The best creative spaces to do work at in Manchester

Whether you’re starting a creative project, a freelancer, or just simply completing some tasks, working at a desk or in your bedroom can be wholly uninspiring and, not to mention, bad for your back.

While inspiration is everywhere, sometimes it is nice to be able to do your work in a stimulating and cool place. Luckily for you, Manchester is filled with interesting and fun spaces perfect for co-working, writing, and creating. Orchard has created a nifty list of some of its favourites to help you enjoy desk working, and break down your creative block.

Evelyn’s Cafe Bar: 44 Tib st. Manchester

Evelyn’s Cafe Bar is a plant lovers dream. Complete with a wall full of real hanging plants, Evelyn’s is full of life and atmosphere. It has laptop friendly tables and high chairs at the window where you can overlook the bustling Northern Quarter. The cafe has a varied food and drinks menu with a plethora of vegan and vegetarian options which makes it great for co-working and meetings. It also has decent sized tables so you can eat as you work.

The John Rylands Library: 150 Deansgate, Manchester

The John Rylands Library is arguably one of the most beautiful buildings in Manchester. The Victorian building opened to the public in 1900 and is a quiet and enchanting place to do your work. If you like Harry Potter, then working in the library will make you feel like a real life character with its gothic Victorian architecture. While the space is perhaps more dingy than some of the bright coffee shops in Manchester, it certainly doesn’t lack atmosphere.The Library is home to many rare books and manuscripts so if writing is your thing then there are little places more inspiring to work in Manchester than here.

Nexus Art Cafe: 2 Dale St, Manchester

For a funky, laid back area to work with lots of personality, Nexus Art cafe is a great bet to go and get creative. Based in the Northern Quarter, the not-for-profit cafe is also an arts venue and is available to hire out to present your own work. With massive tables and eclectic decoration, the space is perfect for working in and aims to be inclusive and welcoming. If you want more of a community space to work in where you can meet like-minded individuals and form friendships along the way then Nexus is made for you.

Grindsmith: 62 Bridge St, Manchester
5–6 The Garage, MediaCityUK

For coffee lovers, Grindsmith Espresso and Brew Bar is a great place to wet your whistle as it aims to serve the best coffee in the city. With multiple locations in busy working areas such as Bridge Street and Media City it’s a convenient place to host meetings and interviews. The coffee shop’s minimalist and modern design is definitely a talking point and makes for a quirky place to work. The extremely strong coffee, alongside the busy environment, is enough to help guide you through your work and give you heaps of motivation while working.

Ziferblat: 23 Edge St, Manchester

For those of you who enjoy the freedom to spend all day in a space and work in your own world then Ziferblat seems like the best place to go. At the Ziferblat you pay only for the time you spend there and nothing else so there is not pressure to feel like you must buy a new drink every hour. This space is designed to be a meeting and co-working space that is somewhat a home from home. You can hire out rooms specifically for meetings or you can just fill up on as much tea, coffee, and cake as you want and pay the 8p per minute fee. Ziferblat is also child and breastfeeding (and dog!) friendly so there is no need to be away from the little ones while you work. Although for some it may be cheaper to just work in a coffee shop, if you are somebody who likes to be highly caffeinated and would take advantage of the free food while you work then Ziferblat is definitely worth it.

Chapter One Books: Chatsworth House, 19 Lever St, Manchester

For a quiet and more tucked away space to work, Chapter One Books is a laid-back place to have a drink, do some work, and spend some time reading. The cafe and bookshop is ideal for those of us who prefer a more relaxed environment while they work or read. It encourages creativity and hosts several arty events such as ZEN and watercolour painting workshops. This cosy cafe is open until 12am so it caters for night owls who have creativity spurts later on and those who work more unsociable hours.

Foundation Coffee House: Sevendale House, Lever St, Manchester
Whitworth St. Manchester

No list about the best places to work in Manchester would be complete without Foundation Coffee House. It is unlikely that you will ever walk into these coffee shops without seeing multiple people rapidly typing away on laptops. Inside, the coffee houses have industrial style decoration and massive tables and booths so you can work with friends, or just by yourself making use of the space to spread all your work out. The coffee house is, most of the time, busy and hectic which creates an atmospheric and enthusiastic place to work. Foundation coffee house even offers a lunchtime workers lunch deal so you can get soup, half a sandwich and a coffee for £7 on weekdays from 12–2.

Originally published at https://www.orchard.co.uk.