Manchester's Five Free Attractions for History Fanatics
The following article was written exclusively for frugal-rv-travel.com as a guest post.
The Northwest of England marks the foundation of capitalism and the Industrial Revolution. Being filled with endless music, history, and heritage, Manchester would make a great trip for you history fanatics. "Manchester has everything but a beach" - a common motto thrown around the historical city. But we don't need beaches to enjoy a holiday, do we? There are plenty of other free sights and activities to experience in Manchester!
People's History Museum
The People's History Museum is UK's national centre of information for the history of working people in the UK. Right on the corner of Bridge Street and Water Street, the People's History Museum depicts a story of democracy and ordinary life over the past 200 years in Britain. Up until last year, it was known as the National Museum of Labour History before it underwent refurbishment. Find a collection of objects, photographs, and printed items that add up to create a visual demonstration of ordinary people's lives at home, work, and leisure time.
Go through memorable moments in history including Popular Radicalism, the Peterloo Massacre, 19th century Trade Unionism, the Women's Suffrage movement, Dockers, the Co-op Retail movement, and the 1945 General Election. Manchester United and City fans also have a chance to view their football clubs' histories evolve overtime to what it is now.
Imperial War Museum North
If you're into battle strategy and military hardware, then this is the place for you! The Imperial War Museum explores the effects of modern conflicts on society and its citizens. Go through a chronological series of theme-based displays with audio-visual presentations in the gallery's 200- metre perimeter.
The bigger marvel, though, is the building's architecture. Daniel Libeskind's visually exhilarating construction and architecture is definitely worth the visit. Libeskind aimed to create three interlocking shards—each shard would represent a hypothetical world that was destroyed by conflict. The three shards depict air, earth, and water. You enter with the air shard—55m high— above the Manchester Ship Canal with a view of the Manchester skyline. With its prize-winning architecture, this visit promises not to be a disappointment!
Manchester Museum
Owned by the University of Manchester, the Manchester Museum is filled with around six million natural history and social science exhibits. These are used for both academic research/teaching and as displays part of the museum. The museum includes galleries dedicated to archaeology, archery, botany, ethnology, geology, numismatics, and zoology. Explore a vast collection of worldwide, new world, Eurasia and Africa, and Oceania exhibits that will leave your jaw dropped for weeks to come. Be sure to take a quick glance at the Egyptology section's mummy collection.
Museum of Science & Industry
The exhibitions in the Museum of Science & Industry are more modern than the others. Comprising of 2.8 hectares, the city's largest museum explores the achievement of Manchester's science, technology, and industrial developments. Opened in 1969, the Museum of Science & Industry depicts 19th century exhibits that range to today's day, including the themes of transport, power, Manchester's sewerage and sanitation, textiles, communications, and computing.
The Lowry
Named after the 20th century painter L.S. Lowry, The Lowry is a theatre and gallery arts centre famous for paintings of industrial scenes in Northwest England. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II herself in the October of 2012. Attracting over a million annual visitors, the Lowry is more than a collection of classic art exhibits—it includes performances, bars, restaurants, and shops that will occupy a large part of your day. If you enjoy and appreciate humanistic depictions of history, than the Lowry is one you can't miss!
Manchester is easily half as cheap compared to London. The capital probably only has a couple free attractions for tourists. When you're travelling from far away, you want to experience history and culture, and you want to do it without spending a fortune. A lot of the above activities are located in the heart of Manchester, and you'll find a lot more. You can find cheap hotels in Manchester and ensure that your wallet remains fat and full!
About the Author
Sohaib Siddique is passionate about experience and adventure travel and works as a freelance writer. When he isn't around and about, you'll find him pushing the limits on his bike or stuffing his face with his food obsession.to Frugal-RV-Travel Home Page
