Manchester

Manchester rose to heights as a city at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution from the late 18th century. It is home to England's earliest working canal built for the Duke of Bridgewater in 1761, which brought raw cotton and coal to Manchester for manufacture. The city contains impressive 19th-century monuments from its days as the centre of the cotton industry of Lancashire. These impressive features include the glass-domed Barton Arcade, the grandiose town hall and the neo-Gothic John Rylands Library. The city's new Millennium Quarter boasts the Urbis museum, housed in an impressive glass building.

BRIDGEWATER HALL

The £42 million Bridgewater Hall first opened its doors to the public in September 1996. It is a state-of-the-art international concert venue with stunning acoustics and impressive appearance.
The Bridgewater Hall offers a wide range of productions from Classical to Popular Music, Jazz, and Comedy, and has won awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects, and The Civic Trust Special Award.

THE ROYAL EXCHANGE

The Royal Exchange Theatre Company was formed in l968 and the Royal Exchange theatre-in-the-round opened in 1976 creating high quality productions of national importance.
With state of the art sound & lighting, the "module" located in the centre of the hall has 360 degree seating and modern heating and air conditioning.
The Great Hall has stunning shafts of blue light throughout with striking decorative glass designs on the ceiling panels.

Box Office: 0161 833 9833

THE LOWRY

The proscenium stage in The Lyric Theatre is England's largest stage outside London with over 1700 seats on 3 levels. The courtyard of The Quays Theatre holds seating that can be adapted to suit smaller-scale theatre and concert performances, and regularly plays host to community and youth work.
The varied programme in the Lowry includes opera, dance, popular music, and comedy from national and international productions.

An impressive lifting footbridge across the canal links The Lowry to the Manchester United Football Club ground, and Trafford Wharfside. The Lowry is set close to Manchester city centre at Salford Quays overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal on two sides and the Plaza immediately in front. Developments at the front of the Plaza include the Manchester Outlet Mall, health and leisure, and restaurants, including a Warner Village Cinema, plus hotel and attractive apartments.

MANCHESTER ART GALLERY

One of the finest art collections in the UK is housed in the Manchester Art Gallery. The Gallery is free admission, and has a Gallery Restaurant serving fresh food throughout the day and Gallery Café with on-line web browsing facilities. There is a Gallery shop on the ground floor with a wide selection of prints, books, and gifts with relation to the gallery. The Art Gallery is located in the city centre, and has won a number of awards for tourist attractions in Manchester.

The ground floor gallery showcases Manchester's creative achievements over the years. The Clore Gallery is an Interactive display for families and children, including real artwork and hands-on designs.
The Gallery of Craft and Design was once a theatre and now contains up to 1,300 works of art. It is an architectural highlight of the Manchester Art Gallery.

Opening hours are Tuesday-Sunday 10.00-5.00.
Tel: 0161 235 8888, Fax: 0161 235 8899, Textphone: 0161 235 8893
www.manchestergalleries.org/