St Peter’s Square
Creative Tourist
St Peter’s Square in Manchester has been an enviable candidate for the city’s central hub ever since it’s massive seven-year redevelopment in the 2010s. Gone went one of Manchester’s grubbiest concrete eye-sores (though home to the much loved Dutch Pancake House) and in its place went the sparkling, modern-yet-surprisingly tasteful One St Peter’s Square. The Metrolink was relocated and expanded to four platforms at the cost of an all-too-rare green space and the rehousing of the city’s cenotaph. Then, finally, the development called for the demolition of Century House, something of an architectural gem but apparently a necessary sacrifice.
Whatever your feelings about the redevelopment, the result is one of Manchester’s most pleasant public spaces. Sure, there are a few tram lines to dodge, but the space outside the Town Hall and Central Library is a nice spot to sit in the summer and watch Mancunians go about their business. Once you add Manchester Art Gallery, the Pankhurst Statue and Chinatown to the list of attractions only seconds from the square, it makes for a pretty compelling place to start out your adventures around Manchester.
