16 Iconic Buildings to Explore in Greater Manchester

A majestic Tudor Manor House with origins dating back to the Middle Ages. The Hall offers unique insights into the families and servants who lived and worked here. It stands in about 70 acres of parkland designed in the Victorian Romantic style. It offers woodland walks with intriguing glimpses of the Hall itself and of the brooks and lakes. The Hall, one of the most beautiful treasures of England, is of great national importance.

Chetham’s Library has been in continuous use as a public library for over 350 years. It is housed in a beautiful sandstone building dating from 1421 which was built to accommodate the priests of Manchester’s Collegiate Church. It has more than 100,000 volumes of printed books, of which 60,000 were published before 1851. They include collections of 16th- and 17th-century printed works, periodicals and journals, local history sources, broadsides and ephemera.

Gallery Oldham provides a wide range of exhibitions and activities targeted at different audiences of all ages. With no permanent displays and four temporary galleries to fill, Gallery Oldham has one of the busiest exhibition programs in the region. Exhibitions mix touring shows with work from the gallery's own collection of art, social history, and natural history.

This Grade 1, 16th-century half-timbered hall is one of the northwest’s most important buildings. There are displays of 17th and early 18th-century furniture, objects and artefacts, learn more about the life and work of Samuel Crompton and discover all about life in Stuart and Tudor times. The rooms have been accurately refurbished to retain their homely atmosphere.

LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester is the ultimate indoor LEGO Playground and offers an inspirational and unique day out for all the family! LEGOLAND Discovery Centres are designed specifically for children aged 3-10 years to enjoy – everything is child-sized.

Manchester City Council is the local government authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. It is composed of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester. The council is controlled by the Labour Party and led by Sir Richard Leese. There are two Liberal Democrat councillors and one currently non-aligned Independent member. Joanne Roney is the chief executive. Many of the council's staff are based at Manchester Town Hall.

MediaCityUK is an international hub for technology, innovation and creativity. Home to the likes of the BBC, ITV, dock10 and Kellogg’s, and complemented by more than 250 smaller media and digital businesses.

Ordsall Hall is a former manor house in a historic parish that dates back to the 15th century. Once belonging to the Radclyffe family, the hall has been used as a clergy school, a working men’s club and a radio station before becoming a period home and history museum. Today, it is a welcoming and friendly historic house telling the story of the Hall and some of the people who made it their home.

Quarry Bank is one of Britain's greatest industrial heritage sites, showing how a complete industrial community lived. Here you can discover the story of mill workers, mill owners and how the Industrial Revolution changed our world forever. It was established by Samuel Greg, and was notable for innovations both in machinery and also in its approach to labour relations, the latter largely as a result of the work of Greg's wife, Hannah Lightbody.

The Royal Exchange in Manchester is a unique theatre with a 360' glass-walled auditorium and a programme of the best brand new and iconic plays. The complex includes the Royal Exchange Theatre and the Royal Exchange Shopping Centre.

Smithills Hall is one of the oldest and best preserved manor houses in the North West of England, Set in land on the edge of the West Pennine Moors. Containing fine examples of architecture through the ages, from Medieval and Tudor right through to Victorian times. One of the oldest manor houses in the north west of England, its oldest parts, including the great hall, date from the 15th century and it has been since been altered and extended particularly the west part.

The Stockport Air Raid Shelters are an interactive experience and historical landmark that lets visitors discover what life was like during World War II in Britain. Four sets of underground air raid shelter tunnels for civilian use were dug into the red sandstone rock below the town centre. The smallest of the tunnel shelters could accommodate 2,000 people and the largest 3,850. It was subsequently expanded to take up to 6,500 people.

The Bridgewater Hall is Manchester's international concert venue, hosting over 280 performances a year including classical music, rock, pop, jazz, world music and so more. The venue is named after the Third Duke of Bridgewater who commissioned the eponymous Bridgewater Canal that crosses Manchester, although the hall is situated on a specially constructed arm of the Rochdale Canal.

The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early 20th-century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England. The complex opened on 28 April 2000[1] and was officially opened on 12 October 2000 by Queen Elizabeth II.

The Church and Friary of St Francis, known locally as Gorton Monastery, is a 19th-century former Franciscan friary in Gorton, Manchester, England. The Franciscans arrived in Gorton in December 1861 and built their friary between 1863 and 1867. Considered one of the UK's most stunning and awe-inspiring events venues, breaking records for industry awards.

Turton Tower is a house that has been evolving over the last 600 years. From a stone tower house in the 1400s to the home of the Tudor Orrell and, later, the Victorian Kay Families, Turton Tower has been altered and adapted to suit the needs and tastes of those who lived here. Originally built by the Tudor Orrell family to defend their land, it later became a luxurious home. The house was lavishly furnished and extended in both the Tudor and early Stuart periods.