Manchester’s newest development is The Quays, once the Salford Quays and Trafford Wharf which shipped cotton goods to the world, the redeveloped waterfront now offers architecture, art, culture, drama, sport and shopping to peoples from across the globe. It’s a 10 minute drive from Manchester Piccadilly Station and is also easy to get to from Manchester airport.
Manchester has a reputation to be a party culture city filled with lively bars, pubs and clubs but beyond that there are many great things to explore and The Quays is one of those great places. Its main feature is the multi award winning Imperial War Museum North which was designed by Daniel Libeskind and shows the story of the effects of war from 1914 to the present on ordinary people from across the former commonwealth. The museum also offered visitors the chance to take part in supervised handling of items from the collection there are plenty of interactive exhibits and the hourly audio visual shows.
At the other side of the Manchester Ship canal opposite the Imperial War Museum North is The Lowry Centre which two theatres that provides a diverse visual arts programme from opera, West End shows and ballet to panto, live music and stand-up comedy, while the studio provides space for staging innovative and daring theatre from new and emerging companies. As well as an arts programme The Lowry is also home to a free to enter gallery showcasing an impressive collection of L S Lowry’s industrial landscapes, film and information on the Salford artist.
Along with great places to visit there are also plenty of places to eat and drink across the Quays and many places to shop if you want a break from taking in all the history. There are also many hotels scattered across the area so you will easily find somewhere to stay and you can find great deals on flights to Manchester.
Lowry Theatre
Picture courtesy of jlcwalker
