We’re pretty proud of our buildings here in Manchester, and with good reason. The architectural prowess of our city is evident in the amalgamation of styles, eras and purposes of our buildings, with gothic, Victorian, Edwardian, even Roman structures all living alongside the modern, innovative creations being built all over the city. This set up makes Manchester a hotbed for hidden gems, and one such jewel is St Mary’s Catholic Church, which has just been voted the best hidden gem in the world… yes, the WORLD!
A new study conducted by Tour Operator Software Provider Bókun (part of the TripAdvisor family) has uncovered the real local ‘hidden gem’ locations worldwide, as recommended by tourists. To help travellers make the jump from their phones to the real world, Bókun has examined over 1,000 local destinations using TripAdvisor reviews containing the phrase ‘hidden gem’.
Out of all the worldwide locations, Manchester’s St Mary’s church was crowned the world’s best ‘hidden gem’ location – with a staggering 49% of its reviews coining it as a local wonder, so much so that ‘The Hidden Gem‘ has been added to its official name. The parish dates back to 1794, with devotion to St Mary, Our Lady of the Assumption, however the church was rebuilt in 1848.
Visitors have praised the Catholic church’s incredible religious statues and altar, which populate the interior in white stone and gold features. The church also houses some incredibly unique artwork that doesn’t necessarily follow the style of much Catholic art, with the somewhat abstract Adams’ Stations of the Cross pieces adorning the the walls, so makes for an interesting visit.
St Mary’s church stands on Mulberry Street in Manchester City Centre, tucked between Albert Square, John Dalton Street and Deansgate, completely hidden in plain sight, where many Mancs will never have noticed it.
As it is a religious building, St Mary’s church is of course open to all, as long as visitors are respectful, with Mass being carried out most days. A usual Sunday schedule at St Mary’s church Manchester looks like:
- Church opens 8.30am
- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament 9am – 9.45am
- Confessions 9am – 9.45am
- Holy Mass 10am
- Holy Mass 12 noon
- Church closes after Mass.
Mass timings vary throughout the week, so do check ahead here.
Manchester seems to have made a positive impact on tourists, with three of its locations earning a place on the global list of ‘hidden gems’. Among those is the Clayton Hall Museum, with over 14% of all reviews left praising the spot as a ‘hidden gem’, and the Museum of Transport for Greater Manchester.
What’s more, travellers looking to uncover a wonder should first look close to home, as it was also revealed England is the most likely place to spot a ‘hidden gem’ location worldwide, claiming over 33% of the total wonders. The United States came in close second place with 31%, followed by Ireland (6%), Scotland (4%), Italy (3%) and Spain (2%).
Upon analysing the data, it became apparent that Gardens captured the heart of tourists the most. Worldwide, locations categorised as ‘gardens’ made up 14% of the world’s hidden gem locations. This was followed by speciality museums (12%), historic sites (11%), history museums (7%) and architectural buildings (6%), making St Mary’s church a miracle of a hidden gem in Manchester.
📍 You can find St Mary’s church at 17 Mulberry Street, Manchester M2 6LN.