This route takes you to some of Manchester’s favourite museums and galleries. Visit the People’s History Museum, a library with over five millennia of information, a “garden in the sky”, and more. Most of these are free-to-enter and some you may just want to pass by. Wear your comfiest walking shoes, a hat, and sunscreen, ready for a day of sightseeing. To return to the start, simply follow the pathway along the canal.
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Route overview
The People’s History Museum is the national museum of democracy with a strong focus on the past, present, and future of those who contributed to what Manchester is today. They host workshops, guided tours, and various exhibitions highlighting significant role players. Entrance is free, and donations are welcomed.
People’s History Museum. Credit: Taste of Manchester
Leaving the People’s History Museum, turn right onto Bridge Street, then right again onto Dean’s Gate to reach John Ryland’s Library.
Leaving the library, turn left back onto Dean’s Gate, then right onto John Dalton Street, which becomes Princess Street. Turn left onto Mosley Street to find the Manchester Art Gallery on your right.
Leaving the Art Gallery, turn left on Mosley Street and continue towards St. Peter’s Square.
Part 1 of the Museums and Galleries of Manchester Walk
John Ryland was Manchester’s first multi-millionaire after joining the family textile business. The library was commissioned by John’s wife to be built in his memory. She purchased the first collection of books in 1892 from the 5th Earl Spencer. The Spencer Collection cost her £210 000. In today’s money, that is a whopping £22 million. Today, John Ryland’s Library holds information from over five millennia and is well-treasured locally and internationally.
John Ryland’s Library, Reading Room. Credit: Manchester Magazine
The Manchester Art Gallery has stood here for almost 200 years. John Ruskin, who was not a big fan of Manchester due to the disparity in wealth in the late 1800s, famously wrote “the greatest glory of a building is not in its stones, nor in its gold. Its glory is in its Age, and in that deep sense of voicefulness… which we feel in walls that have long been washed by the passing waves of humanity.” The gallery was intended to offer a free breakaway from the industrial city, which still holds true today.
Manchester Art Gallery. Credit: Visit Manchester
Continue onto Lower Mosley Street, then Albion Street. Turn left onto Whitworth Street, right onto First Street, and left toward Tony Wilson Place, passing the red building on your left, then left again to reach HOME.
Leaving HOME, retrace your steps back to Albion Street. Pass the large glass building on your left and walk under the short bridge up the ramp. Continue straight, curving left with the road, passing the railway on your left. After the parking lot, you will find the National Trust viaduct ahead of you.
Exit the viaduct from where you came in, then turn left to go down the tower’s stairs at the end of the parking lot. Turn right onto Duke Street, then left onto Liverpool Road and immediately right towards the Science and Industry Museum to your left. Retrace your steps to Liverpool Road and turn right, then right again onto Water Street.
Part 2 of the Museums and Galleries of Manchester Walk
HOME Manchester has a great mix of film, art, drama, dance, and festivals throughout the year. It’s a great way to familiarise yourself with local and international talent and artists you wouldn’t be exposed to on an average day.
HOME. Credit: HOME Manchester
The National Trust Castlefield Viaduct is a Grade II-listed viaduct built in 1892 by the same engineers as the Blackpool Tower. It stood disused for many years since 1969 but was frequently maintained by National Highways. Today, it has a temporary new life as a “garden in the sky”. The long-term plan is to expand the viaduct into a free-to-access park that lives in harmony with the surrounding structures and future city plans while relying on donations to make this happen. The Viaduct is open from Monday to Sunday from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Castlefield Viaduct. Credit: National Trust
The Science and Industry Museum comprises five listed buildings, two of which are Grade-I listed. These buildings have been restored, renovated, and expanded since it opened in 1969. Today, numerous exhibitions and themed rooms cover various aspects of science, such as electricity, the textile industry, physics, chemistry, and more. As of April 2024, more renovations and restorations are underway; the expected completion date is 2025. Fear not; there is still a lot to do. Entrance is free, and you can book your tickets here.
Science and Industry Museum. Credit: Visit Manchester
You’ll find Aviva Studios at the end of Water Street.
Cross over the Ordsall Footbridge, zig-zagging down the steps and ramp onto Trinity Way to turn left. As you exit under the bridge, turn left to follow the pathway under another bridge to follow along the river on your left and continue for about 1km to see Graffiti Palace.
Part 3 of the Museums and Galleries of Manchester Walk
Aviva Studios hosts events and exhibitions that are as elaborate as its exterior design. Built as a multi-use space, all tastes can be satisfied with music, poetry, art, festivals, food, and many more, in addition to their Factory+ experimental space to keep you entertained.
Aviva Studios. Credit: Factory International
Graffiti Palace, as the name suggests, displays graffiti from both local and international artists. This is a long stretch of a legal graffiti wall, which means the authorities will not remove the designs, and anyone can express themselves creatively here.
When you reach the semicircle pavilion, turn right towards Ordsall Lane and turn left to find Ordsall Hall on your right. Retrace your steps to Ordsall Lane and turn right, following the curve to the right, to turn right onto Trafford Road. Turn left onto Merchants Quay then right, just before the road curves to the left. Turn sharply left, then right over and across the bridge and turn left again.
Part 4 of the Museums and Galleries of Manchester Walk
Ordsall Hall dates back roughly 750 years, with some of the oldest surviving parts dating back to the 15th century, and is Grade I listed. For 300 years, the house belonged to the Radclyffe family, particularly Sir John Radclyffe, who claimed it as an inheritance. Harrison Ainsworth’s 1842 novel Guy Fawkes, set the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 here in Ordsall Hall’s Star Chamber. It is rumoured that Fawkes escaped prison via a tunnel from Ordsall Hall to an inn at the cathedral end of Hanging Bridge. Entrance is free, and you can view the operating hours here.
Ordsall Hall. Credit: Ordsall Hall
Cross over the next narrow bridge to the right, then turn left towards the Millennium Bridge along the bay. Just before the Millennium Bridge, turn right towards The Lowry.
Part 5 of the Museums and Galleries of Manchester Walk
The Lowry is a non-profit artistic space that hosts operas, musicals, comedy shows, and much more. Not only can you watch and witness all of this creativity, but you can take part and get creative too. You can view their calendar here to see what’s on and their opening times here.
The Lowry. Credit: Theatre Tokens
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