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DAYS
4
TOUR CODE
MANC-27
COST
£1295
DAYS
4
TOUR CODE
MANC-27
COST
£1295
This tour is dedicated to the world-class works of art housed in the iconic galleries, university collections and environs of Manchester, encompassing pieces by the Pre-Raphaelites, William Morris and L S Lowry.
Overview
The city of Manchester awes both first-time and experienced visitors alike with the breadth of its cultural heritage, the prosperity of its industrial past and its world-class art collections. This tour explores the artistic treasures to be found in Manchester’s art galleries and university collections, as well as some rich cultural heritage outside the city.
Manchester Art Gallery opened in 1883 in buildings designed in the Greek Revival style by Sir Charles Barry, now linked by a modern extension designed by Hopkins Architects. The gallery is home to a vast collection of fine and decorative arts, and is renowned for its particularly impressive group of Pre-Raphaelite works.
A highlight of our tour will be a visit to the Whitworth Gallery, affiliated with Manchester University, which presents rotating displays from its collections of internationally important fine and applied arts. We also look forward to visiting the temporary exhibition ‘William Morris: Common Paradise’, a major retrospective of the artist's work comprising pieces from Whitworth's own collection, further works on loan, and personal artefacts.
An exclusive visit to the John Rylands Research Institute and Library will acquaint us with some of the manuscripts from their superb collection, complemented by a special tour of Chetham’s School Library, founded in 1653 and the oldest public library in the English-speaking world.
The tour also features an excursion to Salford Quays to visit The Lowry. Named after artist Laurence Stephen Lowry, the site is home to a collection of paintings by the famous Salford artist, displaying mid-century aesthetics and the iconic ‘matchstick men’ immersed in industrial landscapes. Meanwhile, the People’s History Museum is a fascinating institution that tells the history of working people in Britain over the past 200 years through printed material, domestic objects and photographs as well as housing the world's largest collection of socio-political banners.
Tour Director
Suzanne Fagence Cooper
This tour will be led by Suzanne Fagence Cooper, an art historian, curator and experienced Tour Director who has led many art tours throughout the UK.
This tour will be led by art historian Suzanne Fagence Cooper, MA, PhD, whose specialisms include 19th and 20th century British and French art. Suzanne was a Curator and Research Fellow at the Victoria & Albert Museum for twelve years, and has collaborated with many of Britain’s regional museum collections, including York Art Gallery, where she curated the 2019 exhibition Turner, Ruskin & the Storm Cloud. An accredited Arts Society lecturer and experienced ACE Tour Director, Suzanne is the author of To See Clearly: Why Ruskin Matters (2019) and How We Might Live: At Home with Jane & William Morris (2022). In 2025 she curated Beauty of the Earth: The Art of May, Jane and William Morris at The Arc, Winchester.
ACE customer on a 2026 UK tour led by Suzanne Fagence Cooper
Our Accommodation
We will be based at the Clayton Hotel Manchester City Centre, located in the heart of Manchester and just minutes on foot from Manchester Art Gallery, making it an ideal base for our explorations.
Itinerary
Day 1
Assemble 1330 at the Clayton Hotel Manchester City Centre. Walking tour including Manchester Cathedral, Chetham’s School Library (the oldest public library in the English-speaking world), the Royal Exchange and St Ann’s Church. Welcome and evening lecture: Painting Manchester.
Day 2
Visits to Manchester Art Gallery (fine arts and impressive collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings), John Ryland's Library (historical manuscripts) and Portico Library (historic collection of books and archives spanning over 450 years).
Day 3
Morning visit to the Whitworth Art Gallery (extensive collection of fine art and applied arts as well as temporary exhibition William Morris: Common Paradise) followed by walking tour of Manchester Docks and visit to The Lowry (gallery including works by L S Lowry).
Day 4
Morning visit to the People’s History Museum (social history including the world's largest collection of Trade Union and political banners). Tour disperses at hotel approx 1200.
Frequently Asked Questions
To read our full list of frequently asked questions please visit our general FAQs here.
What is the maximum group size of this tour?
What is the deposit cost for this tour?
What tour staff will be on this tour?
Am I fit enough to travel on this tour?
Fitness Requirements
The majority of ACE Cultural Tours are active in nature. To make the most of our time in a destination and provide excellent value for money, they are busy – there are often several visits included each day. As such, our tours require a certain minimum level of physical and mental fitness, mobility and stamina.
Many visits will involve navigating several steps, uneven ground, steep ascents and descents, and could involve embarking and disembarking aircraft, coaches, trains and cruise vessels. Plenty of walking, punctuated by lengthy periods of standing, is the norm. Some tours may involve long coach journeys.
It is essential that all customers are sufficiently fit and able enough to fully participate. Furthermore, every tour comprises a group of guests. We cannot allow the entire group to be negatively impacted by one participant, either holding up the pace we reasonably need to maintain or disproportionately requiring the attention and support of the tour staff.
We carefully consider the intensity, fitness and other requirements of each itinerary and describe them on the tour pages of our brochures and website. Please study these descriptions closely. When you call to book, we will reiterate those requirements and ask you to confirm that all group members are indeed fit enough and otherwise able to meet the criteria. It is your responsibility to answer fully and honestly. If it transpires that you are not able to keep pace with the tour and/or it reasonably appears you are negatively impacting (or are reasonably likely to negatively impact) the enjoyment of the rest of the group (including their ability to complete all scheduled visits), we may ask you to sit out certain days/visits, take a taxi at your own expense (if available in the location), or even, if we consider there is no other reasonable alternative, ask you to leave the tour and make your own way home.
Guests should be prepared to spend time walking around the city centre, which can be busy, and walking and standing in galleries where seats are not always available. For more details on ACE’s minimum fitness requirements, please see our Booking Terms & Conditions.
As a minimum, participants should be able to successfully complete the following self- assessment tests:
- Walk for one hour at a reasonable pace and without needing to take a break to rest
- Climb at least two flights of stairs at a reasonable pace
- Stand unaided for at least 30 minutes
- Stand up and sit down ten times in one minute
- Carry or otherwise move your own luggage
Please ensure you have read and understand our full fitness requirements as described in our terms and conditions.
UK Government Travel Advice
For additional travel information from the UK government please consult the following pages.
Cost Details
Art in Manchester: An Industrial Heritage
March 1 - 4, 2027
Included: accommodation based on sharing a deluxe twin or double bedded room, three breakfasts, three dinners with wine, water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities & all taxes.
Not Included: travel insurance, deluxe double room for single use supplement £155.
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Get in Touch
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