Tours
The Material City project runs walking tours of Manchester's materials. Check below for the upcoming dates. And then book tickets on Ticket Tailor:
Urban Stone
What do different types of stone mean in the city of Manchester? How has the way we’ve used stone changed over time? How can stone take us to places beyond the city?
Join The Material City stone walking tour to find out.
We’ll meet in front of Bridgewater Hall and then we’ll walk approximately 1 mile over 2 hours to the main entrance of Manchester Cathedral.
On the way we’ll chat about fossils, erosion, and stone as a status symbol. We’ll be thinking about how humans have used stone, what stone has meant to us over time and environmental impact of quarrying. We’ll gaze at granite, Portland Stone, red sandstone (and more) then we’ll ask ourselves: “how does this stone make us feel?”
And after all this effort, we might discover that stone is not as permanent as we think.
Upcoming dates:
Sunday 24th May, 10am-12pm
Saturday 27th June, 10am-12pm
Sunday 26th July, 1pm-3pm
Urban Water
Where does Manchester get its water from? How has the city used water over the centuries? How has water shaped the Manchester we know now?
Join The Material City water walking tour to find out.
We’ll meet in front of the main entrance to the Museum of Science of industry on Liverpool Road, then we’ll walk approximately 1 mile over 2 hours to the start of Canal Street, opposite the New Union Pub.
On the way we’ll talk hard water, soft water, graveyard floods, and class issues. We’ll be thinking about what happens when humans try and control water, and what water has meant to us in the city over time. There will be tales about mythical water monsters, cholera, and a hidden river under our feet.
And then we’ll ask ourselves: “how much can humans really control water?”
Upcoming dates:
Saturday 23rd May, 10am-12pm
Sunday 28th June, 1pm-3pm
Sunday 26th July, 10am-12pm
Urban Air
How do we talk about an invisible element? How has Manchester’s attitude to its air changed over time? How does the city breathe along with us?
Join The Material City air walking tour to find out.
We’ll meet in front of the statue of Queen Victorian in Piccadilly Gardens, and we’ll walk just over 1.5 miles over 2 hours to Mayfield Park.
On the way we’ll chat about smog, miasma, birds, planes, and wind. We’ll be talking about what is actually in air, how air moves through our bodies, and how humans change air. There will be stories about hot air balloons, sailing ships, politics, and train brakes.
And during all this, we will be thinking “what happens if we see the human body as a porous entity?”
Upcoming dates:
Sunday 24th May, 1pm-3pm
Sunday 28th June, 10am-12pm
Saturday 25th July, 10am-12pm
Got tour questions? Get in touch: