Kick back and relax at Manchester’s most popular green space and transport hub, and marvel at the city’s most controversial architecture.
Piccadilly Gardens is Manchester’s central transport hub, and from here you can find connections to the rest of the city and beyond. Completely changed from how it was 15 years ago, the area is now a bustling green space. It is popular with lunching office workers, families and shoppers making most of the surrounding shops, restaurants and hotels. Pull up a chair at a café or bring your own picnic and watch the world go by.
Over the years, Piccadilly Gardens had fallen into a state of disrepair, so with the coming of the new millennium, the city decided to give the transport interchange a much-needed facelift. However, although residents were keen to see the space made safer and more attractive, not many Mancunians are fond of Piccadilly Gardens’ new look.
A Japanese architect named Tadao Ando was commissioned to build a large concrete wall that shields the gardens from the transport interchange itself, but the wall is considered by many to be unfriendly and unsightly. It has even been referred to as a “brutalist landmark” as well as “Manchester’s own Berlin Wall”.
Making up for the divided opinion on the concrete wall, is the large open green space. The fountains are filled with children on warm sunny days, and office workers, friends and families enjoy picnics on the grass. There are plenty of cafés and restaurants in which to grab a bite to eat, and the occasional market held in the square offers local handicrafts and wares.
Keep an eye out for the four statues of historical figures dotted around the gardens, including the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley.
Piccadilly Gardens is situated between the Northern Quarter and the popular shopping area of Market Street. You can get to the square via bus or tram, or walk the ten minutes from Manchester Piccadilly railway station.
