Ancoats

Ancoats is a converted mill neighbourhood just northeast of Manchester city centre, in England, centred on Cutting Room Square (Ancoats, M4 6AU), around a 12-minute walk from Piccadilly station. In the 19th century it was one of the world's first industrial suburbs, packed with cotton mills along the Rochdale Canal, and many of the surviving brick mill buildings have been restored as apartments, offices and food venues. Today the area is known for independent bakeries, pizzerias, cafes, bars and restaurants that locals favour, set among cobbled streets and canal-side paths. Visitors can combine a meal or coffee with a walk along the Rochdale Canal towpath and a look at the Victorian mill architecture, including Murrays' Mills and the Royal Mills. Cutting Room Square is a small public space with seating and a cafe, and it is a good starting point for a stroll. The area is free to explore and most venues open from morning to evening, with weekends the busiest for brunch and dinner. A visit typically lasts one to two hours, longer when combined with a meal. Booking is advisable for popular restaurants on Friday and Saturday evenings. Photographers will find good subjects in the mill facades, the canal and the contrast with new glass buildings behind. Ancoats lies close to the Northern Quarter, so the two neighbourhoods are easy to visit together on one walk. Many of the area's restaurants have grown from small neighbourhood openings into places that attract diners from across Greater Manchester, and the bakeries tend to sell out of the most popular items by late morning. The regeneration of the former industrial district is ongoing, so new venues and public spaces appear regularly, and visitors may notice cranes and building work alongside the restored mills. Walking is the best way to see the area, and the flat streets make a loop from Piccadilly station through Ancoats and back via the canal easy to manage in comfortable shoes.