Are you relocating to Manchester at some time in the near future? Swapping the big city with a smaller one is going to bring many changes to your life. In addition to finding a good, reliable moving firm to help you move from London to Manchester, you will need to do a little research in order to learn what to expect from your new area of residence. Start off by checking what the best known and most iconic landmarks of the second most populous urban area in England are.
Historic buildings in Manchester
The city has a long and very interesting history and it shows in the architecture that is to be found here. Some of the most interesting historic buildings in Manchester include:
- The Manchester Town Hall – a Victorian neo-gothic municipal headquarters right on Albert Square – home to other notable structures for the city such as the Albert Memorial and the Cenotaph for the casualties of the First World War. The Town Hall was built in 1877, following the design by Alfred Waterhouse and is as of today considered to be the finest example of Gothic revival architecture in England.
- Manchester Cathedral – the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Manchester and the seat of the Bishop of Manchester. The construction was begun in 1421 but new additions and developments were made well into the 19th The style of the cathedral is described as “Perpendicular Gothic”.
- Heaton Hall – located in the middle of the eponymous park, now open to public, it is called “the finest house of its period in Lancashire”. The Palladian design of Heaton Hall is a true testament to its time. The house, the park, the estate and the lake within it are definitely worth your while.
Modern buildings in Manchester
The urban development of the latter half of the 20th and the 21st centuries has not miss Manchester. There are many skyscrapers in the city that have become real landmarks such as:
- Beetham Tower – the tallest structure in the city, standing at 169 metres. It is also the tallest building in England outside London.
- CIS Tower – completed in 1962, CIS Tower stands at 118 metres and was the tallest building in the country upon its completion.
- Liberty Heights, or 17 New Wakefield Street is an apartment building which is 109 metres high and has 37 storeys. It was completed in 2012.
Public art
Manchester has thriving urban culture, as it is evident from the many fine examples of street art that are to be found scattered all across the territory of the metropolis. We have already had the chance to mention the Albert Memorial, which is truly impressive. Equally impactful however is the Duke of Wellington Statue in Piccadilly Gardens, or the one of Queen Victoria at the same place. If you are more into modern art, you should definitely go to Bolton and check out Two Forms (Divided Circle), by Barbara Hepworth, which is considered to be one of the most recognisable British works of art.