A fascinating perspective on the contributions by the people of the Manchester area to major…read moreinnovations in science and industry throughout history. Numerous displays and examples of equipment and machinery large and small. Steam engines to electron microscopes on display, with emphasis on Manchester's relationship with the cotton industry, both good and bad. Something for everyone here, young and old. Free to enter, donations appreciated. Reservations will make sure that you don't need to wait for entry. A must-see if you are in the area.

Fantastic place for families with children! Adults can enjoy the many exhibits while young ones can…read moreenjoy the hands on displays. We liked watching the textile demonstration in the Textile area. This place has so much to see and do. And it's free! Contributions are gladly accepted to keep this fabulous museum operational.

What with being let down once again by Virgin Media, I had to seek solace on such a rainy day as…read moreyesterday, with coffee and wifi. There's a number of spots about town in which to laze the day away with a supply of reasonable coffee, but since The Bowery is so close and it's been so long, I decided to set up here for lunch and respite from the rains. As far as I can tell, the place has gone from strength to strength, providing in-numerous excellent artistic courses for folks to partake of, alongside their range of fresh lunchables and gift-shop-cum-gallery. The programme of lessons looks fantastic, offering up everything from jewellery making to knitting, and browsing the hand crafted gifts about the cafe reveals a wealth of local talent and passion. I hadn't intended to purchase anything (one never does) but couldn't help be drawn in by some of the kitsch and quirky little items. The staff, as ever, are mega friendly, which makes a visit all the nicer. I decided to try the spinach and ricotta quiche, which comes with a sizeable plate of salad on the side. I have to say, whilst the quiche didn't make my mouth sing, the accompanying salad more than made up for this in flavour - the dressing was mouth watering, and the mix of sultanas, sesame seeds and such made this a healthy taste sensation. You can grab a decent sized latte for about £2, a pot of tea which yielded a few cups for the same, and of course the wifi is free. It's not coffee comparable to the likes of Bottega or Laynes, but the space more than makes up for this -and I'm not complaining, it was a good cup of Joe. The atmosphere defines relaxed, and with the array of art and crafts on the walls and in the cabinets, you're not short on excellent things to look at and ponder. The gallery and classroom space is upstairs, and whilst I didn't have an opportunity to wander around, I'll have to come back soon for a peek. I read also that the classroom space is available for hire for most art-related activities, for as little as £5 an hour I believe, which is fantastic for the local community. It's also worth noting that the toilet even has a mini seat that you can pull down, should you have kidlets in your company, which is a lovely touch. Overall, I'm a big fan of this place, and hope that Headingley continues to support independents like this. More of this, please Headingley. Get your senses open and your art head on.

The Bowery is more than just a cafe. Here you can also find art exhibition space, a classroom for…read moreworkshops and an impressive selection of cards and gifts. It's split across two floors and, while the upper floor is light and airy the lower floor feels a little cramped. Possibly because the lower floor contains the cafe and the gift shop but it does seem to work. Naturally, the gallery space is a little quieter but it's a lovely space and I really enjoyed wandering around and looking at the exhibits. It looks like the workshops room is really well used. A group was finishing a crafting workshop as we arrived and the website advertises further workshops as well as a series of short courses that starts in September and a variety of other events. We didn't stay for food but they're certainly popular, which has to be a good sign, and the cakes look great. I'd be tempted to return for a coffee and some treats but even if these turn out to be less than the best in the area The Bowery is doing a great job of pulling together a creative community in Headingley. They describe themselves as The Home of Creativity and I think that that suits them very well.

I love going to this art gallery. It's central position is great (right ontop of the Central…read moreLibrary) for people who haven't been to galleries before and don't want to step off the beaten path. There is a good range of different modes of art, from classical paintings to sculpture and changing exhibitions. The gallery is of course, completely free, and because it's of a middling size, it doesn't take hours and hours to go around, but there is enough space and exhibits for it to be really worth a visit. I'd say that it's a hidden gem in the town centre, and well worth a visit! The only downside to Graves Art Gallery is that it is probably the main public gallery in Sheffield, and I really really wish there were more..hopefully, in time there will be!

I have spent many a saturday afternoon wandering round here! While not the biggest and best art…read moregallery ever, there are some interesting pictures and exhibitions. The majority of the collection remains the same but there are often temporary exhibitions which are of some interest and for free, well you can't really complain!

This area is beautiful. We walked around the area and there's just so much to see. Even the free…read morearea is iconic. The little river that runs behind the temple is so pretty. It's worth going in the actual grounds- such an experience me and my family will never forget. I got postcards and read about each room on the grounds. Very nice staff work there in the gift shop a well.

Had a nice family day out and we decided we would go here…read more We went up to Leeds and then had to catch the Bus 19 which took us up between Temple Newsam house and the golf grounds, we then had to walk about 10 minutes to get to the actual place. Walking up to it you're surrounded by green and then there are a load of tree's that seperate so you can walk through them towards the house and grounds, it was like something out of a postcard. When we actually got to the grounds we were stumped on where to go first! Do we go into Temple Newsam House OR do we head towards their little farm OR do we wonder around their 1500 acres of woodlands, fields etc!? Spoilt for choice We started off with the house itself. Prices for a family tickets (2 adults & up to 3 children) are: Temple Newsam House: £9.50 Home Farm: £8.70 Joint Ticket: £15.50 The house is magnificent! You are asked not to take photo's. This is because of the flash as the light and heat can damage pictures etc, it can cause a chemical reaction. I did take a few pictures, but made sure my flash was OFF as not to damage anything. You have a choice of walking around the house reading bits and bobs, or you can use these handheld blocks where you punch in the number per room and a recording will guide you through the room and explain. There are also children's versions of this. We all got confused by it so we opted out lol. Had a little laugh as there is a picture of a man near the picture gallery and he was a spitting image of my father - didn't take a photo of this. Despite it being so big and perhaps a bit dull for children, our children loved it and were full of questions that we tried to answer. They were excited about going into different rooms and their favourite room was the 'nannys room' where they had modern toys for children to play with. We then headed towards the farm. I will be honest with you, I didn't like the farm as much as I would have normally - perhaps it was because of the weather? I would have liked it to have been a farm where we could feed the animals too because places such as the barns with cows, they only had 1 large bucket of this protien stuff which meant that only the biggest cows had managed to get to it (would YOU try and squeeze inbetween 2 fully grown cows!?) and so the younger smaller ones had no chance - perhaps later in the day they would?? :( . One was even eating the straw on the ground which was covered in 'you know what', so I didn't like that bit. The highlight of the farm was that we saw piglets being born! That was amazing! The grounds are huge! As I've already said, all of this is within 1500 acres of land and they have woodlands you can explore which we didn't have time to get to, so it's deffinately an all day trip or perhaps even 2 days. I would go again, although I wouldn't pay for the farm again.

The point is a community art centre run by darts (Doncaster Community arts). It is a public…read morebuilding with a cafe. There is a gallery which has a variety of exhibitions throughout the year. Rooms can be hired out to the public.

From the owner: We are Doncaster’s award-winning participatory arts charity. darts creates art with people in…read moreDoncaster to improve life, learning and health. We make high-quality, inclusive, creative experiences across the borough of Doncaster. Our programmes are open to everyone, particularly those who have the least access to the arts. The Point is our home – it is a purpose-built arts centre in the middle of Doncaster to make and share art. We have a light-filled gallery, creative workshop & studio spaces cafe and gardens. It is a friendly welcoming building where lots of creative activity happens alongside a regular programme of family-friendly, world-class exhibitions, events and activities.

I am sure we all have had one of those blah days which suddenly get very exciting with a new…read morediscovery...I had one of those days last week when I dropped my very close friend at the train station (was a little sad, emotional cow that I am) and then met a friend who was walking home with me just to point out this incredible library. Its located right above the pub Bank (I used to call it 'The Old Man's Pub') which is very close to Piccadilly Gardens. The minute he pointed out I wanted to go in and see what it is like. The most interesting entrance ever, because we had to ring the door bell (very old English style bell) to enter. Very Cool and Very British. The moment I walked in I felt like I am in a Sherlock Holmes movie.. yeah its Grand and so mysterious. This is a 19th century library, with books from the late 18th century (whoa) and a little fun fact the librarian told us ... John Dalton wanted a membership here which he could not afford so he was asked to clean the grand clock (which btw was made by the same chap who made the clock for Big Ben) instead of paying the membership fee! How awesome is that? This used to be the hub for the rich and the famous once upon a time but sadly not many people know about it now and barely a few visit. *sigh*. The space inside is incredible and perfect for art exhibitions and guess what they actually do have quite a few of those. There are book reading sessions here too, so next time you complain about not finding a good place to do such cultural stuff, you know where to go! The membership fee here is as low as 175 pounds for the whole year and you get to access every book and much more... Verdict : *Phew* I am totally bowled and sold! Can't wait to go back again!

This place is my little escape from the city, a step back to times of tail coats and top hats…read more. perhaps even a monocle or two! The library sits on top of the bank pub (once upon a time the entire building was a library but the library now rent the downstairs out to the pub to help fund the restoration of the antique books they house upstairs). Anyone can visit the library, there's a little black door around the side, you need to ring the buzzer and wait to be let in. There's an art gallery and café that is open to the general public but only members can actually read/borrow the books and there's a members lounge at the back that is AMAZING, please see attached picture. The interior is stunning, ask the staff to give you a free guided tour and they'll explain all the features, the wind dial and various coats of arms to you. I find this place so comforting. I love tucking up in one of the huge leather armchairs reading one of the many glorious books, wondering who else much have cast their eyes over the same words in times gone by. Membership is around £110 (cheaper for concessions) a month and members can take their guests in to the members room. You can order lunch/drinks and enjoy them in the room too. FUN FACT: the oldest post box in Manchester, which happens to be Victorian is located just outside the bank pub, it's still in use and bears Queen Victoria's coat of arms.

A fantastic independent gallery with a 'get-involved' ethos, as well as exhibitions by…read moreinternationally renowned artists.

Upper Space art gallery is quite new to Manchester and is in Sunshine Studios, a smaller version of…read moreAfflecks palace and much better. The gallery is small but well laid out and concentrates on street/subversive/underground art. They have prints, canvasses and small sculptures on show and the art is of an excellent quality and from emerging Manc artists. It is great to have a gallery dedicated to street art and not just Banksy rip-offs, and the fact that the artists are Manchester based is fantastic. The prices of art are affordable too. It is a great place to dicover new art and buy art that is truly unkown. Recommended.

This Edwardian building, which houses the Public Library also (entrance round the corner) is simply…read morestunning. And I wouldn't be surprised if many residents of Bury and the surrounding areas had never set foot in here even once. The Art Gallery and Museum has both permanent collections and a changing schedule of exhibitions plus Archives of family histories that people travel considerable distances to consult. It's all free admission of course and they even have a service which advises you on how to look after valuables, paintings and antiques, although they do not provide valuations. Go on Antiques Road Show for that. The Wrigley Collection is very impressive: Turner and Constable amongst 20th century art as well as prints and ceramics showing that you don't necessarily have to travel far to see some greats.

I know that for many people Bury sounds anything but exciting. If you live in a big city there is…read morealways a danger to start believing that all truly great things are located, planted, and happening in your vicinity. Bury is being scorned so often, it is almost hard to imagine that it is also inhabited by people. If you read this and feel for Bury, then you will be pleased to know that there is a lovely art gallery there. Admittedly, it is small. It is located in a quiet street, in an 18th c. building, and when you enter it you will be impressed by the staircase. Once you are on the staircase, however, you should be even more impressed by one of the 19th c. representations of Dante's story of Paolo and Francesca; the painting hangs just above the stairs. Venture further into the collection, and you will find one of Turner's seascapes, a selection of works by local painters, as well as a massive Chinese chimney. How good is that for a local art gallery that lies forgotten somewhere in the north of Greater Manchester? Bury Art Gallery has strong links with the MET, and 2009 has seen the gallery hosting exhibitions by contemporary artists who work to fuse words and images, as part of Text Festival. So, if you are wondering about what to do this coming weekend, take a tram to Bury and see the art gallery for yourself. You will love it.