A new centre for international contemporary arts, independent film, books and cutting-edge theatre is under construction in Manchester city centre. Called HOME, this purpose-built combination of galleries, theatres, cinemas, cafés , bars and bookshops brings together Cornerhouse and The Library Theatre, two of Manchester’s most important and long-standing cultural institutions. Award-winning director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire and the architect of Britain’s Olympics opening ceremony) is a patron of this development on First Street North, due to open in Spring 2015. http://homemcr.org
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
Like her friend Charlotte Brontë, Elizabeth Gaskell wrote some of mankind’s most enduring novels (North and South, Cranford, Wives and Daughters), many of them from her home in Manchester. The building itself was completed in 1841 and is a rare surviving example of a Grade II-listed suburban villa. Now a multi-million pound renovation scheme is well under way to convert the house into a major visitor attraction and a centre for the local community. Literary, history and architecture fans will all find something of interest in the former home of one of the 19th century’s most important female writers. Follow in the footsteps of Charles Dickens, Charles Hallé, Charlotte Brontë and Harriet Beecher Stowe, all previous visitors to the Gaskell house; it’s due to open in October 2014. www.elizabethgaskellhouse.co.uk
Whitworth Art Gallery
Re-opening in October 2014 following a £15 million injection of cash to double the public space of the 120-year-old gallery and create state-of-the-art facilities for visitors, The Whitworth Art Gallery will become a 21st century gallery in the park (back in the 19th century it was the first English gallery in a park). Its inaugural exhibition will be by acclaimed British sculptor and installation artist, Cornelia Parker, as well as displaying the crème de la crème of The Whitworth’s outstanding collection (key pieces include work by the modern movement of British artists, among them Walter Sickert, Paul Nash, Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore). www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk
Dunham Massey: Sanctuary from the trenches
Dunham Massey Hall, around a half-hour drive from Manchester city centre, was built in the 1730s by the 2nd Earl of Warrington and the house, its contents and the 3,000-acre estate are now owned and managed by the National Trust. During the First World War this Georgian house, set in a magnificent deer park, was transformed into a convalescent hospital, becoming a sanctuary from the trenches for nearly 300 soldiers. To mark the centenary of the war, Dunham Massey has been turned back into Stamford Military Hospital. Sanctuary from the Trenches reveals what life was like for the patients. Visitors can spend time in the ward, recreation room and operating theatre and will also have the chance to experience one of the north of England’s great gardens. Showing until November 2015. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dunham-massey
Ramsbottom Music Festival
Both the city of Manchester and its suburbs offer many music festivals; from small family friendly initiatives to larger, more established events like the Parklife Weekender, the Manchester Jazz Festival and Sounds from the Other City. One of the newer additions is the Ramsbottom Festival, a boutique offering in a thriving Victorian market town nestled in the foothills of the picturesque Pennines. Spread over three days, the Ramsbottom Festival is one of the best value-for-money music extravaganzas in the country, attracting big names (previous acts have included Sinead O’Connor, Inspiral Carpets and I am Kloot) as well as showcasing local talent and up-and-coming bands. The Ramsbottom Festival takes place in September – and you can even travel there by steam train! www.ramsbottomfestival.com
Manchester International Festival
The Manchester International Festival will return to the city in July 2015. Taking place biennially, previous highlights have included Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen’s commemoration of fallen British soldiers, two shows by director Robert Wilson – starring Willem Dafoe – and Kenneth Branagh’s acclaimed Macbeth. Many of these original commissions go on to tour internationally – the latest success being Macbeth’s translation to the Park Avenue Armoury in New York in summer 2014. www.mif.co.uk
Walking tours
Manchester has an impressive tradition of daily walking tours and new for 2014 are ‘Ten Manchester inventions that shook the world’ and various World War One-themed tours. Depending on the time of year, there is also the opportunity to explore the tunnels beneath the city, including Manchester’s biggest World War Two air-raid shelter, built into an old subterranean canal. Another recent innovation is the Town Hall Clock Tower tour. If you’ve got the stamina, you can climb 280ft to the top of this Grade I-listed building; it’s a Gothic masterpiece. Your reward is a bird’s eye view of Greater Manchester and beyond. www.newmanchesterwalks.com
Plus somewhere new to stay…
Hotel Football
Manchester is already home to two Premier League football clubs and the National Football Museum and, opening in October, there will also be Hotel Football, a 139-bedroom hotel on the doorstep of Manchester United’s ground at Old Trafford. Hotel Football will have its own five-a-side rooftop football pitch and will also include Café Football Manchester. www.hotelfootball.com
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