III.

Places of Interest

Educational institutions in the city include the large Victoria University of Manchester (1903), the Royal Northern College of Music (1923), University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST; 1824), and Manchester Metropolitan University (1992). A noted cultural centre, Manchester is the home of the extensive John Rylands Library collection; the renowned Hallé Orchestra (1858); the Royal Exchange Theatre; the Whitworth Art Gallery; and the Manchester City Art Galleries (known for its Pre-Raphaelites collection and designed by Sir Charles Barry in the 1820s), which incorporate museums of archaeology and natural history, as well as of science and technology. It is also home to a flourishing musical culture that since the end of the 1970s has included New Order, Take That, Oasis, The Smiths, and The Stone Roses. Manchester was the site for the 17th Commonwealth Games in 2002. Manchester United, who play at Old Trafford, are England’s most successful football club in recent years; Manchester City, who play at the City of Manchester Stadium, are also one of the most enthusiastically supported football clubs. The city is also the site of the Manchester Velodrome, the home of the National Cycling Centre. A 56-m (184-ft) high steel sculpture, known as the “B of the Bang”, was unveiled near the City of Manchester Stadium in January 2005 and is the tallest sculpture in the country. Manchester is also the seat of a bishopric of the Anglican Church, and its cathedral dates from the 15th century. The essayist Thomas De Quincey was born in Manchester, as was the painter L. S. Lowry, the architect Norman Foster, the director Nicholas Hytner, and the novelist Jeanette Winterson.