Green spaces can be hard to come by in Manchester city centre - we need all the room we can get for our incredible pubs, restaurants, shops and museums - but if you know where to look you can find an amazing gem. Hidden away between Quay Street and Deansgate is the small yet perfectly formed St John’s Gardens.
It’s a tranquil green oasis in the heart of the city, full of beautiful flowers, trees and shrubs. Not many people even realise the park is there, so you’ll never struggle to find a free bench or a patch of grass to sit on.
Despite its pretty appearance, the park does have an eerie history to it. The site was originally occupied by St John’s Church and graveyard from the 1760s until 1931.
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The church was built when the city’s population rapidly rose, but attendance fell in the early 1900s. It was redeveloped into a formal garden and opened in 1932.
All that remains of the gardens’ previous life is a plaque which reveals that there are more than 22,000 bodies buried in the vicinity of the park. Although don’t let this fact put you off.
Today it features a range of plants, including palms and a small orchard, so you feel a world away from the city. Leading off the gardens is St John Street, one of the best preserved Georgian streets in Manchester.
The stunning setting of the park and its surrounding area has led to it being used as a filming location. Channel 4’s Fresh Meat filmed a graduation scene in the garden and it has also featured in ITV dramas.
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