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Northern delights from Rochdale to Durham

Will YeomanThe West Australian
York City Art Gallery.
Camera IconYork City Art Gallery. Credit: Suppled/Supplied

York City Art Gallery

Established by the York City Council in 1892, the York City Art Gallery, which reopened August 1, is situated in Exhibition Square, not far from York Minster. Comprising two floors each with two galleries, it’s easy to get around in an hour or so. But its small size belies its world-class collection. Here you can find not only paintings by York’s most famous artist, William Etty, but also masterpieces by William Turner, Sir Peter Lely, Ben Nicholson, Paul Nash, John Singer Sargent and more. yorkartgallery.org.uk

Rochdale Town Hall.
Camera IconRochdale Town Hall. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Rochdale Town Hall

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My fondest memories of this splendid civic building, completed in 1871, is of tucking into a steaming hot suet pudding in the cafeteria one cold winter’s day. But the Rochdale Town Hall, designed by architect William Henry Crossland in the Gothic Revival style, has charms far exceeding its gastronomic offerings. The richly ornamented façade. The vaulted ceilings and tiled floors of the Exchange. The glorious main staircase, with its splendid stained glass windows illuminating the vault and carved doorways. The soaring hammerbeam roof, carvings, murals and stained glass of the majestic Great hall. And more besides. rochdale.gov.uk/townhall

The interior of St. Ann’s Church, Manchester.
Camera IconThe interior of St. Ann’s Church, Manchester. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

St. Ann’s Church, Manchester

Consecrated in 1712, the elegant St. Ann’s Church in St. Anne Street, is built in the Neo-Renaissance style and offers the visitor a respite from Manchester’s hustle and bustle. Known as “the city church for city people,” it features a very fine Georgian oak pulpit, and a Lady Chapel which boasts and original Queen Anne altar and a finely executed deposition by Italian old master, Annibale Carracci. A number of restorations have been carried out since the 19th century. However as the Reverend Canon Eric Saxton writes in his short guide, “Perhaps the real secret of (the church’s) charm lies in the harmony and restfulness of its fine proportions.” stannsmanchester.com/

Finchale Priory.
Camera IconFinchale Priory. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Finchale Priory, County Durham

Located on the banks of the River Wear in County Durham, Finchale Priory is today one of those haunting ruins which evoke feelings ranging from enduring outrage at Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in the early 16th century, which led to Finchale’s gradual decay, to romantic notions of ruins as generative artefacts for flights of fancy. All that aside, it really is an idyllic spot, especially in spring, and in these “speaking ruins” you can trace Finchale Priory’s history from its origins as Saint Godric’s hermitage in the 11th century through its establishment as a priori in 1196 to, according to the official English Heritage guidebook, “a new role as a ‘holiday place’ for monks from the parent monastery at Durham”.

english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/finchale-priory/

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