Travel & Tourism

Manchester’s urban sky park Castlefield Viaduct set to reopen with new spaces

The Grade II-listed Victorian Viaduct is on its way back.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 8th February 2024

The National Trust is readying to reopen Manchester’s sky park Castlefield Viaduct this weekend.

The beautiful green space, built on top of the Grade II-listed viaduct with staggering views across Manchester city centre, has been closed for a short time while a new community workshop space was built.

The 330m steel Victoria viaduct is now readying to welcome back visitors from Saturday 10 February.

The elevated sky park has been open since July 2022 as a temporary pilot project, though the National Trust is hoping to make the project a permanent attraction for Manchester.

Since its launch, it’s welcomed more than 85,000 visitors, some through community activities in and around the city.

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The charity has worked on transforming the previously-abandoned Castlefield Viaduct to increase access for all to nature, history and beauty in urban areas.

With its new workshop space, created with Sow the City, members of the public will be able to have a go at green-thumbed activities and learn horticultural skills like seed sowing and propogation.

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The workshop has a huge workbench that can be modified for wheelchair users, mini greenhouses, soil, water and power.

National Trust head gardener nancy and Kate Picker visitor operations and experience manager Manchester’s Castlefield Viaduct sets to re-open after the winter months.
Manchester’s Castlefield Viaduct sets to re-open after the winter months. Credit: Mark Waugh

Nancy Scheerhout, National Trust Head Gardener for Castlefield Viaduct, says: “We’re delighted to have worked with our partners, Sow the City, to bring this new workshop space to the viaduct.

“It will provide us and our community partners with a dedicated area to get more people involved in, and benefitting from, green activities. We’ve made the space as sociable and hands-on as possible, and we have plans to add interactive compost that people can see and hear!

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“As a conservation charity dedicated to connecting more people with nature, we know the importance of increasing simple and everyday interactions with nature to enrich lives. Offering ‘green workshops’ and activities in the space, alongside our partners and friends, we can encourage small space growing in the city.

“It’s a great opportunity to grow people’s confidence and skills in creating their own greenspace, improving the environment, their wellbeing, and their skillset in the process.”

National Trust head gardener nancy and Kate Picker visitor operations and experience manager Manchester’s Castlefield Viaduct sets to re-open after the winter months.
National Trust head gardener Nancy Scheerhout at Castlefield Viaduct. Credit: Mark Waugh

Jon Ross, Chief Executive of Sow the City, says: “We’re passionate about enabling more people to get involved with growing, engaging with urban nature and learning new skills and this space will support the communities we work with to do just that.

“This is the second space on the viaduct we’ve been involved with designing and installing, and we can’t wait to see people using the space and have a go ourselves!”

The rest of Castlefield Viaduct features four ‘partner plots’ operated by Hulme Community Garden Centre, City of Trees, Castlefield Forum and Sow the City.

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The gardens have been planted to created year-round flora displays, and upcoming events will include the return of the city-wide ‘Bloomtown’ blossom trail this spring.

National Trust head gardener nancy and Kate Picker visitor operations and experience manager Manchester’s Castlefield Viaduct sets to re-open after the winter months.

Nancy continues: “As we head into our second spring on the viaduct, we’ve learned so much from this unique urban site and have developed our planting schemes for 2024 with those in mind. Planting at height, in the middle of a city centre, and in steel containers, means the team and I keep a close check on how things are bedding in and how life on the viaduct is evolving.

“We’re excited to welcome the public back and showcase great horticulture. For me, a garden only truly comes to life with people in it and engaging with nature. We’re looking forward to the many joys of spring.”

Entry onto Castlefield Viaduct will remain free when it reopens to the public this weekend. Members of the public can visit, without booking, every afternoon from 12.30pm and all day on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

There’s space for up to 10 people in the new community workshop, and local groups and communities are invited to reach out by emailing [email protected] to book their spot.

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Featured image: Mark Waugh

Travel & Tourism

10 of the best green spaces around Greater Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson 10 of the best green spaces around Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester doesn’t have the leafiest of reputations, but if you know where to look there are a LOT of green spaces to be discovered in our region.

As the city expands upwards and outwards and glassy skyscrapers spike up into the skyline, most of us are just wandering the streets yearning to touch some grass.

Over the last couple of months, our team here at The Manc have been heading out of the office in search of the best green spaces around Greater Manchester.

And over that time, we’ve fallen back in love with some local favourites as well as discovering some really underrated spots to unwind and reconnect with nature.

The list below ranges from pockets of green in the city centre all the way out to rolling country parks, along with some super accessible beauty spots.

Here are our top picks.

Sale Water Park, Sale

Sale Water Park is one of the best green spaces in Greater Manchester
Sale Water Park is one of the best green spaces in Greater Manchester
Sale Water Park is one of the best green spaces in Greater Manchester

Peaceful walks, waterside views and a bit of sunshine (if we’re lucky) – there are plenty of hidden corners to explore at Sale Water Park.

After a long day at work, there’s nothing better than heading down here for a paddleboard, a walk by the water, or just a bit of calm away from the city chaos. You can dive into watersports, bring your own board, or keep it more low-key with a stroll and a coffee from the cafe. 

Just a short hop on the tram or an easy drive down the M60, who knew views like this could be so close to Manchester?

See more HERE.

Fletcher Moss, Didsbury

Fletcher Moss in Didsbury
Fletcher Moss in Didsbury
Fletcher Moss in Didsbury

Fletcher Moss is a firm favourite with Mancs in all seasons – in summer it’s an explosion of colour and flowers, in winter it’s transformed into a Narnia-esque landscape with eerie mist and twinkling frost.

Woodland walks, peaceful picnics, the river sliding past, flower gardens, coffee huts, boardwalks, and loads more.

Green spaces in Greater Manchester don’t get much better than Fletcher Moss, especially on a spectacularly sunny spring day.

See more HERE.

Ancoats Marina, Ancoats

Ancoats Marina
Ancoats Marina
Ancoats Marina

Ancoats Marina gets a bit of stick these days as it’s swallowed up by luxury residential developments that are way out of reach for most of the residents who’ve called it home for generations.

But for those who live in the city centre, the greenery around the marina itself is a godsend and shows how good it is when neighbourhood preserve a bit of outdoor space.

As the years have gone on, the waterside neighbourhood has become home to top local indies like Pollen Bakery, Flawd wine bar, and Cask craft beer bar.

It’s a perfect escape from the concrete and high-rise everywhere else.

See more HERE.

Drinkwater Park, Prestwich

Where can you go on a walk where you get streams, lakes, woods, rivers, aqueducts, meadows, flower parks, playing fields, animals, mountain biking, great views of the city, and loads more?

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If you thought we were about to send you all the way into the Peak District, think again…

Drinkwater Park, which also links up with Prestwich Clough, Philips Park and Waterdale Meadow (and all the way to Clifton Country Park if you fancy a big walk) is a really varied spot to go for a big walk, and way underrated compared to Heaton Park across town.

Bramhall Park, Stockport

Bramhall Park, Stockport
Bramhall Park, Stockport
Bramhall Park, Stockport

There’s a massive Tudor manor that dates back to the Middle Ages just down the road in Stockport – and the park it’s in is a bit of a stunner too.

Bramhall Park is home to all sorts of gorgeous corners to discover, from a community garden with fresh herbs, The Stables Kitchen, open fields, streams and lakes.

As for Bramhall Hall itself, the stunning wattle and daub structure that stands tall on the top of the hill may currently be undergoing restorations, but that’s only so the rich history and culture can be kept intact, so keep an eye out for tours.

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See more HERE.

Hollingworth Lake, Rochdale

After a hectic week of hustle and bustle in the city, there’s nothing better than a nice stroll with views of a very impressive open water space.

Hollingworth Lake is one of Rochdale’s most impressive routes, and even has a cafe perfectly-positioned half way round too, on hand to whip you up an ice cream or two.

There’s plenty of green spaces throughout the region, but this spot is one of Rochdale’s most easily-accessible walking routes and the perfect idea for your next day out.

Heaton Park, Prestwich

Heaton Park is no secret to anyone living within Greater Manchester, but sometimes it’s easy to overlook just how fantastic it is.

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This is the largest municipal park in Europe county’s biggest park, home to farm animals like Highland Cows, a boating lake, play areas, loads of fields, the historic tramway, and a magnificent 18th-century country house.

This really is one of the best green spaces in Greater Manchester – just maybe wait for Parklife to get out the way before you visit in June.

Mayfield Park, city centre

The opening of Mayfield Park was major news for Manchester city centre, as the city’s first new park in more than a century.

It’s hard to believe there was space for such a vast amount of greenery within the inner ring road, but here it is – a 6.5 acre public park, home to 142 trees, 120,000 shrubs and plants, a kids’ play yard with six slides, and beautiful meandering paths.

As the park was built, parts of the River Medlock were also uncovered, and the mighty river now slices through this pristine park.

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Castlefield Viaduct, city centre

Castlefield Viaduct

It’s not the greenest of green spaces, but there’s something magical about Castlefield Viaduct and how it marries together an industrial landscape with nature.

The Victorian-era steel viaduct, way above our heads in Castlefield, is slowly being transformed into a green ‘sky garden’ by the National Trust.

It’s free to visit, and from here you can wander along a section of the viaduct admiring plants and staggering views of the city centre, with plenty more still to come in the charity’s plans.

Piccadilly Gardens, city centre

Don’t judge, don’t walk away, just hear us out here – Piccadilly Gardens, justifiably, has a rotten reputation in Manchester. It’s a hotspot for petty (and more serious) crime, plagued by flocks of pigeons, and gets completely flattened into a muddy pit by the Christmas Markets every year.

BUT the improvements that have happened here in the last few years are quite remarkable – pop down there on a sunny day right now and you’ll notice a chunk of the Piccadilly Wall has come down (yep, you can see the sky again), the grass is actually alive, and there are usually hundreds of people sprawled out on their lunch breaks.

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As city centre green spaces go… it’s not the worst.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Travel & Tourism

A historic Stockport pub has officially become a listed building

Danny Jones Danny Jones The Angel Inn pub Stockport made a grade II listed building

The Angel Inn pub in Stockport has officially become the thriving Greater Manchester borough’s latest listed building.

Being granted Grade II-listed status following an extensive visit and survey by Historic England (HE), Stockport Market Place’s Angel Inn may have had a lick of paint amidst the ‘Old Town Revival’ over the last decade or so, but the pub itself was erected back in the 16th century.

Reopened as one of the area’s most beloved boozers back in 2018, whilst still maintaining key fixtures and that feeling of authenticity, it harks back to the town’s Cheshire roots and taps into a deep vein of local culture.

The assessment, which was completed earlier this month, means that Angel Inn has been recognised as having special architectural or historic significance – i.e. the definition of a listed building.

Writing in a post on social media, the government-backed English heritage organisation detailed that while the inn predates the Early Modern/post-medieval period, the Angel‘s frame is comprised of wood from the 15th century.

But it gets even more interesting than that…

As well as being one of a select few surviving, traditional wattle-and-daub structures in the UK – nearby Bramall Hall being another (and a technique that had died out by the 18th century) – a close inspection of the internal floorboards unearthed something truly fascinating.

It just so happens that tests by HE proved that one particular plank of flooring “was cut from a tree alive in 1086, the year the Domesday Book was completed: the oldest government record held in The National Archives, commissioned by William the Conqueror.

How bloody cool is that?

It’s also worth noting that it’s genuinely a brilliant boozer and one of the most popular watering holes you’ll find in the town centre, promising a cosy interior, an intimate little outdoor area out back and serving plenty of regional ales.

angel inn stockport listed building status
You only have to glance at the exterior to clue into its age, let alone what there is to be found inside.
how old is angel inn stockport?
Way back when.
Credit: Historic England (handout)/Stockport Archives

Although they say it’s likely that the floorboard in question was originally cut for an earlier building situated in the same location, it still goes to show how old this particular North West settlement is.

“The name ‘Angel Inn’ dates from as early as 1769, though the site’s hospitality roots extend further, with references to “Cotterell’s inn” used for sequestrators’ meetings in the 1640s, who met to organise the confiscation of property of supporters of King Charles I during The English Civil War”, HE went on to add.

Angel Inn is one of only a handful of venues like this in Greater Manchester and Cheshire; safe to say a lot of time, effort and money are being put into preserving these links to the past.

You’ll find Exhibit B just down the road.

Stockport Council secure in funding £1.6 million to help fix the roof of historic Bramall Hall
The ultimate example of ‘SK is Cheshire, not Greater Manchester.’

Read more:

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/Historic England (handout)/Stockport Archives

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