Top Manchester Crime Tours

Experience a side of Manchester that the history books often miss on this small-group guided tour. Explore the streets of Angel Meadow, a former Victorian slum that used to house one of the world’s first cotton mills. Learn the story of the Mancunian families that struggled to survive in the area, while discovering the area’s evolution over the ages.

This 10-hour tour showcases Manchester's rich history, vibrant culture, and serene green spaces, offering a perfect mix of exploration and relaxation. Begin at the majestic Manchester Cathedral, a medieval gem with stunning stained glass and peaceful ambiance. Wander through the artistic Northern Quarter, famous for its street art, independent shops, and quirky cafes. Dive into the city’s industrial heritage at the Science and Industry Museum with its interactive exhibits. Stroll through the scenic canals and historic charm of Castlefield, and end the day at the tranquil Fletcher Moss Botanical Gardens, a lush retreat. This tour captures the essence of Manchester, blending history, innovation, and natural beauty.

Step into Manchester’s past and discover how industry, poverty, protest, revolution and football shaped the city. From the rise of the cotton mills and the tragedy of Peterloo to the fight for workers’ and women’s rights, this is a story of a city that has always challenged the establishment. But this is also the story of how Manchester’s streets became the birthplace of a football culture that would eventually conquer the world. Hear the stories of Engels, Marx, Emmeline Pankhurst and the Suffragettes, before uncovering a surprising side of Manchester’s history. Discover how poverty, overcrowded neighbourhoods and a lack of opportunities helped create the notorious Scuttlers, and how football was introduced as a way of giving young men something more positive to fight for. Follow the story from early working-class football clubs to the rise of Manchester United and Manchester City, and discover how both clubs grew from communities trying to improve the lives of local people.

Manchester after dark is a city built on coal smoke and cotton money, and the things it buried did not stay buried. Your storyteller meets you in St Ann's Square and opens at the church of 1712, where Victorians walked anti-clockwise around the table tombs and pressed an ear to the stone to hear the dead answer. You are invited to try it. Across the square, an actor who died in 1995 is still seen smoking in the green room of the Royal Exchange. In a narrow alley nearby, Christmas shoppers in 1894 swore they saw the devil walk up a wall in the shape of a goat. Then the night turns to true crime: the Bolton mother who poisoned her children for the burial money, and the killer this city forgot while the Yorkshire Ripper took the headlines. We finish at the cathedral walls, where a headless black dog is said to prowl and where two people praying through a thunderstorm in 1577 were found the next morning with their throats torn out. A ghost tour told straight. You decide what to believe.