Regular haunts

Graham Pickles

@pickles_on_vinyl

5Items

0Likes

Spend all week in boiler cupboards, you start craving white walls and something that isn’t a flue. These are the places I slope off to when the tools are back in the van, the mud’s off the allotment boots and there’s still daylight to spare. A bit of everything here: big civic temples, artist-run corners above dodgy stairwells, and the odd trip over the river when I’m feeling adventurous. Nothing fancy, just the spots that keep my brain ticking over between gas safeties.

See all 5 items Follow Graham PicklesOpen in app

The list

Showing 1–5 of 5

Regular haunts — 5 items
Name	Address	City	Neighbourhood / Area	Focus	Vibe	Typical visit length	Entry cost	Good for	My take
1Manchester Art Gallery	Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3JL	Manchester	City Centre	Historic and contemporary art, big civic collection	School trips, quiet corners, occasional chaos	1.5–2 hours	Free, paid specials sometimes	Rainy Saturdays, Lowry fix without going to the Quays	If Manchester had a living room, this would be it. Always end up in the Pre-Raphaelites even when I say I won’t.
2The Whitworth	The Whitworth, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ER	Manchester	Oxford Road / Whitworth Park	Textiles, works on paper, contemporary shows	Students, trees, prams, a bit worthy in a nice way	2 hours including park wander	Free	Walking off a hangover, pretending you’re cultured on a date	Art inside, trees outside, café in between. Hard to argue, even for a professional moaner.
3HOME	2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester M15 4FN	Manchester	First Street / Deansgate-Castlefield	Contemporary art, film, theatre under one roof	Art kids, laptops, pre-cinema wine	45 minutes for gallery, longer if film	Gallery free, films and shows extra	Quick hit of weird art before a pint	Gallery’s small but usually odd enough to wake you up. Handy when the Metrolink’s packed and you need a breather.
4Esea contemporary	13 Thomas Street, Manchester M4 1EU	Manchester	Northern Quarter	East and Southeast Asian contemporary art	Calm box of light in the middle of the chaos	45–60 minutes	Free	A quiet reset after getting dragged round the vintage shops	Feels like someone’s actually thinking about the world, not just painting another sad clown. Bonus points for being near decent coffee.
5Castlefield Gallery	2 Hewitt Street, Manchester M15 4GB	Manchester	Castlefield / Deansgate-Castlefield	Artist-led contemporary exhibitions	Openings, warm lager, people saying ‘practice’ a lot	45 minutes	Usually free, donations welcome	Seeing what younger artists are up to before they get poached	You might not like all of it, but at least it’s alive. Five minutes from the tram so you’ve no excuse really.