Manchester

Well, it's nearing the end of the study tour here in Sheffield and it's been interesting to say the least. Yesterday we explored Manchester with Tony, Emma and the rest of the students in my discipline, Arts. It was great to have a guide, and Tony accompanied us around the city centre. Like so many of the cities in England we'd already visited, Manchester had a multitude of old historic buildings each with a story to be told



Manchester Central Library



The Manchester Central Library was opened in 1934 - the rotunda-like form was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. Inside there are stain-glassed windows depicting William Shakespeare and scenes from his plays called The Shakespeare Hall.

After having a bit of a walk around we arrived at the Art Gallery which housed a diverse array of artwork from an assortment of periods. There's English art, Flemish, Dutch, Italian and German. I particularly liked the Victorian pieces - the Pre-Raphaelites. Also the artists that were inspired by Ancient Greek, Roman times and the Far East. Frank Dickee's, Funeral of a Viking was incredible and will be a great prelude to me visiting York again on Saturday to experience the Jorvic Viking Museum. But my favourite was the giant life-size painting of the dead lion by Sir Edwin Lanseer… What a stunning painting.

The Desert - Sir Edwin Lanseer, 1849

We also checked out the People's History Museum which was great and suited everyone's interest in our group. I love the tactile aspect of museums like this - they really want people to get involved. After spending a bit of time walking around this museum, we then went shopping…

- Claire Robinson (Bachelor of Arts, Majoring English/History)