Victoria Baths
Edgarwood - mike-plunkett-photography
Central Library
Stockport Plaza
Central Library
Longford Esselso Cinema
Manchester Art Gallery
Central Library
Former Bank
Town Hall
Town Hall
The wonderful Plaza Cinema, Stockport, including demonstration of its mighty Organ
Guided walk of Manchester city centre’s Art Deco landmarks
Extraordinary Art Deco Churches of St Nicholas, Burnage and All Angels, Wythenshawe
1920s and 1930s paintings and sculptures at Manchester Art Gallery
Largest collection of Tiffany in Europe at the Haworth Gallery, Accrington
This fantastic tour looks at the wonderful architectural world of Art Nouveau and Art Deco through the prism of Manchester, with enthusiast and expert, Prof. Anne Anderson. As with so many other cities around the world, fuelled by the golden age of Hollywood and mass cinema and theatre attendances, Manchester was one of the UK cities that embraced Art Nouveau and Art Deco with the most vigour, leaving a legacy of outstanding buildings, which have survived the post-war building boom, both in the city centre and outlying suburbs. From civic and commercial buildings to churches, cinemas and galleries, Anne will take you on an inspirational journey back to the heyday of Art Nouveau and Art Deco a century ago.
Available Departures |
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| 08 - September - 2025 | £ 939.00 | Travel Info Book Now |
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Provisional Timings |
Day 1: Arrive independently at the Malmaison Hotel, Manchester Piccadilly from 15.00.
This evening there will be a welcome drink, dinner with wine and talk from Prof. Anne Anderson – ‘An Overview of Art Nouveau and Art Deco Buildings in the Greater Manchester Region'.
Day 2: Manchester City Centre, St Nicholas Church, Burnage and St Michael and All Angels, Wythenshawe
Our day of architectural immersion starts with a guided walk, led by Anne Anderson of the North and East districts of central Manchester, which will take in the exteriors of several significant Art Deco landmarks, including the Daily Express Building, reminiscent of their London office in Fleet Street, King Street Bank, the Town Hall extensions including Central Library and Rates Hall, St Peter’s Square Cenotaph and Charles Sargeant Jagger’s Memorial Sentry statue. After free time for lunch (not included), we head out of the city to see two extraordinary churches. The first being St Nicholas at Burnage, the first church designed by the architect Nugent Francis Cachemaille Day, built in 1931 and desbrided by architectural historian Sir Nicholas Pevsner as "a milestone in the history of church architecture in England." From here we head west to the church of St Michael and All Angels at Wythenshawe, another of Cachemaille Day’s creations, this time from 1937, star-shaped with impressive stained glass windows and chandelier. Dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Day 3: Plaza Cinema Stockport, Victoria Baths and Manchester Art Gallery
Our first visit of the day is to the Art Deco cinema masterpiece - Stockport Plaza Super Cinema and Variety Theatre, that has been lovingly restored, with regular film showings as well as plays, pantomine and other performances. We’ll get to hear its famous organ as we tour the building. Next we drive to Victoria Baths, one of Britain's finest historic swimming pools with beautiful stained glass windows, mosaic floors, and iconic green tiles. We enjoy a guided tour here to learn about the history of the building and its many decorative features. We will have free time for lunch in Manchester (not included) before our final visit of the day to the excellent Manchester Art Gallery to continue our study of the art and design of this period by viewing the superb 1920s and 1930s paintings and sculptures on show. Second talk by Anne – ‘From Arts & Crafts to Art Nouveau: Edgar Wood to Tiffany’ followed by dinner at the hotel.
Day 4: The Arts & Crafts Church and Edgar Wood Buildings, Middleton and the Haworth Gallery, Accrington
Our first visit today is to Middleton to visit The Arts & Crafts Church, a stunning masterpiece designed by Edgar Wood. We will also have a guided walking tour of the other Edgar Wood experimental buildings and see how he gradually changed the Arts & Crafts into art deco. Our final visit of the day and the tour will be the Haworth Art Gallery, Lancashire’s finest Arts & Crafts house and garden. Designed by the architect, Walter Brierley it houses the internationally important Tiffany Glass Museum, home to the largest collection of Tiffany in Europe. It was bequeathed by Joseph Briggs, a young engraver in Accrington, who emigrated to America and worked his way up to become Tiffany’s right hand man and, eventually, the President of the company. His intention was that his collection should be for the people of Accrington. Lunch will be included at the gallery before a free flow visit of its rooms, Tiffany collecton and gardens. Return to the hotel for approximately 16.30.
Please note: Post tour extra nights are available at a supplement
NB: Exact order of excursions may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion. Visits are a mixture of internal and external visits (many are public buildings) as time and traffic conditions allow. Most of the interest lies in the architecture which is best appreciated externally.
Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 25 passengers.
Tour Grading: Please note that this tour has been graded as moderate due to the amount of walking involved and standing for viewing at attractions. There is a walking tour on Day 2 with opportunities to sit, and mostly flat. At the Victoria Baths on Day 3 there are some steps and narrow spaces during the tour. Please visit the mobility page of our website for further information, or contact our team prior to booking if you have any questions.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
Malmaison Hotel, Manchester Piccadilly
The four-star Malmaison Hotel is centrally located on Piccadilly, nestled amidst the city's top shopping, dining, and entertainment hotspots and a 3 minute walk from the train station. Facilities at this stylish hotel include Malmaison Bar & Grill, and on-site spa, as well as comfortable rooms with all modern amenities including TV, WIFI, hairdryer, ironing board and iron, and complimentary tea and coffee making facilities.
Arriving by Car
From the A57M, take the exit signposted towards A6, turning left at the main set of traffic lights towards Piccadilly. Follow A6 – London Road towards Piccadilly Station. Cross over the set of traffic lights keeping Piccadilly Station on your right-hand side. Keep in the right hand lane and take the right hand turn at the traffic lights, continue to bear right crossing over the tram tracks. You will see Smoak Restaurant and the Malmaison Hotel on your left. Turn left at the next set of traffic lights. The hotel entrance is situated on the left-hand side. Pull in here to off-load any luggage if required then proceed to Q Park, Piccadilly Place which must be prebooked. Please note below car park is recommendation only and Malmaison Hotel can’t guarantee spaces.
Please note that there is no parking at the hotel. The nearest car park is Q Park, Piccadilly Place, on Whitworth Street and is a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Use postcode M1 3BS for sat nav. To claim a discount of 15%, tickets must be pre-booked here. Follow the pre-book instructions, use the code MMPP15 and enter your vehicle registration number, which will enable the barriers to open for you. If you would like to enter and exit multiple times during your stay please click the multiple entry option.
Your Lecturer
Prof. Anne Anderson
Prof. Anne Anderson author, broadcaster and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, was a senior lecturer at Southampton Solent University for 14 years, specialising in the Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and Modernism. Anne's career as an international speaker has taken her all over the world and her TV credits include the BBC's Flog It!. Anne has received a rapturous response from or customers at the many Travel Editions UK lectures and tours as well as a host of tours overseas and her knowledge, wit and enthusiasm bring her beloved subjects to life in whatever location she finds them.
Please note that all our UK tours start and finish at the relevant hotel.
You can normally check in from 3pm onwards but hotels will always be happy to store your luggage if you arrive earlier in the day.
For full details of how to get to the hotel, directions and the nearest train station, please click on the hotel website or call our office for details. These will also be sent automatically with your confirmation.
The welcome reception and first evening dinner / talk will commence at about 6pm - full details will be sent with your joining instructions about 10 days prior to the arrival date.
Another excellent tour
Review by Anonymous who travelled 09-September-2024
The hotel was very convenient for the station. The food was very good. Highlights were the Tiffany glass in Accrington and the Stockport Plaza.
Review by Kirwood who travelled 09-September-2024
Informative, enjoyable
Review by Anonymous who travelled 09-September-2024
Anne and Scott were outstanding. They were extremely knowledgeable, helpful, efficient and friendly throughout the tour.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 09-September-2024
Review by Anonymous who travelled 09-September-2024
Very enjoyable and informative. Hotel excellent.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 11-September-2023
Just loved the trip with Anne plus having Scott too, was a bonus. Having known Manchester a little, the trip with them was a revelation. The enthusiastic way their knowledge was shared with us, as well as the specialist itinerary, was excellent. The hotel was fine but you may wish to reconsider the choice of the dinner menus. The choice of the beef meal, and the lamb, was somewhat heavy and lacking in Veg. Also , at Haworth Gallery, the soup and sandwich lunch , provided was welcome , and very nice, BUT, it took a time to work out what to do about drinks. Please consider ordering tap water and advising about the bar for soft and alcoholic drinks ,plus coffee and tea.
Review by Ward who travelled 11-September-2023
Really loved the tour . As ever Ann and Scott were brilliant, keeping us all in order and showing us amazing buildings, giving great informative lectures and in general looking after us so very well. The hotel was fine but I think in general the people I spoke to felt the hipster vibe was not really for us. Gadgets in room had no explanatory leaflets for example, so I struggled to make the tv work , and ditto , coffee machine, and turning off heated towel rail, and housekeeping was quite erratic, not coming when I put sign out , and then coming when I said "dont come . The vegetarian food was fine for me , but a menu might have helped as the other vegetarian and I had no idea what the green soup we had was meant to be. But the coach trips were wonderful, the timing was all great and the big highlight was The Plaza and the organ, Great stuff. Thank you so much
Review by Bennett who travelled 11-September-2023
An interesting tour with a very good lecturer. It was good that adaptions were made so we avoided walking too much in rain. I was impressed when arrangements were made to open one venue despite the custodian due to be there being rushed into hospital. We had 3 coach drivers - all were good The included dinners at the hotel were mediocre. I would have happily paid more for better meals. However breakfasts were good.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 11-September-2023
Review by Anonymous who travelled 11-September-2023
Uniformly excellent! Fab intro to architect I previously didn't know anything about. Bravo on pace and all aspects
Review by Stewart who travelled 11-September-2023
Thoroughly enjoyed this well organised trip with very knowledgeable and personable leaders. We enjoyed the group and everyday there were highlights. So much to investigate and think about on return home.
Review by Heasman who travelled 11-September-2023
It was a pity that the hotel, though excellent in many respects, was let down by the quality of the evening meals. Likewise I have marked down the administration because of the failure to notify the Haworth Art Gallery, where the tour had lunch provided, that I needed a gluten-free meal. These were flaws in an otherwise excellent tour and because of the excellence of so much else I have decided, with some hesitation, to give an overall rating of excellent.
Review by Morfey who travelled 11-September-2023
Well organised, good hotel, a pleasing variety of destinations on the trip. Learnt a lot.
Review by Cole who travelled 11-September-2023
Review by Anonymous who travelled 16-October-2022
Travel Editions feedback:
It's a pity the hotel was a bit disorganised about our eating arrangements.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 16-October-2022
While the trip went well there were some annoying features - no list of participants, no printed itinerary. Martin Randall would never make such mistakes but the Hotel Brooklyn was better than an MR hotel I stayed in recently. Focus of holiday should be widened from Art Deco so that other Manchester attractions might be visited - John Rylands Library, Royal Exchange Theatre, Cathedral etc. Anne (and Scott) did well; perhaps the weather was even better.
Review by Gibbon who travelled 16-October-2022
Travel Editions feedback:
Thank you for your feedback but sadly we are not in a position to print out a list of tour participants due to Privacy restrictions and we do send you a printed itinerary? We were pleased to read you enjoyed the tour and hotel.
We particularly liked the hotel, it was not a place we would have chosen ourselves, but once there we thought it was excellent. It was well placed for all of the trips.
Review by Bessant who travelled 16-October-2022
The art deco tour was relatively good, Anne the tour manager was informative, enthusiastic and helpful. The tour was well put together, although the title of the tour is slightly misleading, including art Nouveau in the tour, i.e. visits to art themed Nouveau museum. The hotel chosen, is well placed to visit all the key sites in the city of Manchester. The hotel food overall was good, but on separate evenings, the hotel was ill prepared in dealing with a tour group of 21. On one occasion, the meal was delayed due to poor table planning, i.e. not enough table space for the tour group, and then the second occasion there were no or lack of cutlery on the table! Basic stuff.
Review by Peters who travelled 16-October-2022
Anne Anderson was excellent, as always. 3 comments - as we saw more non-Art Deco than Art Deco, the title of the tour should be changed (to something like "Architectural styles in Manchester"?); the hotel was comfortable but the eating arrangements & service for dinner was poor; clients need to be warned that the recommended car park (even with a discount from the hotel) is extremely expensive for a 3 night stay - it would have been cheaper for us to use the train but were concerned about strikes.
Review by Richards who travelled 16-October-2022
An enjoyable tour with several high spots each day. We quite understood the reason for changes to the programme and the need for the tour leader to make it her own. Hotel brilliant, staff great and food very good.
Review by Taylor who travelled 16-October-2022
Ed Glinert said he had understood that he would be managing the tour and that Mike Hope would be leading it, which must have created some confusion for him. I felt that the fourth day was unnecessary, because neither the Manchester nor the Whitworth Art Galleries had any connection with Art Deco, and the visit to a working cinema in the Art Deco style could have been included on the second or the third day. Those two days were enjoyable, and the visit to the Stockport Plaza was outstandingly good. The tour finished unexpectedly early - shortly before 2:30pm, which meant that I had to wait three hours for my train home. I have been a Travel Editions customer for some years, and I intend to go on more trips, but I was disappointed by the bad planning in this latest experience.
Review by Holding who travelled 03-July-2022
The hotel was good and much better than for the Art Deco in London tour. There is not really much Art Deco in Manchester, but the tour of the Plaza in Stockport was excellent. The tour manager wasn’t great, but had stepped in at short notice. The trips to the art galleries on the final day was unnecessary, and it could have been a day shorter. I understand Mike has very recently died, which is very sad, as most of the people on the tour were there because of him. He will be greatly missed. These comments are therefore pretty irrelevant!
Review by Anonymous who travelled 03-July-2022
The lack of Mike Hope was a shame but I think that with the short notice he had, Ed did a very good job. He is extremely knowledgable about Manchester generally. There were plenty of "Mike Hope Fan Club" people on the tour who were inclined to find fault, but I enjoyed the tour very much. Food at the hotel was excellent - 3 really good dinners.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 03-July-2022
This trip was doomed, in a way, from the start, although the two of us were definitely nowhere near as upset as the rest of the group appeared to be. The absence of the esteemed and much loved tour leader and his last minute replacement with a short-tour guide, was always going to be an issue. Though Karen and I were, quite frankly, just glad that the holiday wasn't cancelled, when Mike fell ill. Ed was definitely not used to giving a coach load of knowledgeable folks an expectation of the itinerary each day. He was not a good communicator. He didn't think of the basics like toilet breaks, coffee breaks and 'was there anyone missing'. A couple of us took it upon ourselves to give him little hints and digs. We almost left three people behind at the Whitworth when their lunch was seriously delayed by the overstretched restaurant staff! I literally told him he needed to get off the coach, walk into the restaurant and check! The tour was incorrectly titled as well. Definitely not just Art Deco and it was not all in the centre of Manchester either. And a whole day spent visiting art galleries was pretty far removed from any sort of architecture! I would suggest you rename it to reflect this. Art and Architecture of Greater Manchester - makes much more sense. Having said all this, the two of us had a really good time. The hotel was an absolute highlight. By far the very best I have ever stayed in with Travel Editions. (Compared to somewhere like the awful Jury's Inn in Cheltenham in particular!) The hotel is superbly designed, the food was excellent and the staff, despite being without some key personnel, were happy and helpful. A complete joy to stay there. And as a retired hotel manager, I am very critical, so this is praise indeed. Thank you
Review by Anonymous who travelled 03-July-2022
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