A very good public library, located in the heart of the town centre. There is an art gallery on the…read moretop floors of the building. The library, as you expect, has a lot of books covering a range of subjects, but still - could have a bit more. If you cannot find what you are looking for you might be interested in getting a cheap membership to the University Library. The public library provides you with magazines, and free internet access which has to be booked in advance. You can also borrow CDs and DVDs from the audio visual department located in the ground floor (for a small fee).

A bit of a joke really.It gets smaller every year -different rooms ben closed off.Have a security…read moreguard but I've absolutely no idea why.Check in constantly (it's above the library which is as good as this place is bad) but never changes.Considering Huddersfield puts on the Contempary Music Festival every year this place is a real disappointment.I don't even have a favourite piece and don't even think of seeing something you could possibly have heard of.

I scorn people who whinge about Salford and claim that it's 'rough', 'scary' or 'crime-infested'…read more No more than any other city. Okay, maybe Shameless has given us a really dreadful name, but come on. Every city has its nasty parts and its good parts. I for one am a fan of Salford's university area, and one of the hotspots of that is the Museum and Art Gallery, located right in the middle of campus. I'm lucky to have lived with this historical and gorgeous building around the corner from me. Devoted to the history of Salford and Victorian architecture and art and with free admission, it houses temporary exhibition spaces as well as the LifeTimes Gallery (family friendly exhibitions about the history of Salford), the Victorian Gallery (boasting an impressive range of paintings and some spectacular marble statues), the Local History library where researchers and avid scholars alike can brush up on their Salford knowledge, and of course refreshments in the form of the Lark Hill Tea Rooms. Just stunning. Who says Salford is all stabbings outside pubs and teenage mothers. For true Mancunian culture, the end I live in is doing just nicely, thanks to places like this. Enjoy.

This is a relatively small museum and art gallery located next down to one of the Salford…read moreUniversity buildings. The place has some nice art pieces. I was not here long so only managed to check out the art gallery bit but some people commented on how the museum but was good. On the ground floor is a cafe (plus a shop). The cafe is pretty large in size with lots of seating. I can't comment on the food but a few people I was with had some cake which they liked. I just had a cup of tea.

Ribble Steam Railway is a family day out in the heart of Lancashire. The railway opened to the…read morepublic in September 2005. A visit to the site will not only give you the opportunity to travel along our 1 mile dock and riverside line, but also access our newly built museum and workshop. The line itself crosses the Preston Marina entrance via a swing bridge, and runs alongside the diverted River Ribble on the site of the former sprawling docklands. Very enjoyable,

This is one the greatest places you could venture to on a cold rain soaked day as it has real life…read moreworkable roof where any rain fall will simply bounce off and the visitor inside will never be none the wiser. Also great for students and primary schoolers who can't be bothered to go to their school and/or college and need somewhere to hide out from tutors/the fuzz. There are museum and art things in there too I've been told, so that's a bonus right there for the bored masses of society.

We visit this place fairly regularly. It's a traditional (ie not very interactive) museum but they…read moreoften have Special Events which (in our experience) have been great. A recent Dinosaur week allowed you to dig for fossils, handle dinosaur bones etc and was well-received by our two (aged 3 and 5). The aquarium in the basement is rather small, seems to be a bit dingy and, one feels, they could make a lot more of it -- but all in all, it's not a bad place to kill an hour or two if you're in the middle of town.

Driving past Ordsall Hall most days (as I live very close to it), I have always enjoyed it as a…read moreplace of beauty and the fascination of its random location. The location is of course the modern development surrounding the site so it looks out of place to have a beautiful old manor right next to modern apartment buildings and industrial units. Perhaps this is what makes it more unique to other similar historic houses? Needless to say, over the last couple of years I have been intrigued as to what on earth they were doing when the whole building was covered in scaffolding and sheeting - like something from a sci fi film but of course logic suggested it was restoration of some sort. Once it re opened recently I was amazed at the job they had done. They had added/rebuilt parts of it, however it has been done with integrity and fits the building perfectly. The grounds and gardens have all been spruced up with beautiful wood bridges and other work. Even the pavement from the car park to the site is beautiful and is the strangest material which I just had to get on my knees to run my hand across its glossy surface. All around the building the stone work and gardens look great so I headed on in for my first look around. It has a great many rooms and seems to be bigger inside than it appears outside. They had members of staff in each room to offer information on what you are looking at, and we got some great photos of my mum in an old style bath (clothed I am glad to say!) and myself sat in the banqueting hall at the head of the table. Once I had sat some staff came over and brought me a velvet robe and crown to look the part to which my old man got his camera out and started snapping. This made a great Facebook profile picture for all my many peasants to admire! They told me that they also have a free hog roast in a couple of week's time when I visited, with entertainments and beverages etc. I would have loved to have gone but sadly I could not make it, however I will definitely go to any other events they hold. Car parking was £2 which of course goes towards the upkeep of the house so I have no qualms about paying to keep a place of history alive in such a modern location. All in all it was a nice visit to have after a large lunch with my parents - and looking around a place like this with the folks made a 34 year old guy feel like a kid again, which is never a bad thing for a sum of £2

I read about this place but genuinely didn't believe such a property could have survived so close…read moreto the centre of Manchester and the Media City / Quays development. But as we rounded the corner and saw it, we were dumbstruck - it looks so completely out of place! Admission to the hall is free and you can explore the building to your heart's content. They have a small cafe on site too. The downstairs is dominated by the great hall and the kitchen area, whereas upstairs there are exhibits on the history of the building and how children were dressed in Tudor times. In the attic space you can see some of the original wattle and daub construction, which is incredible to think it's survived so long. All the staff on site were incredibly helpful and friendly. The only reason why I've given this 3/5 is that much of the exhibits and the way the place is presented are aimed at children - we attended as two adults and enjoyed it, but there's much more to do if you're with children. Given it's less than 5 minutes' walk from the Exchange Quay Metrolink stop, plus the fact that admission is free, there's really no excuse for not popping by and taking a look.

As steam fairs go this is a relatively small one ! But saying that it does have a fine array of…read moresteam engines and rollers to look at - along side bikes , vintage cars and tractors A large auto jumble is at the entrance , nice to see lots of bins around! Plenty for kids to do and it's on tomorrow as week !

How do you solve a problem like visiting family members and what to do in the day time? Ok so…read moreManchester has epic food and drink easily covered when it comes to evening and lunch time but do you really want to be dragged around the shops or do something as equally boring in between...? So with this in mind I planned on opening up the floor to my visiting Mum and saying we'd wander down into Stockport town centre to go to some of the (ahem, cough) many world famous tourist attractions. This might be slightly mean as Stockport has got quite a few good things to see like Robinsons Brewery, the Air-raid shelters and excellent Hat museum but on this occasion my Mum pulled a total curveball by suggesting we went to the Stockport Story museum in the Market square and specifically the Staircase house. Staircase house is an old building from the 1600's that's been totally rebuilt and showcases what life would be like for those living through the years since. One room is Tudor, one is Georgian, one World War 2 etc and it's pretty interesting if not something I'd massively rush out and buy tickets for again. You get a free audio guide and the guys who run it are pretty knowledgable and friendly so could be a good option if it's raining or you have relatives in town looking for a bit of nostalgia. My Mum was like wow, I remember your Gramps having one of these, ooh look at these etc etc You can grab a single adult ticket for £4.50 but can buy a £10.50 ticket and get access to Staircase house, Bramall Hall and the Air-Raid shelters (which lasts 12 months) - probably a good deal if you want to check out a few other cool places just down the road!

We stumbled upon this newly opened museum whilst walking back through Stockport from Vernon Park on…read moreSunday afternoon. I must admit that I wasn't really in 'museum mode' so maybe I didn't enjoy it as much as I could've done. The museum is located inside the newly renovated Staircase House building, which also houses a tourist information, shop and a separate museum (but you have to pay to go into that one so I'll save that for another day). There are five galleries spread over different floors, which tell the history of Stockport from 10,000 years ago to the present. On the floor on which you enter (the third floor!) there are displays of Iron Age pottery and such, you then progress through the Dark Ages to Medieval Stockport. My favourite was the Victorian floor, which included exhibits on Victorian toys (with a couple to play with) and a full-scale marketplace where kids could dress up and sell baskets full of fruit and veg. I quite fancied a go, but restrained myself. The museum looked and smelt brand spanking new, but I have the feeling that it won't take long for the carpet to wear away and the white walls to become adorned with grubby finger-prints. Overall, a good free insight into the history of Stockport, but for a brand new museum it could do with a few more hands on exhibits and perhaps a bit of light (all the blinds are drawn throughout).

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.