Showing posts with label United Kingdom - Manchester - To Do. Show all posts
Showing posts with label United Kingdom - Manchester - To Do. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Manchester - To Do 20Apr26 (Chester Day Trip)

Manchester - To Do
Manchester - To Eat

Manchester - To Do
Day Trip to Chester
Chester is best known for being a beautiful, compact, historic city, where one can experience a lot in a short time! It has one of Britain's best-preserved Roman origins and host the unique and beautiful Tudor shopping Streets. (All of which are covered.)
Getting there:
Manchester Oxford Road Station < - >Chester Station
1hr Train from Manchester
£24.20 Round Trip (Return at anytime)


*Early morning at 730am*

Chester Canals


*Walking along the Canal with shop fronts and cafes gives off very gives off very Utrecht, AMS vibes (a short trip out form AMS. Click here for details.*

Chester City Walls


*King Charles Tower, where he stood and watched his last real chance of victory disappear.*
*Views overlooking Dean's Field*

*View of Chester Town Hall in the background*
*Beautiful both above and along side. Run for about 3.2km and the most complete and best-preserved city wall in England.*

One of the most complete and best-preserved Roman and medieval defensive walls in Brittan (around 70-400AD). Absolutely stunning, calming and utilitarian as well. Accessible from multiple entry and exit points, the locals utilize these walls as a means to get around and they give great vantage points.
Click here for ABBA location of King Charles Tower

Chester Cathedral
(Opens 930am)


This beautiful church has got multiple wings each representing the multiple number of uses, evolving over 1,000years. 
*Mural of Moses, David and Elijah. Baptismal bath, Lego cathedral and memorial for those who fought in the war*

*Beautiful Cloister where monks used it for walking, prayer and reflection.*

*A very moving, modern piece of work.*

*Refectory which was originally the dining hall, now a cafe.*

*Giving off Harry Potter Vibes and look like at John Rylands Library in Manchester.*
The place has evolved into something more than a place of worship, with some lifestyle features, history and spaces of peace and beautiful gardens. 

Chester Rows
(Shops opens generally around 10am)
The most unique two-level covered walkways in all of UK which date back at least to the 13th century (1200s). Excellent spaces for exploration and weather proof. 

Eastgate Clock
The most photographed clock in England after Big Ben. The clock was installed in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond jubilee of (60yrs in the throne.)
Click here for ABBA location of Eastgate Clock

Chester Roman Amphitheatre
The largest Roman amphitheater in Britain and was a major Roman military base.
Click here for ABBA location of Chester Roman Amphitheatre

Chester Roman Gardens


A small strip with Roman remains gathered in one place. A nice path to walk through towards the River Dee. 
River Dee

*Views of the Queen's Park Bridge and you could also 
go on a leisurely cruise along the River Dee.*


Grosvenor Park


Chester Station


*Built by Thomas Brassey, considered the greatest railway builder in the world.*
All-in-all Chester delivered! There are loads of informative plaques to explain the various key attractions. Chester is easily walkable, compact and filled with history. Worth checking out! The river side walk along the walls gives off Utrecht, AMS vibes. The park, season and weather all added to this city's history and charm. Below were some of the award winning eats. 

*Award winning cafe at Marmalade for their coffee and home baked goods. All for the vibes and people watch from above.*

*The Brewewry Tap. Award winning pub and surprsingly really well prepared fish and chips that rival some of my personal favourites in London. Cute Hops and the beam forming a cross.*

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Manchester - To Do (26Oct24 The Midland Hotel, Manchester Central Library, Manchester Museum, Whitworth Park)

Manchester - To Do
Manchester - To Eat

Manchester - To Do
John Rylands Library
Closed 3 days of the Week! Its a rare opportunity to pop by here!

The Midland Hotel
The Midland Hotel in Manchester is iconic for its Edwardian Baroque architecture and rich history. It is where Charles Rolls met Henry Royce, leading to the creation of Rolls-Royce. The hotel has hosted many famous guests, including Queen Elizabeth II and The Beatles. (We used to stay here at one point of time.)
Click here for ABBA location of The Midland Hotel.


Manchester Central Library
Manchester Central Library is renowned for its stunning neoclassical architecture, with a grand dome resembling the Pantheon (Click here for full write up of Pantheon in Rome).
It is the largest public library in the UK outside London and a key cultural hub. Looking at the reading area with similar looks, the State Library Victoria MEL gives off similar vibes
 
 Manchester Museum
A nicely curated selection that's fun, involving and educational with a beautiful courtyard for photo taking.
*Stan the T. rex is one of the most complete and well-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex fossils ever discovered. (This is a molded replica It has been a key exhibit at museums around the world, providing valuable insights into the species. The fossil was sold at auction
for a record-breaking $31.8 million in 2020.*
The Natural History Museum in NYC also have an impressive array of dinosaur bones with one spanning a huge space stretching to another room even! It's a great place to drop to explore our world's natural history.

Click here for Singapore's own Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum featuring our own Sperm Whale which was found in Singapore waters.
In summary, its a much more condensed version of the still very impressive and massive Natural History Museum in London. Their curation is really nice with a different presentation which is gives an excellent sampling over a wide array of their original counterparts. Well worth to visit. 
*The story of the white paper cranes is about Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who survived the Hiroshima nuclear bombing but later developed leukemia from radiation exposure. Following a Japanese legend that folding 1,000 paper cranes grants a wish, Sadako began folding cranes in the hope of recovering. Her story became a symbol of peace, and paper cranes are now associated worldwide with a wish for peace and a nuclear-free world.*
*A piece of glass which was forged and ground zero*

*You maybe interested in exploring an Ossuary - a container or room in which the bones of dead people are placed. Click here for Milan Santuario di San Bernardino alle Ossa- Ossuary (Free to enter)*
*Some of the way the displays were put up resembled the  Evolution store in NYC, another interesting shop worth to just check out..*
 
The beautiful courtyard which is part of the University of Manchster.


Whitworth Park
A nice park to take a stroll in through the seasons. It may not be as big or as charming as Central Park (NYC) or Hyde Park (LHR) but its got its own quaint niche. Really nice and great for some photo taking opportunities.

*Home to primarily grey squirrels. These non-native squirrels are common across the UK, having largely displaced the native red squirrels in many areas*