A couple of weeks ago, before anyone had heard terms such as 'social distancing', we visited the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester.
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| The Whitworth Art Gallery, set in Whitworth Park |
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| Whitworth Park, tranquility so close to the city centre |
Part of Manchester University, the gallery is housed in a fine Victorian building set in a beautiful park just south of the city centre. It houses some amazing works of art, including many Pre-Raphaelites as well as fine art by Turner, William Blake, Millais and others.
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| Samuel Palmer, Calypso's Island, Departure of Ulysses |
The gallery also houses fine collections of both textiles and wallpaper, reflecting Manchester's leading role in the development of both. During our visit there was a very colourful display of wallpapers including those from William Morris.
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| Floral wallpaper, 18th century |
Our visit was topped off by a visit to the cafe which sits within a glass-sided extension giving wonderful views across the park. The ambience was calm, the food was delicious and the coffee was excellent.
Of course, this is all now closed until further notice. Ironically, we had intended to return to enjoy the exhibition on Utopias: '...Utopia is, at its essence, about creating a perfect world...' Life seems a bit more dystopian at the moment but when things improve we'll definitely be back to the Whitworth.
