St. Ann's Church....

Pretty, elegant St. Ann's Church on its eponymous square in the centre of Manchester has been a fashionable church for 300 years. Built at the nice end of the Georgian town, it is still the church of choice for fashionable weddings in the city. At the weekends it's fun to watch the ladies out-hatting each other while they guys look smart, if a little uncomfortable, in their morning suits and top hats.

For the last few years the church has been shrouded in a series of advertisements. They have restored the tower and made good the roof. That part of the job has been done so we can now see all the facade. Inside they are making good some woodwork and then it will be painted in colours that would have been used in Georgian times. So far it has taken as long as the restoration of Central Library on St. Peter's Square and isn't finished yet.

It's a beautiful, classically inspired building adorned with Greek style Corinthian columns and pilasters. I particularly like the eastern side of the church with its curved classical facade and stained glass overlooking the old churchyard. There are some impressive tombs and gravestones in Latin to decipher while you enjoy a glass of wine or a cold beer at one of the tables behind Mr. Thomas's Chop House on Cross Street...