3 Free Days Out in Salford
Salford, a thriving city to the west of Manchester City Centre, is a cultured entertainment hub with some stunning architecture. However, Salford wasn’t always a pristine dockside hosting TV’s top talent at Salford Quays. Before Salford’s redevelopment, which started proper in 1985, the lack of investment left a lot to be desired: with the borough mostly consisting of red brick terraced housing and council flats.
Nowadays, Salford is an extremely popular business, educational and residential area. Students come from all over the country to study at the university and the BBC has moved its headquarters to MediaCity. We’ve got three completely free days out in Salford so you can enjoy the best of the borough on a budget.
Ordsall Hall
First mentioned in records dating back to 1177, the rich history of Ordsall Hall makes for a really interesting day out. The beautiful Tudor manor house with landscaped grounds make for a fantastic photo, with aspects of the building dating back to the 1500s, take a trip back in time in the heart of Ordsall.
Located just to the north of the Manchester Ship Canal, some of the exhibitions include canoe boats that were used to transport coal and other trading materials to and from Manchester, there is over 10,000 historical artefacts kept attentively within the timber walls.
From 2009 – 2011, the hall underwent a £6.5 million restoration. This work guaranteed the museum for future generations, with Salford City Council raising funds annually to ensure its preservation. The hall welcomes donations and bequests from the public, including materials and items unique to the geographical area of Salford.
Here is a link to their website.
Here is a link to their Instagram.
Salford Museum and Art Gallery
In 1849, Lark Hill Mansion was sanctioned as an educational site, the council planned to turn the grand building into a public museum and library. Opening just a year later, the museum proved a hit, averaging 1,240 visitors per day for the first 129 days. This Lark Hill Mansion is what we know today as Salford Museum and Art Gallery.
When you visit, you’ll find three permanent exhibitions to explore:
The Victorian Gallery – Replicates the galleries of the Victorian era, packed with paintings, sculptures and objects from the museum collection.
Pilkington’s Ceramic Collection – The largest collection of high-quality decorative tiles and art-inspired ceramic pottery in the UK. Some pieces are from the early 20 century.
By Hand Gallery – Launched in 2013, this exhibition showcases the talent and work of local craftspeople including jewellery, ceramics and textiles. It is refreshed every 6 months and the works displayed can be purchased at affordable prices.
Inside there is a quaint café, serving a range of hot and cold lunch options for you to indulge in. If you do grab a bite or a brew, enjoy it knowing that all the money spent in Salford Museum and Art Gallery is re-invested into the gallery for more people to enjoy.
Cathedral Church of St John the Evangelist
Towering high above the streets of Salford is this wonderfully constructed cathedral, with a traditional Catholic interior and Gothic Revival architecture. There’s daily mass at midday open to all, or head in outside of service times to explore the church and soak in the grand design.
Built over the course of 4 years (1844 – 1848), it was closely modelled on a wide range of existing medieval churches. St John The Evangelist was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, and according to to the New Testament, was the apostle that Jesus loved most, this explains why Matthew Ellison Hadfield designed this holy site in his honour.
You can find everything from events, music and the history of Salford Cathedral on the website here.
We hope you get to enjoy all these sites and more that the Costa Del Salford has to offer, we love being part of the community here, stay tuned for more great days out in Salford.
