Manchester, in the northwest of England, was once the archetypal northern industrial city. Today, the city typifies the culture of 'cool Britannia', and it has seen more development in the last 10 years than anywhere else in Britain. 'Manchester is known as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, [but] the smoking factories and heavy industry have gone,' says Bill Godfrey, from Manchester Language School. 'Today the city's main industry is education. With four universities, Manchester is a city for young people, as well as having cultural attractions that appeal to adults.'
Manchester boasts the largest student population in the country – and it has that same population to thank for much of its cool profile. The Manchester music scene in the early 1990s thrust alternative music into the mainstream, creating a new genre of music, now referred to simply as 'Britpop', and it continues its innovative vibrancy to this day.
Leeds in Yorkshire holds claim to a similarly impressive renaissance, and it is now known for its nightlife and modern culture. 'Leeds is a very lively city with a huge student population and a great nightlife,' confirms Mark Goodrham, Curriculum Coordinator at Leeds College of Technology. '[It] is very cosmopolitan and there is a youthful vibrancy to Leeds' nightlife, which has a wide range of bars and clubs to suit all tastes.'
The former glory of Leeds' Victorian centre is still evident, with its impressive town hall and magnificent civic buildings. The City Art Gallery offers the best selection of 20th-century British art outside of London, and the city's history lives on in various public and privately run museums.
To capture a more consistent view of historical northern England, however, the nearby city of York is ideal. The county town can feel like a living museum with the city walls and ramparts almost always in view, yet there is still a fresh feel to the city. 'I think part of the appeal of York is that it is a contained city,' explains Lorraine Fothergill, Marketing Officer of Functional English in York. 'The city centre is small enough that students feel comfortable and independent within a few days of being here.'
Although York may not be able to rival Leeds or Manchester in terms of its nightlife, there is no shortage of beautiful pubs and some appealing cafés. 'York has a growing café culture, with a great amount of redevelopment of the riverfront in the last few years,' says Fothergill. 'There's a new cinema and plenty of bars and cafés with live performances of music and poetry.'
Leeds and York both offer great access to the North York Moors, one of England's most impressive National Parks. The magnificent and seemingly endless views, running to the cliff-edged coastline to the east, are interrupted only by the huge forests and historical memorials, from stone-age barrows, through Roman ruins at Wades Causeway, to the abbeys of the Middle Ages and beyond. There are also a number of traditional seaside resorts, such as Whitby. '[Whitby] is a town of around 14,000 people and is situated at the heart of the North York Moors National Park, which provides many opportunities for outdoor activities,' says Neil McKelvie from the Functional English Christian Language School in Whitby. 'It has a three-kilometre stretch of sandy beach, which is a popular attraction during the summer months, and there is an attractive harbour, which is used by both fishing boats and sailing craft.'
The town has also inspired a number of writers including Bram Stoker and Lewis Carroll, whose works include Alice in Wonderland. McKelvie adds, 'The historic atmosphere of the town has also been used for the filming of many recent movies, including Harry Potter and Possession.'
Northern England is also home to the Lake District, a beautiful area of rolling green hills, rugged mountains and valleys dotted with lakes and villages. Although the area attracts millions of visitors each year, it remains an undiscovered gem to many language travel students. Tim Melling, from English Language in the Lakes in Ambleside, says this fact 'allows our students to integrate into the [local] community very easily'.
He continues, 'The area is definitely for students who want to explore the countryside. There are plenty of opportunities for outdoor pursuits such as rock climbing and canoeing, but the beautiful scenery makes walking one of the most popular activities.'
If the Lake District is representative of the pastoral heritage that is so integral to England's character, then Liverpool, on the northwest coast, represents its vibrancy. The city is one of the most multi-ethnic and modern that Britain has to offer.
'Liverpool is now a twinned city with Shanghai [in China],' explains Julie Derham from the European Languages Centre, 'and we have one of the oldest Chinese communities in Europe here in Liverpool.' Like Manchester, Liverpool still maintains the great Victorian municipal buildings that speak of the past fortune of the city. It also has two magnificent and famous cathedrals, and a great many museums that testify to its nautical and mercantile past.
The late closing bars on Matthew Street – which is also the site and namesake of an annual festival, attracting half a million visitors each year – offer a taste of vibrant English culture. But perhaps Liverpool's most internationally celebrated feature is that it was the birthplace of The Beatles. At the Albert Dock, rejuvenated warehouses support a shrine to Liverpool's culture and, although this is the site of the Tate Gallery, the most popular venue is the Beatles Experience museum.
To the southeast of Liverpool, lies Chester, the county town of one Britain's wealthiest rural counties. Cheshire itself offers some wonderfully typical images of rural England, with traditional villages set in open green countryside, while the city has wonderfully preserved architecture. 'Chester is an ideal size for students,' says Richard Day from English in Chester, 'being large enough to have a variety of attractions but not too big so that students feel lost.' He adds, 'Chester is a unique city with a very 'English' feel.'
Two miles of Roman and Medieval walls circuit the city centre, with magnificent gateways leading out to greater Chester, and the modern shops in the centre are built in and around authentic Tudor 'rows'.
The city plays host to many festivals throughout the year, which offer a mixture of history and culture, as Day explains. 'There are a number of events in Chester that have their origins in the Middle Ages. These include the Mystery Plays, performed every five years, and the annual Midsummer Watch Parade. There are also annual film, literature and music events with a summer fringe [alternative] festival.'
Did you know?
The Chester Mystery Plays are the oldest and most complete cycle of medieval dramas in Britain.
Manchester will host the Commonwealth games in 2002.
The Romans developed the postcard. Several examples were found in excavations near Hadrian's Wall in England. One was an invitation to a birthday party, another was a request for someone in Rome to send a soldier in England more socks and underwear!
The largest National Park in England and Wales is the Lake District which covers 885 square miles.
A traditional wedding custom in Yorkshire, England, involved a plate holding wedding cake. It was thrown out of the window as the bride returned to her parental home after the wedding celebrations. If the plate broke, she would enjoy a happy future with her husband. If the plate remained intact, her future was bleak.
When England was a province of Rome, the city of Cheshire was noted for its fine cheese. The Romans built a wall around the town to protect it. Cheshire cheese was made in a mold shaped like a cat, later made famous as the smiling feline in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.
In 1830, the world's first passenger train line opened between Liverpool and Manchester.
The 'new castle' in Newcastle Upon Tyne was built as long ago as 1080.
