Manchester Cathedral Reviews Summary

Architecture and Design

Pros:

• "The structure is beautiful as well as the inside of the cathedral, with very helpful and kind staff."
• "It's a good place to see in spring season, Gothic architecture surrounded by a lot of flowered trees is a nice combination."
• "Wonderful stained glass windows along with a gothic style design & newly restored organ make a visit a must."
• "Old and beautiful cathedral, the poles and the ceiling are unique, the people are very nice and the atmosphere is shocking."
• "Architecture is marvellous."
• "The building attracts with its grandiose size and luxurious interior design."
• "The architectural style of the outside is very neat."

Cons:

• "The Cathedral looks ordinarily from the outside."
• "It's a really small cathedral. Actually, in other countries like Spain, Italy, Germany,... It will be a small church."
• "The interior had a dark and drab feel to it and it is smaller and has less features than other cathedrals I've visited."
• "The oldness was hidden too well by the Victorians."
• "Half of the cathedral was closed when I visited."
• "The whole thing was nearly ruined by an hideous altar piece - a crude painting of family eating chips."
• "The only faults I had with the place was that the toilets had no lighting around them."

Accessibility and Facilities

Pros:

• "Admission is free. Donations accepted, and there is a £1 surcharge if you wish to take photographs inside the cathedral."
• "Free to enter which we didn't know about. There are donation boxes inside."
• "The Cathedral is divided into interesting areas and has beautiful and meaningful decorations."
• "Almost all of the cathedral is one the same level, so mobility-challenged people should have not trouble visiting."
• "There is a disabled entry (and I think I got around all of the Cathedral (on the main floor, I think the other floors are for tours only) you may need to ask for the ramp to be put down on one section but the rest is already accessible or has a permanent ramp in place)."
• "Easy access to the building and easy access to the bathroom."
• "Accessible all day, services at various times."

Cons:

• "No parking onsite. Be advised: Cathedral staff/volunteers request a donation if you want to take photos inside the Cathedral."
• "I certainly would not try driving into the center of Manchester unless extremely confident."
• "The only other place to park I know of within a couple of minutes walk is the Q Park at the other end end of Victoria Bridge St. but as usual you will pay a fortune if your there for longer than a couple of hours."
• "There is limited disabled parking on Cathedral Approach/ Victoria St."
• "There isn't any parking at the Cathedral because of its location but there are several car parks nearby."
• "The biggest problem is the toilets."
• "Bit short on toilets for such a large number of people."

Atmosphere and Experience

Pros:

• "It is a haven from the hustle and bustle of the busy city."
• "An oasis of beautiful calm in the centre of Manchester."
• "Very beautiful, serene and peaceful place of worship."
• "The atmosphere inside is very welcoming to tourists, despite it being an active place of worship."
• "Evensong is just beyond beautiful (it's like listening to actual Angels)."
• "The service was very atmospheric, and awesome (in the spiritual sense of the word) and reflects the continuous worship of the church for centuries."
• "A wonderful place to sit and contemplate."

Cons:

• "Too full of children, noisy, almost running riot, and due to holidays, a bit disturbing."
• "Most of it was barred off compared to normal as a covid precaution which made it feel a lot more like a museum."
• "The only downside was the temperature coldest night of the year, and it was cold whilst being sat in there."
• "Bloody freezing though as there was a storm blowing a hoolie!!!"
• "Very disappointing, little information about what was on display and it felt quite clinical."
• "For a Christian establishment it was not a particularly welcoming place."
• "First time we've ever felt unwelcome in a church or cathedral."

Events and Activities

Pros:

• "They often hold concerts with piano or organ for guests to visit."
• "We went for a candlelight concert where the greatest hits of Queen was played by a string quartet."
• "Loved the Kaleidoscopic Orchestra playing Daft Punk. Very atmospheric."
• "The Candleight: A tribute to Queen by the string quartet, String Infusion was such an amazingly beautiful first time experience."
• "We came to the wonderful Manchester Chamber of Commerce Carol Concert on Tuesday, 5th Dec 2023."
• "Visited the gin & rum festival at the Cathedral."
• "The Saturday FREE concerts are amazing and an honour to attend."

Cons:

• "Absolutely disgraceful that they let a private organisation (BBC) film in the cathedral, while kicking out a citizen journalist."
• "Misrepresentation of an event which I paid good money to see jocelyn brown no show at half 10 finished at 11pm."
• "I also think it would be a lot better if the act, in this case an orchestra were on some sort of stage as you can't see them over the crowd."
• "Could have been an exceptional music event, shame that the accoustics weren't very good."
• "The acoustics are also a little below par (which surprises me)."
• "Pity we were effectively kicked out by a jobsworth closing off the Cathedral for a private event."
• "The photos gave the impression that the event was much bigger than it actually was."