Factory International

Factory International is an arts organisation based in Manchester, England. It produces the biennial Manchester International Festival (MIF) and operates Aviva Studios, a landmark cultural venue designed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). With a focus on commissioning original interdisciplinary works across theatre, dance, music, visual arts and digital media, Factory International collaborates with global artists and institutions, positioning Manchester — and the North — as a significant cultural hub.

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Skytrak

Skytrak was a flying roller coaster located at Granada Studios Tour amusement park in Castlefield, Manchester, England. Opened in October 1997, it was the first flying roller coaster in the world, in which riders were tilted forward to experience the sensation of flying. It was named after an event from the Gladiators television series, and was the only roller coaster constructed by Skytrak International, a subsidiary of Fairport Engineering. The ride was a "solo coaster" having only one person per car, which along with a complicated boarding process limited capacity to between 200 and 240 riders per hour. Issues with the ride delayed its opening by several months, and it continued to suffer reliability issues. It closed in 1998, with the park closing soon after. The ride was eventually removed and scrapped.

1830 warehouse, Liverpool Road railway station

The 1830 warehouse, Liverpool Road, Manchester, England, is a 19th-century warehouse that forms part of the Liverpool Road railway station complex. It was built in five months between April and September 1830, "almost certainly [to the designs of] the Liverpool architect Thomas Haigh". The heritage listing report attributes the work to George Stephenson and his son, Robert. It has been listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England since May 1973. The warehouse is of "red brick in Flemish bond, with sandstone dressings and slate roofs". It is three storeys high, though only two storeys present to the level of the railway to allow for direct loading and unloading. At the ground floor at street level, carts could also gain direct access. "The internal structure is of timber, but with cast-iron columns in the basement." The processing of goods within the warehouse was originally a manual operation but "steam-powered hoists [were] installed within a year as the manual system could not cope with the volume of goods". The steam system of 1831 was replaced with a hydraulic system between 1866 and 1880 to increase efficiency. Restoration of the warehouse was undertaken in 1992–96 by the Building Design Partnership. In 2012, the Science and Industry Museum became custodians of the warehouse. As of 2024, the museum is embarking on a phased programme of conservation work to the 1830 warehouse, having undertaken repairs to improve the structural integrity of the building and roof repairs.

Granada Studios Tour

Granada Studios Tour was an entertainment theme park at the Granada Studios complex in Castlefield, Manchester, England, which operated from 1988 to 1999. The park was in the heart of Manchester city centre adjacent to the Granada House building. The tour attracted over 5 million visitors, but visitor numbers were waning by the late 1990s, and Granada Television sought to prioritise other parts of its business such as the ONdigital service (which, under the name ITV Digital, soon failed). As a result, the Granada Studios Tour closed to the public in 1999, and for good in 2001. The Coronation Street set – part of the original theme park – was temporarily reopened to the public in April 2014 for a six-month period, and its popularity meant it stayed open until December 2015.

Manchester Liverpool Road railway station

Liverpool Road is a former railway station on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in Manchester, England; it opened on 15 September 1830. A warehouse exists on the opposite side of the tracks which was opened at the same time. The station was the Manchester terminus of the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all services were hauled by timetabled steam locomotives. It is the world's oldest surviving terminal railway station. With tracks running at a first floor level behind the building, it could also be considered one of the world's first elevated railway stations. The station closed to passenger services on 4 May 1844, when the line was extended to join the Manchester and Leeds Railway at Hunt's Bank. Liverpool Road was superseded by Manchester Victoria station for passenger services. Like its counterpart at Liverpool Crown Street, the station was converted to a goods yard. Since Liverpool Road ceased operation, the oldest railway station in use is Broad Green railway station in Liverpool which opened on 15 September 1830. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened starting from Liverpool Crown Street, hence the older stations start from Liverpool. The station, a Grade I listed building, is now part of the Science and Industry Museum.