Ordsall Hall: Tudor haven in Salford and other Manchester, United Kingdom Off The Beaten Path Tips

There's a very old house in Salford, on Orsall Lane close to Salford Quays. A friend of mine who lives in Salford told me about it or i probably never would have found it. Check the website for hours but it's free to go in.

The hall dates from the 12th century and there are still an old wattle and daub wall that dates from there. There are rooms that are Elizabethan in age but the hall has been changed and renovated a number of times since it was first built. There aren't too many of the original rooms open to view but the one Star Chamber is the most interesting. The fireplace still has marks in the stone hearth where people might have sharpened their swords and there was one man who was dressed up in Elizabethan costume for a school class and he spent a bit of time talking to me about the Hall. There is also a good display of a restored Victorian kitchen on the ground floor.

Upstairs there are some Victorian exhibitions and a gallery. The Hall is used a lot for school visits.

The easiest way to get there is taking the tram to the Exchange Quay station which is only a few hundred yards past the Colgate factory. Go down Ordsall lane around to your right.

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Website: http://www.ordsallhall.org/

The Lowry is a brand new arts complex with galleries, a huge theatre and eateries. the visual look of the building is stunning as well. Unfortunately the day i saw it, the sky was gun metal gray and the building more or less faded into it. It truly is an amazing building. It houses the L. S. Lowry collection. Lowry was a local Manchester area artist during the first half of the 20th century and is known for his gritty and realistic portrayals of everyday Northern life and landscapes.

There are other exhibitions as well in adjoining galleries. the theatre is beautiful as well and puts on a wide variety of performances. The day we were there, there was a matinee 'Of Mice and Men' for a theatre full of students.

Nearby is a huge shopping center and across the quay is the National War Musuem North branch so more to see there once you've done the galleries or seen a performance. Probably the easiest way to get there is the Tram getting off at the Harbour city stop and walking across a footbridge, past the multi storey car park. There are also busses. See the website for more directions

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Website: www.thelowry.com

Stockport - Denby was one of the most important hat making areas over the last couple of centuries up until about the 1940's. Felt was the main material hats were made of around here, from wool or fur, mainly rabbit fur. The big London hat retailers may have stamped the hats with their mark but the hats were manufactured here. In Stockport there is a hat museum on the site of one of the factories and it’s called Hatworks. There is a free conducted tour that starts with a film, some of which is rare footage from the 1930's of Battersby's Hat works. We were told how they were made, first by hand and later by machine. Hats made out of felt had shellac added for stiffness and were shaped over wooden forms to give the hat it's shape. The museum has all sorts of exhibits of hats of every kind, ceremonial, sporting, military, religious, dress, etc. There was a big felt tent called a Yurt that is seen around Central Asia. Felt is believed to be an older craft even than weaving and the craft of hatting has been a British guild since the 16th century.

And the phrase "Mad as a Hatter"? Well the felt used to be treated with mercury during the processing and the handlers of course absorbed the deadly chemical and it adversely affected their nervous systems! The cafe in the museum was very nice also for a light meal.

To get there, you can take a bus to Stockport. The museum is visible from the big bus terminus. Check the website for specifics.

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Website: http://www.hatworks.org.uk/

Aside from Hatworks, there is a nice mix of some very old buildings including a few lovely 16th century half timbered houses. One is the Underbank Hall and is used now as a NatWest bank. There is a good sized outdoor market and a nice pedestrian shopping area, remodeled from it's 1970's origins.

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The market in central Stockport is outside and inside. There are stalls on the plaza in front of the market hall inside which you will find a butcher or two, a fish monger and cheese monger and a few little shops. The outside stalls have clothing, knick knacks and fruit/veg.

Thanks to VT member bugalugs for the photo :)

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A 30 mile footpath along the Irwell starting in Salford Quays through Bury and up into the Pennines past Bacup. The environmental type sculptures are organized in sections so you can go visit a group and look around in the area i.e. Peel Park, Radcliffe, Bury. The website has downloadable leaflets on each section of the trail for a good map.

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Website: http://www.irwellsculpturetrail.co.uk/

In Salford, there is a Jewish museum, testament to the local Jewish population. The museum outlines the history of the Jewish people from the Manchester/Salford area and housed in a restored Spanish synogogue. There are photos, recordings, exhibits. A bit out of the way but a nice little gem of a museum. Not much on the website at the moment. Says it's being revamped but the opening hours and a map are there. It's actually walkable from the city centre of Manchester and Victoria station.

190 Cheetham Hill Road, Salford

Closed Saturday as you would expect, Open Fridays by appointment, 10:30 - 4 Monday to
Thursday and 11 - 5 on Sunday.

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Phone: 0161-834 9879
Website: http://www.manchesterjewishmuseum.com/

Salford is an old historic city, very working class, housing the employees from the many mills and factories that were in the area. The museum is really nice, too, with exhibits and a Victorian replica street called Lark Hill Place with lots of storefronts and "house" fronts where you can look through the window and see rooms and shops set up. There's a local history library and temporary exhibits. Best of all, it's free!

It's not too far to walk from the city centre or take the number 36 bus from central Manchester and it's next to the Salford Crescent rail station. If you drive, there's free parking. Also on site is a cafe and very tiny gift shop and it's on Peel Park and the University of Salford campus. It's disabled accessible as well.

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Website: http://www.salford.gov.uk/salfordmuseum

Lyme Hall and Park is not in Manchester, it's on the outskirts, just past Stockport in Cheshire. It's an old manor house on the edge of a huge medeival deer park, all part of an original estate granted to the family in the 1400s. The house dates back that far but mainly the current house dates from the 16th and 17th centuries. The house is open to the public (for a fee of course) and you also pay to park in the parking lot. The gardens are really nice too and that also costs. We just got a ticket for both house and gardens to cover it all. The family were Jacobite supporters and the house has exquisite tapestries, furniture and art. I really enjoyed it. No photos allowed. Most of the rooms had people standing in them that you could talk to for information and we had a nice chat with several of them.

The gardens near the house were very nice. There's a reflecting pool out on the south front with a little island in the middle which is all flowers. Very pretty! This house was used for the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, the series with Colin Firth that made many a heart flutter with his swim through the pond behind the house. Lyme Hall was used for that series but the lake wasn't the little pool by the house, it was a bit further afield out in the park. The gardens had a greenhouse/orangerie with lots of flowers and plants and a few fountains and we had a peek in there as well.

There is a nice cafe which is in the cellars, low arched ceilings! They had a small menu with a couple of specials, drinks and desserts. One choice on the menu the day we were there was venison which was done in a sort of stew with potato topping all baked until crispy. Was quite tasty and very mild. I suppose it was farm-raised venison rather than wild like i've had in the past.

There's a nice gift shop as well for cards and books. The park is extensive, with deer and sheep and a great place for a walk or hike. The house itself can be accessed by wheelchair if you let them know you need assistance.

It is a National Trust property so if you have a membership, you can get in free. They do guided tours of the house for small numbers of people (no large groups) between March and November. The house is open, 11 - 5, March through November but closed on Wednesday and Thursday. In winter it's only open on weekends. The park is open every day all year between 8 and 6, a bit later in summer. The gardens are open every day between March and November, weekends only in winter. The timber yard coffee shop in the park is open all year round.

Admission prices

Gift Aid Admission (Standard Admission prices in brackets) House & garden: £8 (£7.20), child £4 (£3.60), family £20 (£18). House only: £5.80 (£5.20), child £2.90 (£2.60). Garden only: £5.50 (£4.95), child £2.75 (£2.45)

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Website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-lymepark
Other Contact: http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/visi