As much as we love our urban setting in Manchester city centre, most of us love a good dose of the great outdoors when we can get it, and that includes peace and quiet. Lucky for us, new analysis from Earth.fm reveals where Manchester residents and visitors can find tranquillity in the city, after it was named the sixth ‘noisiest’ in the UK (out of 39) – clearly we’re lacking in peaceful surroundings.
Spanning the UK, Europe and US, the research aims to connect residents and tourists in noisy cities with nearby parks and open spaces that visitors describe as calm and peaceful. The research ranks the cities by comparing the percentage of residents who are exposed to high noise levels (>65 decibels) in an average day, and in Manchester, it’s 9.5%.
But there are many wonderful spaces in and around Manchester that offer a sense of tranquility. By analysing visitors’ reviews that mention words like “quiet”, “relaxing”, “tranquil”, “calm”, and “peaceful”, researchers at Earth.fm gave each place a ‘Quiet Score’.
Manchester’s Fletcher Moss Park & Botanical Gardens has an impressive ‘Quiet Score’ of 5.4, meaning it’s considered the 25th ‘most peaceful’ place in the UK, and the top most peaceful in Manchester. Donated to the city of Manchester in 1915 by philanthropist, Alderman Fletcher Moss, visitors describe the park as a “little piece of heaven on earth”, according to TripAdvisor.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the impact of noise pollution on human health is “an underestimated threat”, and with good reason, because we subconsciously interpret abrupt noises as signs of danger. As a result, noise pollution can impair sleep, work and school performance, hearing, and cognitive function.
Catalin Zorzini, Founder of Earth.fm, said: “Opportunities to find quiet—away from traffic noise, pneumatic drills, and the general city buzz—are so important for our mental wellbeing. We could say it’s also crucial for the wellbeing of our planet, which is suffering mostly because we have grown so disconnected from it.
“We recognise that, for most of us, it’s a privilege to regularly leave the city in search of birdsong, flowing rivers, and rustling leaves, which is why we wanted to find out where some of the most calming spaces are within easy reach.”
The top 10 most peaceful areas in Manchester are as follows:
- Fletcher Moss Park & Botanical Gardens (5.4)
- Manchester Ship Canal (2.6)
- Sackville Gardens (2.3)
- Hulme Community Garden Centre (2.2)
- Parsonage Gardens (2.0)
- Heaton Park (2.0)
- Didsbury Park (1.9)
- Debdale Park (1.8)
- Alexandra Park (1.8)
- Boggart Hole Clough (1.4)