Cornerhouse, Manchester

Cornerhouse, spread over three floors in a former furniture store on Oxford Road, is an artistic space comprising a cinema, three art galleries and a popular café bar. One of the city’s premier alternative venues, Cornerhouse holds regular art exhibitions and shows the latest independent films in its cinema. The building was opened in 1985 and was the brainchild of Sir Bob Scott, the latest in a long line of inventive Mancunian business owners, who helped to attract the 2002 Commonwealth Games to the city. Cornerhouse can lay claim to being the city’s leading multi purpose arts venue, and is patroned by three leading figures in the British arts – Danny Boyle, Damien Hirst and Helen Mirren.

Cinema tickets at the venue are £7.50 for evening showings, with concessions available, and discounts for matinee showings. The cinema shows independent and critically acclaimed movies; tickets can be purchased online or at the venue’s box office. The venue offers courses in film and sells books and guides to the arts. Cornerstone runs several themed seasons throughout the year, including a recent season on matinee classic films of the 1940s and 1950s. The venue café bar offers lunches and evening meals, and is open until midnight on weekends, providing a great spot to eat and unwind after the film.