As our Christmas present to Cheryl’s dad we booked a tour of Manchester Town Halls clock tower, we had seen the flyers by chance when we were looking around the Christmas markets, checking out the Afflecks pop-up. None of us knew what to expect.

We were met by the guide in the main entrance of the Town hall and she was enthusiastic at the very least. She began by telling us about the Australian bell ringers that had turned up out of the blue and had started ringing the bells that haven’t been rung since the queen’s jubilee 7 months before, apparently we were incredibly lucky to be in the tower with ringers in there.

Up the the sixth floor we went, up the spiral stairs that encircle one of the heat stacks that heat the building, then to the small inconspicuous door that leads to a very, very narrow spiral staircase with 173 steps to the top.

There were several rooms on the way up; the ringers were not to be disturbed in their room, above that was the machine room with the clock work in, then the bell room and the dial room which was probably my favourite. Then finally the unnervingly open walkway that circles above the dials, the views as you’ll see we’re incredible. It’s a very special place and I look forward to having another chance to experience it.

On top of the clock tower we were treated to an impromptu tour of some of the other rooms, gorgeous but not as breathtaking as the tower itself.

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