Green Spaces Walking Tour
Post the RHS Urban Show and in celebration of The Manchester Flower Festival, explore the city’s central green spaces.
Overview
Parks, pocket parks, old parks, new parks and gardens that were graveyards. Canals, wharfsides, rivers and rivers that become canals. There’s a lot to enjoy with the ‘green’ and ‘blue’ assets (to use the jargon) of central Manchester and Salford.
Variety is the spice of life dictated by the way the city grew and its infrastructure needs. For a city 35 miles from the sea there is a lot of water. Rivers you’d expect, but miles and miles of canal add a distinctive element to the urban scene. Rivers and canals feature in many of our chosen areas.
What must be remembered about the city is the distinctive way it grew; first and foremost as an industrial city with commerce chivvying things along. The development speed astonished all commentators, nationally and internationally, as acre after acre of land filled with factories, warehouses and mainly working class housing.
So, it’s a curious thing on this map that there is only one nineteenth century planned park or green space, Peel Park. All the rest are either adaptations from redundant graveyards or date from the last 25 years or so.
What just about all of them share is a backstory with great significance. It makes them all the more enjoyable.
Highlights
- Tour includes Mayfield Park, Castlefield Viaduct and Ordsall Hall & Gardens
What's included
- 3 hour tour lead by registered Blue Badge guide
- Tour goes ahead whatever the weather, umbrellas not provided
Know before you go
Tours run whatever the weather.
The tour is only suitable for those able to walk for considerable lengths of time, the tour lasts approximately 3 hours and there are no guaranteed resting points.
Cancellation policy
Cancellations within 24 hours of the event will not be refunded.
