Discover Manchester’s darker side this Halloween with new Gothic Trail
A new Manchester Gothic Trail Map is inviting visitors to explore the darker side of Manchester this Halloween, featuring the city’s ghostly legends, ‘barbaric’ architecture and more ominous cultural connections.
From the Grey Lady at Chetham’s to the grotesque heads at John Rylands Library and the Manchester Mummy at St George’s House, the trail includes 15 of the city’s most Gothic locations, revealing stories of haunted pubs, maritime disasters and hidden graves.
Produced by CityCo on behalf of Manchester Accommodation Business Improvement District (ABID), the map has been written by well-known Manchester tour guide and writer Jonathan Schofield in partnership with the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Created to encourage visitors to discover more of Manchester, it provides a fascinating insight into some of the city’s more renowned landmarks, including Manchester Cathedral, Manchester Town Hall and Afflecks, as well as some of its hidden gems, such as Back Pool Fold and St John’s Gardens.
Visitors can follow the trail at their own pace, exploring the city’s Gothic connections through its architecture, history, art, music and alternative culture.
The trail map also includes details on Gothic literature inspired by, or written in Manchester, alongside a look at the horror films which have shot scenes in the city, including Habit (2017), Marvel’s Morbius (2022) and Talamasca (2025).
For those keen to venture beyond the city centre, there are four additional locations: Manchester Jewish Museum, Southern Cemetery, The Monastery, Gorton, and Ordsall Hall in Salford, home to the legend of the ghostly White Lady.
Dr Emma Liggins, Co-Director of the Gothic Centre, said: ‘We’re delighted that this new trail showcases Manchester’s haunted heritage and the hidden details of its dramatic architecture. Viewing the city in this darker mysterious light will help visitors appreciate Gothic stories, films, art and music in new ways’.
The Gothic Trail map is the latest addition to Manchester ABID’s series of themed visitor maps, which explore the city’s green spaces, LGBTQ+ heritage, music and literature. Each map has been created to encourage visitors to explore different neighbourhoods and discover the stories behind the city’s landmarks.
The Manchester Gothic Trail Map is available online at visitmanchester.com/gothictrail, with printed copies available to pick up at Manchester’s Tourist Information Centre in Central Library, St Peter’s Square.
ENDS
For more information or imagery, please contact Kat or Anoushka at kat@echo-pr.co.uk / anoushka@echo-pr.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
Manchester Accommodation BID
The Manchester Accommodation BID is a collective initiative led by the city’s hotel and serviced apartment providers to help create new events and additional activities that will attract more people to visit and stay in Manchester and Salford. At its core, the Accommodation BID aims to deliver better visitor experiences and additional activity to drive more staying visitors. It allows Manchester to better compete in a global market and grow overnight visits.
Accommodation BID activities are funded by a City Visitor Charge; a supplementary £1 Charge per room/unit per night for guests, added to final accommodation bills. The Charge is collected from all paid accommodation establishments that fall into the ABID zone. Funds are used to: amplify marketing campaigns that drive overnight stays; help secure and deliver large-scale events and business conferences in low-season months; and improve guest welcome and street cleanliness.
Marketing Manchester delivers the ‘Marketing’ and ‘Business Conferencing’ streams of work. CityCo delivers the ‘Public Events’ and ‘City Welcome’ strands. This includes street washing and additional cleansing around hotels. And the ABID’s own public events SCENE: Manchester’s LGBTQ+ Film & TV Festival and The Super Duper Family Festival.
As part of the Public Events stream, the ABID also provides seed funding to help bring major events to Manchester. Such as in 2027; The Brit Awards for Year 2, an NBA game, Country to Country music event at AO Arena, World Climbing Series, and new urban sports festival: MCR Drop.
