Tours, Open Days and Events
While the Hall is still closed to general visitors, we are hosting regular Tours, Open Days and events through the year. It will be several years still until we can fully open the building. The dress collection still occupies most of the space and structural work is needed to make the Hall fully accessible. But while we work towards this aim, these events are an opportunity to connect with the Hall, explore its historic interior and collections, enjoy a taster of the current activity programme and contribute to the ways in which we are trying and testing things out.
Tours take place on the first Tuesday of every month, 11am - 12noon
Forthcoming dates: Tuesday 3 September, 1 October, 5 November, 3 December 2024
Places are limited, please book through Eventbrite: Platt Hall Events - 4 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite
Open Days are co-programmed with local groups and artists. There are a variety of activities throughout the day including tours and exploration inside the Hall, and indoor and outdoor creative workshops. The garden is open for digging and planting, or simply to enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee. If you have an idea for a future Open Day activity or event, please contact Meg Parnell at [email protected].
Tours take place on the first Tuesday of every month, 11am - 12noon
Forthcoming dates: Tuesday 3 September, 1 October, 5 November, 3 December 2024
Places are limited, please book through Eventbrite: Platt Hall Events - 4 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite
Open Days are co-programmed with local groups and artists. There are a variety of activities throughout the day including tours and exploration inside the Hall, and indoor and outdoor creative workshops. The garden is open for digging and planting, or simply to enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee. If you have an idea for a future Open Day activity or event, please contact Meg Parnell at [email protected].
Saturday 2 April 2022
April's Open Day was an opportunity to test out two new activity strands that directly inform the development of the Hall - a day of looking, talking and making.
This year sees the beginning of a long term programme to re-organise the collections at Platt Hall and Manchester Art Gallery. Opening the Box is our new programme to begin this process, collectively exploring hidden stories, highlights and oddities of the collections. First objects to emerge at our test session this weekend included tiny household items from a 'Nuremberg model kitchen' and impossibly glamorous (if slightly disturbing) 19th century feather capes. We also hosted the first of our new Makespace skillshare workshops, led by the creative and talented people of Rusholme, Moss Side and Fallowfield. Artist Nadia Sultana led a drop-in henna pattern workshop, resulting in some glorious patterns inspired by nature and geometry.
Outdoors, we planted seeds for the garden and started work on restoring the Coronation Fountain at the front of the Hall in advance of this year's Platinum Jubilee. And Anthony Hall brought his fabulous Field Station, a pop-up investigation kit to promote climate awareness. Exploring just one square metre of ground in microscopic close up reveals an extraordinary world teeming with non-human life, from worms and centipedes to the moss of Moss Side - our fellow residents and neighbours.
This year sees the beginning of a long term programme to re-organise the collections at Platt Hall and Manchester Art Gallery. Opening the Box is our new programme to begin this process, collectively exploring hidden stories, highlights and oddities of the collections. First objects to emerge at our test session this weekend included tiny household items from a 'Nuremberg model kitchen' and impossibly glamorous (if slightly disturbing) 19th century feather capes. We also hosted the first of our new Makespace skillshare workshops, led by the creative and talented people of Rusholme, Moss Side and Fallowfield. Artist Nadia Sultana led a drop-in henna pattern workshop, resulting in some glorious patterns inspired by nature and geometry.
Outdoors, we planted seeds for the garden and started work on restoring the Coronation Fountain at the front of the Hall in advance of this year's Platinum Jubilee. And Anthony Hall brought his fabulous Field Station, a pop-up investigation kit to promote climate awareness. Exploring just one square metre of ground in microscopic close up reveals an extraordinary world teeming with non-human life, from worms and centipedes to the moss of Moss Side - our fellow residents and neighbours.
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Saturday 21 November 2021
As autumn descended, and in the context of COP26, our November Open Day focused on climate and environment in our local area. In partnership with the Friends of Platt Fields and Creative Rusholme, another lucky day for the weather saw a range of tree and plant-related activities and discussions exploring environment from a range of perspectives.
The Friends of Platt Fields planted new trees and hosted a mindful tree walk led by meditation practitioner Briony Gunson, while our resident gardener Dan co-ordinated the planting of 1000 spring bulbs around the Hall and park. Local resident Tim Blackwell brought his drone along for bird's eye viewing of the tree canopy in the park. Creative Rusholme invited visitors to add their thoughts to a plan for street tree planting in the wider neighbourhood. And artists Tzanka Tcherneva-Ilieva and Meg Beamish led paper collage and clay tile making workshops inspired by natural forms and materials in the park. These are our first creative workshops in the newly opened up studio inside the Hall and it was a joy to bring making back into the building.
In the windows Perspectives from Space and Art showcased works from Manchester Art Gallery's collections alongside satellite images, maps and data demonstrating the importance of trees to a healthy city. All of which helped us to think global and act local when it comes to climate. Thankyou to Coffee Cranks once again, for providing the refreshments.
The Friends of Platt Fields planted new trees and hosted a mindful tree walk led by meditation practitioner Briony Gunson, while our resident gardener Dan co-ordinated the planting of 1000 spring bulbs around the Hall and park. Local resident Tim Blackwell brought his drone along for bird's eye viewing of the tree canopy in the park. Creative Rusholme invited visitors to add their thoughts to a plan for street tree planting in the wider neighbourhood. And artists Tzanka Tcherneva-Ilieva and Meg Beamish led paper collage and clay tile making workshops inspired by natural forms and materials in the park. These are our first creative workshops in the newly opened up studio inside the Hall and it was a joy to bring making back into the building.
In the windows Perspectives from Space and Art showcased works from Manchester Art Gallery's collections alongside satellite images, maps and data demonstrating the importance of trees to a healthy city. All of which helped us to think global and act local when it comes to climate. Thankyou to Coffee Cranks once again, for providing the refreshments.
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Saturday 18 September 2021
Our first Open House since the Hall closed in 2017! On a gloriously warm September day, we opened the front door to local residents as part of a parkwide activity day that brought people together again for the first time since lockdown. It felt so good. The parks team offered birdbox making workshops at the Lakeside Centre, the Friends of Platt Fields organised tree walks around the park, and local artists collective the Terrace Square Artists Project invited people to make their own 'crazy croquet' hoops and join in the game, inspired by objects from the Platt Hall collection.
Inside the Hall we hosted tours of the beautiful historic interiors and launched our new windows exhibition Museum on My Street showcasing objects and stories from around the neighbourhood. Artist duo Interference Art invited passers by to explore objects both strange and familiar from our new mobile museum-on-a-bike, set up on the grass outside. Local co-operative Coffee Cranks, who also run the Platt Fields Bike Hub, offered delicious hot drinks from their coffee bike (there's a theme growing here). And we even had an unexpected henna artist at work - thankyou Shabnam. It was wonderful to invite both new and familiar faces into the Hall and bring the place to life once more. Buildings need people, as people need buildings.
Image credits Audrey Albert
Inside the Hall we hosted tours of the beautiful historic interiors and launched our new windows exhibition Museum on My Street showcasing objects and stories from around the neighbourhood. Artist duo Interference Art invited passers by to explore objects both strange and familiar from our new mobile museum-on-a-bike, set up on the grass outside. Local co-operative Coffee Cranks, who also run the Platt Fields Bike Hub, offered delicious hot drinks from their coffee bike (there's a theme growing here). And we even had an unexpected henna artist at work - thankyou Shabnam. It was wonderful to invite both new and familiar faces into the Hall and bring the place to life once more. Buildings need people, as people need buildings.
Image credits Audrey Albert
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