Pollock’s Toy Museum

If you are visiting London with your children, Pollock’s Toy Museum is certain to be a top attraction for you and your family. Practically any toy that has been on the market for children worldwide has a place at this site. The collections are a fascinating look at the ways kids played in the past. Come to experience a world of porcelain dolls, teddy bears, tinkertoys, board games and more. Elaborate dollhouses and toy theaters also are on display for the littlest ones in your party to explore.

Pollock’s Toy Museum, London, UK by R Sones

Freud Museum

This site was the home of Sigmund Freud after he and his family fled Austria and the Nazis in the late 1930s. Here is where you can see perhaps the world’s most famous analyst couch with its pillows and tapestries. You also can see the desk where Freud spent much time writing his papers. The family’s extensive collection of antiquities also is on display, and the ground’s gardens are worth checking out, too. The house and its furnishings are frozen in Freud’s time.

Whitechapel Bell Foundry

Lots of British and global manufacturing history can be found here, as the site exists as Britain’s oldest continuing manufacturer. Here, you can find church bells, handbells, clock tower bells (think Big Ben) and other varieties made to order. The company’s rich history extends across the pond, as the U.S. Liberty Bell was cast at the site more than 250 years ago.

Churchill War Rooms

Part of the collection that makes up Britain’s Imperial War Museum, this is the wartime bunker where British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his government officials took shelter during the London Blitz. You can see where wartime decisions were made and purchase a Churchill coffee mug in the same visit. The Map Room holds maps where you can see tiny pinholes that charted Allied progress. Next to that room is Churchill’s Room, still in existence from its time as his office/bedroom space.

The Black Museum

Better known as the crime museum, this infamous site offers a collection from London’s macabre side. In 1869, a new law allowed law enforcement to start keeping artifacts from criminals for educational purposes. Today, the museum holds weapons disguised as ordinary items, vials of poison, forensic photos and other criminal evidentiary items. The museum, while not open to the public, is open for law-enforcement training and crime lectures for legal authorities. If you are a law-enforcement official, you may be able to gain entry for a tour.

You find more London travel guides online and also accommodation in London from www.holiday-velvet.com.

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Manchester Cathedral, England, UK by Michael Beckwith

Education

Manchester is home to over 100,000 students from across the UK and the rest of the world. With the academically excellent University of Manchester and Manchester Business School this city attracts some of the best students to study outside of Oxford and Cambridge.

Sport

You cannot mention Manchester with mentioning Manchester United and Manchester City football clubs. The former is one of the world’s best clubs whilst the latter is one of the richest and is becoming a footballing force. With combined capacities of over 115,000 the stadiums are excellent places to be when there is a football match on.

Old Trafford Stadium, inside, Manchester, England, UK by André Zahn

Museums

Manchester has many Museums including the Museum of Science and Industry, the Football Museum and the Imperial War Museum. With these being the largest outside of London there are many things to do and see whilst in this city.

Nightlife

Manchester has recently been voted in the top 5 places in the United Kingdom for nightlife. With super clubs such as the Warehouse and Sankey Soaps and more traditional bars in Deansgate and the Printworks, this city comes to life at the weekend. With the sheer number of Students in the city and population this mix makes for an excellent night out in Manchester.

Music

Manchester is home to some famous musicians including the following, Take That, Badly Drawn Boy, New Order, Stone Roses, Oasis, James, and the Verve. The list goes on and on and for a city of this size this is definitely a music city.  The most famous undoubtedly being Oasis who have sold tens of millions of Albums across the world.

So if you are ever in the UK and have a weekend to free why don’t you visit the Northern city of Manchester and see what this place has to offer for you. With the histroy, shopping, things to do, sports stadiums, nightlife etc you will not be bored in this vibrant and friendly city.

James, a passionate traveller and writer for Ticket Vago, specialists in Manchester United tickets.

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Manchester Cathedral from Blackfriars Bridge / Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Pimlico Badger

Manchester and Liverpool are now the third and fourth most popular destinations for foreign visitors to these shores. They travel north to revel in the history of the region, soaking up the cultural atmosphere created in equal measure by the unique characteristics of the local population and the best of architectural genius. Prime examples of superb building skills on show are the historical Three Graces of Liverpool, the dramatically modern Manchester Imperial War Museum and the soaring Hilton Hotel.

History and Culture

Both Manchester and Liverpool have rich historical and cultural roots that are celebrated today through the opening of contemporary art galleries and museums. The Manchester Art Gallery includes an impressive collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings and an ever-changing programme of imaginative exhibitions. In recognition of its programmes, the museum was short listed for the Guardian’s Family Friendly Museum of the Year award. Equally celebrated, the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool holds what is arguably the finest collection of decorative artworks, including those by Turner and Rembrandt.

Both cities have an excellent reputation for stage plays and theatre productions. Music contributes to the culture too with the ‘Madchester’ scene in Manchester and several bands hailing from Liverpool, going back to The Beatles.

Liverpool / Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by djmcaleese

Hospitality

Both cities are well known for the warm and lively characteristics of the people who make their homes there. A vibrant and cosmopolitan atmosphere exists in both cities, with both Manchester and Liverpool hospitality offering diverse restaurants, bars, cafes and nightclubs. One of the most recent additions to Manchester’s hospitality is the Cloud 23 Skyline Bar at the Hilton Hotel in Deansgate. Cloud 23 exudes sophistication, serving exclusive cocktails against a cityscape backdrop viewed through floor-to-ceiling windows.

Not to be outdone, Liverpool offers the Panoramic on the 34th floor of West Tower with stunning 360° views across the city to the Wirral peninsular. For those who like to keep their feet more firmly on the ground, both cities have an array of fine dining restaurants and bars offering both local and international cuisine.

Shopping

For the best in designer shopping in contemporary, sophisticated surroundings, both Manchester and Liverpool have everything for the discerning shopper from main chain store outlets to exclusive and unusual designer or vintage boutique shops.

When in Liverpool, visit the exclusive Metquarter for fashion and beauty outlets or the elegant Victorian arcades of Lord Street in Southport, in the Liverpool city region outside the city centre. No visit to Manchester would be complete without a visit to Afflecks, an astonishing maze where you can buy practically anything you can think of from the 50 independent outlets that range over five floors.

Manchester stadium / Agnieszka Mieszczak

Sports

Both Manchester and Liverpool are rightly proud of their football teams, both of which put the cities firmly on the sporting map. Liverpool’s football teams, Liverpool and Everton, are not the only claims to sporting fame for the city, as it is also home to the world famous Grand National horse race held each year at the Aintree Racecourse. Manchester too shares a dual football identity with the internationally famous teams of Manchester United and Manchester City.

Sometimes it seems the world is getting smaller, but it’s also true that a wider appreciation and willingness to explore has revealed many previously hidden riches in two of England’s most beautiful northern cities.

About the author: Francesca is a freelancer who proudly hails from the city of Liverpool! She enjoys sharing her knowledge of the city as a great tourism desitination, as well as the UK as a whole. This guest post was written on behalf of the University of Liverpool.

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