I arrived in Manchester very keen to explore but not really knowing where to start, as I hadn’t done my usual amount of planning and research.   I was, therefore, delighted to find a copy of Where to Go: Manchester in my room at The Velvet Hotel.  This handy little guide was filled loads of interesting places to visit. However, as I was only there for one night I knew that I needed to be selective.

The Manchester Craft & Design centre  immediately caught my attention, two floors of contemporary craft studios housed in an old Victorian fish and poultry market sounded right up my street.    So I quickly headed off towards the Northern Quarter.

The light filled atrium of the Manchester Craft & Design Centre

The centre is home to over twenty studio/shops where a wide range of artists, jewelers, ceramicists, and other craft folk make and sell their…