Culture Guides
Destination Guides
Seasonal Guides
Festival Guides
Cross over the River Irwell, and you’ll find yourself in another city entirely – Salford. You’ll barely feel the transition, though; despite locals who are fierce about the fact that Salford is a city in its own right, it’s only separated from Manchester by the width of the river, distance-wise. Which is not to say that you won’t see differences between the two.
Gritty urban realism has been this city’s stock in trade since L.S. Lowry painted his very first matchstick man. Some will have read about it in Love on the Dole. Some will have seen it depicted in kitchen sink dramas or Corrie. And others will forever associate the city with John Cooper Clarke rasping his way through ‘Evidently Chickentown’, or the dystopian anthems of Joy Division.
Now, however, Salford has an up-and-coming feel; the Chapel Street area of the city, the focus of an ongoing regeneration project, is home to a creative community including Hot Bed Press and over 100 artists and 50 innovative businesses at Islington Mill. If you’re visiting around May, look out for the highlight of Salford’s strong music scene, Sounds from the Other City festival, which brings an incendiary mix of live bands, literary readings and art hi-jinks to an eclectic selection of venues.
The Council-run Salford Museum and Art Gallery is a friendly city museum with special appeal to families, and the nearby Working Class Movement Library provides a fascinating look at the past. The personal collection of labour historians Ruth and Edmund Frow, it’s a veritable treasure trove of material dating back to the 1760s. Ordsall Hall, the city’s beautifully restored (and supposedly haunted) Tudor mansion, has a busy programme of events and activities all year round, including events as part of horror film festival Grimmfest.
Salford inspires fierce loyalty among its inhabitants. Spend any significant period of time here, and you may begin to understand why.
Salford Royal Academy Takeover
To mark its 250th birthday, the Royal Academy of Arts in London has launched a nationwide programme of exhibitions, displays, tours, talks and one-off events. Here we take a look at what’s going on in Salford – home of RA LS Lowry and now a growing independent art scene.
Lark Hill Place 1918 at Salford Museum and Art Gallery
Investigate the brand new 1918 setting for atmospheric street installation Lark Hill Place, then let loose in Peel Park.
Danny Morrell: RA Takeover Groundbreakers at Salford Museum & Art Gallery
For RA Takeover Groundbreakers at Salford Museum & Art Gallery, art historian Danny Morrell focuses on some of the groundbreaking artists featured in the Royal Academy Takeover exhibition.
Danny Morrell focuses on some of the groundbreaking artists featured in the Royal Academy Takeover exhibition.
Supported by the Friends of Salford Museums Association.
Wonders and Horrors of the Royal Academy Collection at Salford Museum & Art Gallery
Join Head of Collections at the Royal Academy, Maurice Davis, for a fascinating look at some of the most remarkable items included in the world-renowned institution’s vast collection. Presented at Salford Museum & Art Gallery.
The Royal Academy Takeover: The Exhibition
Salford Museum & Art Gallery and Ordsall Hall delve into their collections to present a two-part exhibition featuring significant prints, drawings and sculptures by former Royal Academicians as part of a nationwide programme marking the institution’s 250th birthday.
Screen Printed Silk Scarf / Full Day Workshop at Salford Makers
You will be guided through experimental and expressive design approaches to design and print your own, one of kind large silk scarf.
Print Your Own Tshirt / Half Day Workshop at Salford Makers
Using silk screens, water-based inks and hand-cut stencils, you will have the opportunity draw and screen print your own designs to create your own bespoke t-shirt.
Perspex Jewellery / Full Day Workshop at Salford Makers
Learn the basics of manipulating perspex to make your own amazing art jewellery.
Emma Talbot: 21st Century Sleepwalk at Caustic Coastal
21st Century Sleepwalk is a large-scale installation of new work by artist Emma Talbot, which will be presented across all three exhibition spaces and the exterior of Caustic Coastal in Salford.
Manchester Visitor Guides
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
Manchester’s galleries span ancient to contemporary art, via some of the best collections of paintings, objects and even wallpaper in the country. Here’s our guide.
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.
Pubs in Manchester
From a beautifully tiled old haunt with a mysteriously sloping floor, to the ultimate beer specialists – here’s our guide to the best boozers in Manchester.
Cafes and Coffee Shops in Manchester
Here are some of the best cafés and best coffee shops we’ve come across in Manchester – independents (almost) all.
Manchester District Guides
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
This left-leaning suburb a few miles south of Manchester’s city centre (and only ten minutes…
Cheetham Hill, Manchester
As an area, Cheetham Hill gets a pretty bad rep. The foreboding architecture of Strangeways…
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