48 hours in Manchester & Stockport

There is so much more to this thriving area of north-west England than football and soap operas

- By Emma Longstaff

Although best known for its successful Premier League football clubs and as the birthplace of chart-topping rock bands, Oasis and The Stone Roses, there's much, much more to Manchester than sport and music. The world's first industrial city was once home to Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst, Alan Turing and LS Lowry. It was also the birthplace of the revolutionary steam powered cotton loom, the first passenger railway, the earliest canal navigation system, the women's suffrage movement and trade unionism. Manchester is now writing a new chapter in its history, with the transformation of the Northern Quarter, where the newly renovated redbricks are buzzing with bohemian bars and independent boutiques.

Meanwhile, just seven miles to the south, Stockport is stepping out of the shadow of its bigger and wealthier neighbour, with the impressive regeneration of the historic Underbanks area. Young creatives are busy restoring the iconic Victorian shopping streets to their former glory. Don't miss the magnificent market hall, built in 1860 using an innovative canopy of cast iron and glass. visitmanchester.com

What to see

The Pankhurst Centre, 62 Nelson Street Home to the Pankhurst family from 1898 to 1907, the first meeting of the Women's Social and Political Union was held here on 10th October 1903. The house is now the site of a little museum dedicated to the Suffragette movement. pankhursttrust.org/ pankhurst-centre To find out more about the story of the Manchester Suffragettes, look up local guide Emma Fox, who runs specialist walking tours of the city. manchester guidedtours. com/guides/emma-fox