Julian Treuherz was born in Littleborough and went to school in Manchester, when he first got to know the city. He later returned to work as a curator at the Manchester Art Gallery before disappearing down the M62 to run the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. He is an expert on Victorian art and the Pre-Raphaelites. Peter de Figueiredo was brought up in Cheshire, studying architecture at the Manchester School of Art and urban design at the University of Manchester, leading to a career in historic buildings' conservation. For many years he was based at the Manchester office of English Heritage, before running his own consultancy.

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• 20 StoriesWay up there | 1031 Toad LaneBirthplace of the Co-op | 12AfflecksA visit to retroland | 14Alexandra Park, OldhamOldham’s green oasis | 16Altrincham MarketFood, flowers, fads and fashion | 18Ancoats MillsNo longer dark and satanic | 20Angel MeadowPark with a hidden past | 22Anita StreetA street for crossword addicts? | 24Another HandAll hands on deck | 26Anthony Burgess FoundationHaunt of the literati | 28Banners of the PeopleFrom Whit Walks to Ban the Bomb | 30Barton ArcadeUnder crystal domes | 32Barton Swing AqueductA wonder of the waterway world | 34Beaumont OrganicThe future of fashion? | 36BlackfriarsTwo nations: the rich and the poor | 38The Boulder in the QuadWhen the Lake District came to Manchester | 40Bridgewater BasinAquatic urban oasis | 42Britannia Hotel (formerly Watts Warehouse)Domain of a merchant prince | 44Bury MarketBlack pudding and Chorley cakes | 46Castlefield Railway ViaductsThe march of the giants | 48Cathedral Choir‘Rabbit’s Revenge’ | 50Central RefTherefore get wisdom | 52Chinese Garden at RHS BridgewaterPainting a picture in plants | 54Chorlton Water ParkGrebes, bats and hula hoops | 56Closing Cotton Prices at the Royal ExchangeThe end of an era | 58Contact TheatreThe face of carbon zero | 60The Curry MileIndia on a plate | 62Dale StreetFilming the Big Apple | 64Deadstock General StoreRetail is detail | 66Dormouse ChocolatesManchester’s first bean to bar | 68East Lancashire RailwaySteaming ahead | 70Edgar Wood in MiddletonArtistry in architecture | 72Egyptian TombJourney into the netherworld | 74Elizabeth Gaskell’s HouseVictorian literary life | 76Ellenroad Engine HouseThe world’s biggest working steam engine | 78Engels’ BeardRadical facial hair | 80esea contemporarySmall gallery, global reach | 82FAC 251Where Factory Records ended its days | 84Fairfield Moravian SettlementVillage of vision | 86FiregroundFighting the flames | 88Form Lifestyle StoreSmall but perfectly formed | 90Frank SidebottomThe man with the papier-mâché head | 92Free Trade HallWhere the Madchester sound took root | 94Gay VillageA proud history of queer culture | 96George Best’s MiniBooze, birds and fast cars | 98The Glade of LightMemorial to the Arena Bombing | 100Hallé St Peter’sBringing music to the people | 102Hanging DitchAn ancient bridge revealed | 104Hat WorksHistorical headgear | 106Haweswater Aqueduct MuralA neglected Manchester sculptor | 108Higher GroundCasual dining, seasonal sharing | 110Holy Name of JesusMasterpiece by the designer of the hansom cab | 112Imperial War Museum NorthDeconstructivism at Salford Quays | 114JandolLebanese delight | 116John Rylands Library Entrance HallValhalla of the book | 118Karl Marx’s DeskThe oldest public library in Britain | 120KikuGlamour in the Northern Quarter | 122Kim’s KitchenBrutalism meets kitsch | 124Kimpton Clock Tower HotelTiles by the mile | 126LANXChoose Lancashire shoes | 128Lark Hill PlaceRemembrance of Salford past | 130Legh Road, KnutsfordThe Witches’ Sabbath | 132Library Walk LinkA beautiful folly? | 134Little David StreetA secret place revealed | 136Mackie MayorCuisine from eight kitchens | 138Man City Changing RoomThe Soul of the Squad | 140The Manchester BabyFreddie’s world-changing computer | 142Manchester Jewish MuseumLook, listen, learn and eat | 144Manchester PoplarsAs seen in St John’s Gardens | 146Marble ArchPub with a theatrical touch | 148Mark Addy MemorialThe people’s hero | 150Mayfield ParkFrom Grot Spot to Green Space | 152Minut MenConcrete totems of the sixties | 154The MonasteryLifting the spirits | 156the modernistCelebrating brutalism | 158Monument to VimtoHave you got the bottle? | 160Mr Lowry’s StockportDominated by the viaduct | 162Mr Thomas’s Chop HouseManchester’s first gastropub | 164National Cycling CentreSport, speed and centrifugal force | 166Ordsall HallOld house, new garden | 168The Pankhurst CentreWhere the suffragette movement began | 170Peterloo MemorialManchester’s massacre of the innocents | 172Peveril of the PeakHere’s to Nancy | 174Plaza CinemaStockport’s silver screen | 176Police MuseumA night in the slammer | 178Portico LibraryHidden literary oasis | 180Post Box, Corporation StreetIt survived the IRA bomb | 182Private White V.C.British craftsmanship at its best | 184Richmond Tea RoomsThrough the looking glass | 186Rochdale Town HallMunicipal magnificence | 188Runaway BreweryBehind the scenes at the microbrewery | 190Salford Lads’ ClubNot just for Smiths fans | 192SiftersWhen Liam and Noel were still speaking | 194Southern Cemetery GatesThe gates that inspired Morrissey | 196The SpärrowsCross-border comfort food | 198Sperm Whale Skeleton300 dollars’ worth of bones | 200St George’s, StockportAnd glory shone around | 202Staircase HouseA historic house you can touch | 204Stockport Air Raid SheltersThe Chestergate Hotel | 206The TempleFrom water closet to watering place | 208Tower of LightThe world’s most beautiful flue | 210Twenty Twenty TwoBats in the basement | 212Unicorn GroceryDid you bring your own bag? | 214Valette’s Albert SquareStill in the heart of Manchester | 216Victoria BathsA water palace refreshed | 218Walkden GardensA garden of many rooms | 220The Wash HouseRinse and spin | 222Where the Light Gets InNot so much a meal as an experience | 224Whitworth GardenArt in the park | 226Worsley DelphCoals to Manchester | 228YesPositive thinking on four floors | 230