Arts & Museums
From classical masterpieces to cutting-edge modern works, from a history of hats to a tour of the world’s most famous football club, Greater Manchester’s museums and galleries offer a world-class array of delights to interest and inspire…
Must-see highlights
No visit to Manchester would be complete without a visit to the galleries at The Lowry, homage to the patron saint of Mancunian artists, LS Lowry. The collection numbers around 350 Lowry works; many of his drawings depict Salford where he lived and worked for thirty years. This child-friendly space offers regularly-changing exhibitions to suit every taste. Manchester’s state-of-the-art Urbis which is dedicated to urban life is a must-see. It takes visitors on an interactive whirlwind tour of the world’s greatest cities – including, of course, Manchester itself, the world’s first industrial metropolis.
Marvellous museums
Independent city centre gallery Cube is a brilliant place to examine the city’s hugely diverse architectural history, while MoSI (Museum of Science and Industry) in Castlefield, situated in the oldest passenger railway building in the world, is a fun and thought-provoking introduction to the city which created the world’s first ever computer. The Manchester Museum houses over 6 million specimens and objects, from a 200 million-year-old tree fossil to the skeleton of a sperm whale. Kids will love the chance to examine ancient mummies, reconstructed skeletons of dinosaurs and hundreds of huge creepy-crawlies.
Further afield
Rochdale’s Touchstones arts and heritage centre draws heavily on the contribution and participation of the local community. Exhibitions range widely – future shows include a photographic exploration of the development of Rochdale’s housing and a display of contemporary quiltwork. For a great family day out visit Gallery Oldham and join the Go Getter! Workshop for 10 - 15 olds held every Saturday from 1 - 4pm. The award-winning Gallery Oldham presents innovative, contemporary art alongside natural history collections and offers a great mix of family events, live music programmes and arts & craft courses for adults. Finally, fans of the quirky should head to Stockport’s Hat Works. A tribute to the town’s history as the centre of British hat-making, it boasts everything from Egyptian wigs to 21st century headgear fashion. Great fun!
Back in town
Just south of the city centre is the Whitworth Art Gallery, a large and lively space owned by the University of Manchester, and famous for its collection of textiles and wallpapers. It includes a fine collection of British watercolours, prints, drawings, sculpture and modern art. There’s also a constantly changing diary of touring exhibitions.
Of course, no cultural tour of the city would be complete without a trip to Manchester Art Gallery. This impressive neo-classical building houses some of the best exhibitions and installations in Britain, in fact, with over 25,000 objects on display, discerning art lovers will be hard pushed to find a better day out. And, like all the museums and galleries in Manchester, entry is free.