Did you know you can go on a walking tour around Manchester, learning fascinating facts about our city’s rich history, where every tour guide has previously experienced homelessness?
Invisible Cities is a brilliant social enterprise that trains former homeless people to become tour guides in their own city, right across the UK.
As well as supporting people into new opportunities and breaking down the stigma around homelessness, these walking tours are just genuinely great fun – even if you already live here and think you know Manchester pretty well.
From past and present pubs to potted histories, each tour is led by someone with first-hand experience of homelessness who has gone on to retrain as a tour guide.
Invisible Cities first started in Edinburgh but has operated walking tours here in Manchester since 2018.
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Everyone who is taken on by the organisation is supported (and paid a living wage), whether they choose to become a tour guide, take on other projects, or get referred on to other organisations.
They hope that the funds will allow them to target groups that are harder to reach, including women, and people who have newly arrived in the UK, with a plan to offer them training and transferable skills.
And there’s never been a better time to donate, with Aviva promising to match donations (up to a max match of £250).
Invisible Cities is a walking tour in Manchester led by people who have experienced homelessness. Credit: Supplied, Invisible Cities
As for the walking tours themselves, there are so many new ways to explore Manchester with Invisible Cities.
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For example, you could spend an afternoon looping around the city centre learning about Manchester’s brilliant pubs (including the Old Nag’s Head, The Briton’s Protection, and the Peveril of the Peak) and the role they’ve played in shaping the city’s history.
That particular tour is Andy, who retraces his own steps from the 1980s, when he was busy falling in love with the bustling nightlife and rock music scene the area is so famed for.
During Ales & Alleyways: Andy’s Stories of Pubs, you’ll learn about music, the suffragettes, football, Peterloo, Little Ireland and art in Manchester, and reflect back on how different the city used to look.
While the tour is a celebration of the great British pub, there’s no drinking on the tour – instead, it’s a chance to spread awareness about the links between alcoholism and homelessness.
Other Invisible Cities tours in Manchester include Wonderwalk, where Nic will make you fall in love with the music of the city by delving right back in time to the beginnings of the city’s illustrious history of music and art.
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Wonderwalk will whisk you from venues like Bridgewater Hall and the Royal Northern College of Music to the legendary music venues like Big Hands and The Deaf Institute.
Invisible Cities says: “The tour champions the legacy of Madchester that will never be lost, but also supports and empowers our smaller venues (which is now more important than ever) who play a huge part in the city’s never-ending, unique music scene.
Invisible Cities is a walking tour in Manchester led by people who have experienced homelessness. Credit: Supplied, Invisible Cities
“Nic strongly believes music is for everyone. Within the tour he takes you to corners of the city’s community that inspire and introduce music, art and dance to those who are isolated or anxious.
“Nic lives his life by these words: music is medicine, music lifts your spirit, softens your heart and brings people together.”
Then there’s We Built This City From Depression, which uncovers the less glamorous side of Manchester’s history, from the industrial revolution to the IRA bombing that led to the regeneration of the city centre.
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This Invisible Cities tour is led by Stephen, who’ll unveil the cobbled streets and working people that made Manchester what it is today, plus all the hurdles the city has overcome to end up such a vibrant place to live and visit.
This tour includes visits to the C.S.W Tobacco Factory, Angel Meadows, the Corn Exchange and more.
Find out more about Invisible Cities and book a tour here, or head here to donate.
Inside Tyga, as a Manchester favourite changes its stripes for a new era
Danny Jones
We recently had the pleasure of visiting Tyga, Manchester city centre’s latest Indian restaurant, which has taken the place of former local favourite, Asha’s.
The Peter Street spot had always been a great place for a curry and progressive takes on the nation’s staples, often pulling inspiration from the Rajasthan region, but now the unit is the start of a new chapter.
In truth, the food was always pretty damn good here – often truly great, even – as we found out the last time we reviewed it; however, it’s clear that there’s been a greater honing of the concept.
Put simply, Tyga is trying to elevate what the team already did so well, whilst adding an extra layer of fine-dining refinement.
@the.manc Peter Streets Indian spot Tyga, has had a serious glow-up, bringing a more refined, fine-dining take on Indian cuisine while keeping all the bold flavours at the heart of it. The 24-hour slow-simmered lamb shank is an absolute must, as is the butter chicken which just melts in your mouth. 😍 It’s not just about the food here though, with an extensive cocktail list that brings theatre to the table, they’re the perfect accompaniment to your table full of scran. It’s the perfect spot for date night, celebrations, or when you just want to seriously impress someone over dinner. 🍸 Get it booked. 📍 47 Peter Street, M2 3NG #themanc#tygamanchester#manchesterfoodie#manchestercurry#wheretoeatinmanchester♬ original sound – The Manc
You hear sentences like a ‘contemporary twist on cuisine’ and ‘modern approaches to classics’ recycled quite a lot, and we get it: it can be a great way to get across that you’re trying to push culinary tradition(s) forward, but it often feels a bit of a throwaway term that’s used far too much.
That being said, while there’s definitely a feeling of familiarity to this recently refreshed foodie lineup, this is one of the times and places where it actually seems like that phrase means something.
While the building and stunning venue itself might have stayed largely the same, bar some knick-knacks being swapped for a few different tiger-based decorations, the authentic clay-pot lamb, ‘Tyga’ prawns, salmon tikka, and Vepudu spiced stir fry show some real innovation.
A lot of these might be rooted in a kind of food we know very well here in Britain, but these latest iterations in recipes and experimentation with their components result in some very cool creations.
The ember wings were smoky and moorish in a way that we’ve not had in a restaurant like this before, and the lamb chops alone were worth ordering by the wheelbarrow full.
Small plates have also been thrown into the mix more seamlessly this time around, too, as have some of the Indo-Chinese options that feel less like a footnote now and, instead, like a continuation of the tweaking and trying out new things seen throughout the rest of the offerings.
Even the vegetarian/vegan section of the menu has been lifted in certain aspects, too, with previously popular dishes being brought back better and more beautifully presented than ever.
Before we forget, a special shout-out goes to those beetroot dill patties.
Speaking of presentation, although they might have simplified some stuff (such as the okra fries that simply need to be dumped on the table and be devoured in seconds by gannets like us), as mentioned, plenty of other bits have been levelled up.
It comes as no surprise, therefore, that they’ve just been voted alongside some fellow standout spots by the Asian Catering Federation.
They’ve never shied away from a bit of pageantry, and nothing has changed in that respect.
Everything from the plating to even giving you a rotating water jug that revolves on a single point and never spills has a bit of flair, without being too much or straying into gimmicky territory.
Most importantly of all, whether you want a classy room for your next date night, somewhere intimate the next time you go out for tea with your partner, or still fancy a more banquet-style feast for you and your mates in the form of the updated ‘Maharaja’s Grand Platter’, Tyga can turn its paw to any occasion.
Inside Levenshulme Antiques Village, Manchester’s three-story treasure trove of vintage finds
Daisy Jackson
If you’re the sort of person who gets a real kick out of saying ‘Thanks, it’s vintage’, then you probably already know of Levenshulme Antiques Village. But if not, allow us to show you around a little.
This three-story hypermarket has been trading out of the former Levenshulme Town Hall for decades, filling the 127-year-old building with items potentially even older.
It’s a vast antiques centre where every twist in the maze reveals vintage furniture, collectibles, artwork and curiosities from every era imaginable.
The building itself still carries plenty of charm and history from the building’s past as the local council offices, and thankfully very little of its personality was stripped away in the process of transforming the building into the Levenshulme Antiques Village.
Today, visitors still climb the grand staircase beneath soaring ceilings and pass through hallways lined with original wall-to-wall ceramic tiles.
There’s free parking outside (which is good, because you’re likely to leave with a boot-full of treasure), and once inside, the scale of the place quickly becomes apparent.
Friendly traders fill the building, many of whom are more than happy to chat, share stories behind their stock, or guide visitors towards hidden gems tucked away in quieter rooms. And there are plenty of gems to uncover.
A room packed with mid-century furnitureLevenshulme Antiques Village is a treasure trove of vintage findsJust look at this lot…
From antique furniture and oil paintings to jewellery, records, ceramics and shelves overflowing with nicknacks, the village rewards slow wandering. One moment you might stumble across a beautifully carved temple door; the next, a collection of vintage signs or a perfectly preserved mid-century cabinet.
The top floor is perhaps the most striking space of all. Once a ballroom, the enormous room still retains a sense of grandeur, with high ceilings and huge windows flooding the space with natural light, but is now transformed into a densely packed emporium of antiques and collectibles.
Outside, the experience continues with artist workshops and creative studios, among them is craftsman Kip Kaboli, known for producing handcrafted Japanese knives and even hosting oyster events. It’s an unusual but fitting addition to a place that celebrates both heritage and craftsmanship.
Old ceramic tiles still line the hallwaysThe on-site tearoom at Levenshulme Antiques Village
Halfway through exploring, many visitors end up at the affordable tearoom on the first floor, serving comforting classics like salad sandwiches and afternoon teas.
What makes Levenshulme Antiques Village special is not simply the volume of antiques packed inside, but the atmosphere, the warm welcome from traders, and the weird and wonderful history of the place.
Daisy Jackson -
10th August 2024 
