The Monastery

Manchester is really a great city. It doesn’t have infinite choice like London but that’s pretty overwhelming. Instead, it has enough cool places to keep you occupied for years but at the same time mean you can become a regular places with fomo. Plus, it still keeps surprising you.
Manchester has some of the coolest event venues I’ve ever been to, such as Victoria Warehouse and the gorgeous Albert Hall. The Victorian Gothic Monastery perhaps out impresses even those venues. A Franciscan church and friary from the 1860s, it was formerly on the top 100 most endangered monuments in the world. Now beautifully restored, I entered through the lovely cloisters and was stunned entering the soaring nave, made even more striking with coloured lighting plus an aerialist display!
I attended for a large work party of about 250 people. It’s a really huge space so any less than this and it might feel a bit empty — imagine how big the weddings here are! We really enjoyed our salmon starter, which had a well-​balanced lemon and caper dressing. The chicken supreme was standard but not dry at all and I thought good for a catered meal. The lemon tart for dessert was very nice, although too large portion for most
If you’re looking for somewhere really special to have an event, this has to be on your list.