN Review 250th issue launch at Christie’s Bistro
The Carcanet 50th birthday celebrations continue, with a very special launch party for the spring issue and 250th edition of the poetry publishing house’s literary journal, PN Review.
a little space at HOME
Two of the UK’s leading theatre companies, Gecko and Mind the Gap, have joined forces to present this special HOME commission.
Elizabeth Price: A Long Memory at the Whitworth
‘Elizabeth Price at the Whitworth’ brings together new and acclaimed works – including drawings, sculpture, and video – by the Turner prize-winning artist.
Isabel Allende at The Dancehouse
This special event with one of literature’s most enchanting storytellers and one of Latin America’s greatest authors marks the beginning of the 2020 programme of Manchester Literature Festival and is presented in association with the Centre for New Writing.
Places to go / stay / shop / eat / drink
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.
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
Away from the buzz of London, Manchester and Salford arguably have one of the highest concentrations of fantastic art galleries in England. Here’s our pick.
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…
Things to do right now
Powered by
