Manchester – the UK’s capital of culture

The accolades keep coming thick and fast. Manchester has been named the country’s new cultural capital by Rough Guides, the leading publisher of travel and reference guides.

Rough Guides says Manchester has re-invented itself as a world capital of the arts and gives ten reasons why it’s the UK’s cultural hotspot-The Whitworth, HOME, Manchester International Festival, libraries, music scene, urban living, industrial heritage, fantastic places to stay, boundary-pushing chefs and serious investment.

Needless to say, we think Rough Guides are dead right about Manchester being the cultural capital of the country and they’ve put together a pretty good list but their definition of culture seems to be rather broad. Boundary-pushing chefs, fantastic places to stay and urban living certainly attract visitors to the city, but they are hardly cultural attractions. And they seem to have forgotten about some of Manchester’s finest cultural institutions.

Here are nine that didn’t make their list but would make ours…

Royal Exchange Theatre

Iconic theatre in the round and one of the country’s foremost producers of classic work and new writing.

Manchester Art Gallery

Fantastic collection of more than 25,000 objects and works of local and international significance.

Architecture

Stunning Victorian buildings and quite a few that are much older.

Bridgewater Hall

International concert venue and home to the Halle Orchestra.

Manchester Museum

Manchester University’s collections of natural history, Egyptology, archaeology & anthropology.

The Lowry

We know it’s Salford but whether you live in Manchester or just here for the weekend, it’s well worth a visit.

The People’s History Museum

A collection of printed material, physical objects and photographs which celebrate the lives of ordinary people at work, rest and play.

National Football Museum

A museum of football for the nation.

Museum of Science and Industry

Museum of science, industry and technology celebrating Manchester’s scientific and industrial past, present and future.

Are there any other cultural attractions we’ve forgotten about? Let us know.