Give Manchester’s busy shopping streets a miss and head to this artisan market hall instead
Manchester Craft and Design Centre is the perfect spot for last-minute Christmas shopping (Image: Liv Clarke)
Last-minute Christmas shopping is a phrase which conjures up images of stressed-out shoppers charging through the Arndale Centre in search of gifts and a gridlock of cars at the Trafford Centre. Truly the nightmare before Christmas if ever there was one.
Yet there is somewhere else in the city that offers an oasis of calm away from the crowds in the centre. A place where you can peruse handmade gifts you can’t buy anywhere else and enjoy a tasty treat while listening to Christmas music.
Tucked away in the Northern Quarter, many shoppers have probably walked past the Manchester Craft and Design Centre without even realising it. While it occupies a huge market hall, its minimal signage and location away from the main drag means it’s remained something of a hidden gem.
From the outside it looks rather non-descript, yet step through the main doors and you’ll discover a light and airy space with a massive skylight and two levels of stalls. It’s a space which feels a world away from a modern shopping mall.
The Manchester Craft and Design Centre is tucked away in the Northern Quarter (Image: Liv Clarke)
The Manchester Craft and Design Centre is housed in the former fish market building on Oak Street, which was part of the Smithfield Markets. The markets ran from 1873 until 1973, and while most of the markets were demolished, the fish market building was converted in the Manchester Craft Village to offer a creative space for makers and visitors, later changing its name to the Manchester Craft and Design Centre.
Many of the original features have been retained, including two fishmonger boots complete with the original signs of the traders. It adds to the charm of the place and gives it the feeling of walking into a film set, as if someone will burst through the windows and start shouting out the prices for the catch of the day.
You won’t find any fish for sale here today. Instead there are dozens of stalls run by artisans and makers, crafting everything you could need for a Christmas gift, from delicate pieces of jewellery to animal sculptures made from felt.
Many of the original features of the fish market remain (Image: Liv Clarke)
The term stall doesn’t really do the makers justice as each one feels like a standalone shop. In Lee Page Ceramics colourful tiles adorn the walls, in Vale et Oli on the second floor you’ll discover beautiful bags with mesmerising designs, while in Jessica Livsey Art coastal landscape paintings draw you in.
What’s striking is that in every stall you enter, the maker themself can usually be found in the corner beavering away on a project. In a world where everything is made in a distant land, it’s rather refreshing to see it being produced right in front of your eyes.
Despite every stall being separate, the common thread of creativity is what weaves the makers together – and its the sense of community which is what makes the craft and design centre so special, for both those who visit it and those who shop there.
Katherine Lees sells ceramics in Studio 5, alongside textiles by Natalie Laura Ellen. While working on a new piece, she explained why the craft centre is the perfect place for Christmas shopping.
She said: “It’s a great place to connect with the maker who’s made the product that you’re buying and to see how it’s made you can buy direct and experience that atmosphere of the studios, and how things are made with care and love.
“It definitely gets busier in the run up to Christmas, it’s a great place to buy special and thoughtful gifts as well. I’m getting new stock out every day, I’m constantly changing the displays each day as well, every day there’s something new.”
Ceramics by Katherine Lees and textiles by Natalie Laura Ellen in Studio 5(Image: Liv Clarke)
Andrea Lord runs &made, which sells handmade gifts spanning textiles, wood, and paper such as knitwear, bags and decorations. She’s been at the Manchester Craft and Design Centre for 16 years and she previously worked at Cosgrove Hall animation house, working on the TV series Postman Pat.
She said: “The makers are what make the craft centre so special, it’s just the perfect place to be – both when things go right and when things go wrong, you’ve always got someone on the same page to bounce ideas off and support each year.
“Of course, at this time of the year it’s the customers because without them we couldn’t be here. It’s definitely the busiest time of the year.”
You don’t even have to leave the centre for a refreshment as its even got its own cafe on site, Fred’s. As this is the Northern Quarter, this is no ordinary cafe.
The festive rocky road and a pot of tea inside Fred’s (Image: Liv Clarke)
Fred’s is run by Freddie, who used to be the head chef at Adam Reid at The French over at The Midland Hotel and is described as an ‘English-style cafe with a northern accent and appetite’. It serves up hearty, northern-inspired dishes – think generous breakfast barms and sandwiches made with thick slices of white bread.
Given my visit was late in the day, I opted for a slice of festive rocky road (£3.50) and a pot of tea (£3.25), which was just the pick-me-up I needed. The rocky road was made with orange chocolate which really elevated it and the texture was spot on: the topping smooth and the base crunchy.
As I tucked into my treat, listening to the festive music playing on the speakers (not the annoying songs, mind, this was the classy stuff), I realised how calm and relaxed I felt, a feeling that’s hard to achieve when out shopping so close to Christmas.
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