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The Catenian Association
Centenary Conference and Social Weekend
   15th - 18th May 2008

Around Manchester - a few suggestions

Over the coming weeks, we intend to expand this page with more information and web links to places of interest. Please recognise that we can only hope to give a few details on a limited number of sites. Therefore we suggest you take the following approach.

Firstly Download the Conference Brochure. It contains a wealth of information.

Secondly, Click on the images and links below to bring you the web sites of our suggested places to visit.

Finally, to supplement these, any search engine will turn up numerous websites for visitors to Manchester and the surrounding area. One, which we have found quite useful is at ManchesterOnLine.
 

Mcr ArtGalleryManchester Art Gallery is located on Mosley St, only a stroll from the Conference hotels in the city centre.

Together with The Gallery of Costume, Heaton Hall and Wythenshawe Hall makes up the Manchester City Galleries, which is a department of the City Council. It was re-opened in 2002 after a £35m redevelopment and it operates an ambitious programme of temporary exhibitions and displays, public events and education programmes throughout the year.

While the gallery is probably most famous for the Pre-Raphaelite paintings (first floor), the collection contains important works by many artists - Joshua Reynolds, Stubbs, Canaletto, Turner, Gainsborough, Constable, Blake and many others through to Modigliani, Picasso, Bacon and Hockney. The well known painters of Manchester scenes Lowry and Vallette have their own display
There is no entrance charge and the usual opening hours are 10.00 to 5.00pm Tuesday to Sunday.
Do check the web site for the latest news of displays and events

John Rylands LibraryWebjpgJohn Rylands Library is housed in a magnificent recently renovated neo-gothic building on Deansgate and contains some of the most significant books and manuscripts ever produced.

The oldest known piece of the New Testament is a papyrus fragment of St. John’s Gospel, which was found in the Nile delta in 1920, was placed in the Library but not actually catalogued until 1934. It has been scientifically dated to between 125 and 150 AD.

Among other important and valuable historical documents are magnificent mediaeval illuminated manuscripts as well as a Gutenberg Bible and the personal papers of distinguished historical figures such as Elizabeth Gaskell, John Dalton and John Wesley.

     

    The LowryLowry is another of the magnificent buildings erected in the local area during the last decade. The building is in a superb waterside location at the heart of the redeveloped Salford Quays and is worth visiting if only for the architecture.
    It     houses two main theatres and studio space for performing arts presenting a full range of drama, opera, ballet, musicals, children's shows, popular music, jazz, folk and comedy and gallery spaces showing the works of LS Lowry alongside contemporary exhibitions.

    The Lowry opened on 28th April 2000, bringing together a wide variety of performing and visual arts under one roof. Opening its door to the best in entertainment and education in the arts, The Lowry aims to give everyone access to new areas of creativity and to embrace its broad community.

     

    MUSEUMS

    Imperial War Museum North   is worth visiting even if it is only for the extraordinary award-winning building by international architect Daniel Libeskind, which is a symbol of our world torn apart by conflict. War_MuseumIt is located at The Quays, a waterfront destination 2 miles from Manchester city centre.

    F    rom the Harrier Jump Jet suspended over your head as you enter to the regularly changing displays, the Museum contains a wealth of fascinating exhibits from the Imperial War Museum’s collections and there will be something of interest for everyone.

    A varied exhibition and event programme offers activities for adults and families alike, including daily tours, object handling sessions and special holiday activities. Click on the image to connect to the Museum’s web page and have a look at the programme of ongoing exhibitions

     

    Manchester Jewish Museum is located in the premises of the former Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue on Cheetham Hill RoadMcr Jewish Museum.
    The building, completed in 1874, is a listed building of historical importance. It is, indeed, a beautiful example of Victorian architecture, executed in Moorish style. Particularly noteworthy are the splendid stained glass windows and the distinctive cast-iron fitments.

    Since the building became redundant through the movement of the Jewish population away from the area, it has been completely restored, returned to its former glory and listed Grade II*.
    The permanent exhibition in the former ladies’ gallery gives a fascinating insight into the history of Manchester’s Jewish community.      

Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI)

The Museum's site is the former Liverpool Road Station, another world first for Manchester. It was the original Manchester terminus of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, which was the first railway to provide a regular scheduled passenger (and freight) service powered entirely by steam locomotion. It is also the world’s oldest surviving station. and despite its inauspicious start, when the local MP was accidentally killed on the opening day in 1830, it heralded the dawning of a new age of passenger transportation - steam rail travel.

Over the next century Manchester continued to be at the forefront of developments in transportation and the Museum contains many fascinating original and replica items. A V Roe Triplane


Pictured left is a replica of an original triplane constructed locally by A V Roe in 1909

 

Rolls Royce
1904 was the year in which Rolls-Royce was founded in Manchester when Charles Rolls agreed to sell cars designed and made by Henry Royce and the displays include a Rolls-Royce car, hand-built in Hulme in 1905, and a 1912 Ford Model T car, assembled at Trafford Park.

Henry Ford set up Europe's first moving production line in Trafford Park, Manchester and between 1912 and 1923 the Ford Model T was Britain's best-selling car.

The need to expand eventually caused both Rolls-Royce and Ford to leave Manchester.


 

Interested in computers?Mark I Computer
 See a replica of the world's first stored-program computer, the Baby, which was built in 1948 at Manchester University. Subsequently, Ferranti Ltd developed it into the Ferranti Mark 1, which was world's first commercial computer and went on the market in Feb 1951.

 

 



This is only the tiniest flavour of the enormous range of exhibits. If time is short have a look at the Visiting Us section of the MOSI website. Remember it is located just off Deansgate only minutes from The Bridgewater Hall.
 

SPORT

We are immensely proud of our Premiership Football teams, City and United.

picsrv.mcfc  MCFC

Click on the logos to go to their respective web sites, which contain a wealth of information about the clubs.

While it is unlikely that that there will be any Premiership fixtures at the time of the Conference, their museums of football and Stadium tours are a definite must-see for all football fans.

Athletics fans will be aware that the City Stadium at Eastlands was also the venue for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

MUFC Logo
MUFC

How about some sporting participation for a change?

Mcr VelodromeThe Manchester Velodrome is the National Cycling Centre, Britain's primary indoor Olympic cycle track and is widely regarded as one of the World's finest and fastest board tracks.
It is home to the Great Britain Cycling Team and the WCI World Track Championships are being held here this year.

 Now, if you really fancy something different, it is also open to everyone regardless of their level of ability. You can try a 1 hour track "Taster" sessions for beginners with bikes and helmets provided.
It is located in east Manchester just across from the Manchester City FC Stadium at Eastlands Stadium

 

LC CricketThe Lancashire County Cricket Ground at Old Trafford has been the scene of many epic Test and County matches over the past 150 years of its’ existence. The Museum contains many interesting cricketing memorabilia and although it is unlikely to be open, it should be possible to arrange a visit if contact is made well in in advance.

There is a one day FP Trophy match against Yorkshire on the Sunday prior to Conference and the 2nd npower Test Match between England and New Zealand starts there on Friday 23rd May and promises to be an exciting occasion well worthy of attending if you intend to extend your stay in the North West.

 

RETAIL THERAPY

Being at the centre of the Greater Manchester conurbation with a population of 2.5 Million, it is hardly surprising that Manchester City Centre has just about every major UK Department Store. They are generally inside a relatively compact area centred on Market Street, Deansgate and St Annes Square.

The Trafford Centre is an American type shopping mall development with a retail area of about 1.3 million sq. ft. with a multi-screen cinema, hotel and numerous restaurants as well as the nearby two-level golf driving range and the very latest indoor ski facility. It is located about 10 miles to the west of Manchester City Centre on the M60 motorway.