The Playhouse was originally built in 1866 as the Star Music Hall. In 1911 the Liverpool Playhouse housed one of the first repertory companies in the country, which by 1999 when it ended, was one of the longest running companies. The Playhouse’s acting roster was among the finest in the country – including Robert Donat, Michael Redgrave, Rachel Kempson, John Thaw, Anthony Hopkins and many, many more – and the rich variety of the repertory programme formed many generations of committed theatregoers.

It was here that Noel Coward first worked with Gertrude Lawrence, as child actors. It was the wartime home of the Old Vic Company, and in the latter part of the twentieth century featured the tenure of ‘The Gang of Four’ – Alan Bleasdale, Chris Bond, Bill Morrison and Willy Russell – a brief but dazzlingly creative period which spawned, among many others, Russell’s international smash hit, Blood Brothers.

This fascinating visit to the Lutyens Crypt of the Metropolitan Cathedral will include a guided tour of the wonderful collection of silverware and vestments.

The Crypt is the only part to be built of the uncompleted Cathedral designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1930.   The first mass was celebrated in the unfinished Crypt in 1937. With its high barrel and vaulted ceilings and dark brick work and contrasting grey granite, it gives some feel of the grandeur of the magnificent cathedral planned to stand above it.  

Designed with a symmetry that was typical of Lutyens, there are two halls (the Pontifical Hall and the Crypt Hall) and two chapels (the East Chapel of St Nicholas and the West Chapel, now the Concert Room) that mirror each other almost exactly.

This magnificent Tudor-Jacobean house was the birthplace of Lord Darnley, infamous husband of Mary Queen of Scots, and for 300 years the home of the Ingram family until it was bought by Leeds City Council from Lord Halifax in 1922. Inside, thirty interiors display great paintings, renowned furniture including masterpieces by Chippendale, sumptuous textiles, silver, porcelain, and Leeds pottery.

The house has reopened its door to visitors again following a two-year restoration programme supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. New facilities include level access and a lift, audio guides and a range of activities for children. Several interiors have been newly redecorated to their appropriate historic appearance and displays include many exciting new acquisitions. There is a regular programme of exhibitions and new displays.

In the morning we will visit the Silk Museum within the Heritage Centre which follows the story of silk from its origins in China, along the silk route to Britain and its establishment in Macclesfield.

An award winning audio-visual presentation tells of the development of the industry in the town from the perspective of various people involved in the silk industry.

The story of silk comes to an end as we consider how silk is used in fashion.
Costumes, textiles and accessories from both the 19th and 20th centuries help to show how silk is used for some of the most important occasions in both the social calendar and family life.

In the afternoon we will go on to Gawsworth Hall near Macclesfield which is owned, run and much loved by the Richards family.

On a tour of the house’s historic rooms you will see fine paintings, furniture, sculpture and stained glass.

This enormous 19th-century neo-Norman castle sits between Snowdonia and the Menai Strait. It is crammed with fascinating items, such as a one-ton slate bed made for Queen Victoria, elaborate carvings, plasterwork and mock-Norman furniture, in addition it has an outstanding collection of paintings. The restored kitchens are a delight and the stable block houses a fascinating industrial railway museum, a model railway museum and a superb dolls' museum. The 24.3 hectares (60 acres) of grounds include parkland, an exotic tree and shrub collection as well as a Victorian walled garden.