A huge Batman experience is swooping into Manchester this summer, offering fans a chance to see real props and costumes from the Warner Bros. archives.
The exclusive event will bring the cinematic world of Batman to life, through a series of themed rooms, exhibitions and a comic book and gaming area.
Batman Unmasked will be packed full of items from this iconic character’s film history, including (to name just a few) The Dark Knight, Joker, and The Batman.
Visitors will wander through a series of themed rooms that will bring Gotham City to life here in Manchester, with the massive Batman experience taking over Depot Mayfield this summer.
Batsuits worn by actors Robert Pattinson, Christian Bale and Michael Keaton will be displayed, alongside an extensive collection of original props and memorabilia.
Fans will even be able to see original vehicles from the hit franchise, including Tumbler and Batpod from The Dark Knight (2008), and the Batmobile and Batcycle from The Batman.
Then after passing through a series of walkways inspired by the various criminals of Gotham, you’ll arrive at The Rogue’s Gallery, a space devoted to DC Super-Villains.
The BatbikeBatman Unmasked, which is coming to Manchester this summerThe free-roam comic zone at Batman UnmaskedThe Batcave at Batman Unmasked, which is coming to Manchester this summer
Here there’ll be suits, props and weapons, like Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy ensemble, Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn costume, Jim Carrey’s Riddler outfit and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze suit.
Heath Ledger’s infamous nurse uniform from The Dark Night, and Joaquin Phoenix’s red suit from Joker, will also be on display.
And as for younger Batman fans, there’ll be hidden facts to seek out, photo opportunities, and a free-flow comic book and gaming area.
The Batcave at Batman Unmasked in Manchester
Exclusive Batman Unmasked merchandise will be on sale at the retail store, including special Batman 85th Anniversary items alongside classic Batman items.
Batman Unmasked is coming to Manchester to mark the 85th anniversary of DC’s Caped Crusader, and will take place from 16 July until 26 August.
It will then head down to London’s Covent Garden, where it will be in residence through Batman Day on 21 September.
Ticket prices include discounted concession rates as well as savings for small groups of four, or larger groups of 10.
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way to close for resurfacing
Emily Sergeant
Mancunian Way is set to close for resurfacing works next month.
As Manchester City Council looks to ‘improve’ what is, by far, one of Manchester’s busiest and most-used roads, given the fact it is the main thoroughfare in and out of the city centre, it has been confirmed that Mancunian Way is due to undergo crucial resurfacing works.
With an estimated 15 million journeys taken along this road annually, the Council says it’s vital that necessary maintenance is carried out to keep traffic flowing.
As a result, plans are now in place to resurface Mancunian Way overnight during a four-week period, beginning from next Monday (3 March)
The resurfacing work will be split into two sections, starting with the eastbound carriageway from River Street to Fairfield Street, before moving on to the westbound lane from Fairfield Street to Upper Brook Street.
Work along the eastbound section – in the direction of Ashton Old Road – will run between Monday 3 March to Friday 14 March, with the operating hours being between 7pm and 5am, during which the carriageway will be fully closed, while the westbound carriage in the direction of Regent Road will take place overnight between Monday 17 March until Friday 28 March, with closures at the same time.
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way will be close for resurfacing next month / Credit: Pixabay
Due to events taking place during this period of works, slightly later road closures will be in place from 7:30pm on the 7, 10 and 14 of March during the eastbound section, and on 19 March during the westbound secion.
No work will take place Europa League fixture dates, or on Saturday or Sunday nights either.
“These works are taking place overnight to mitigate any potential disruption,” explained Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“But as always, we would encourage people to plan their journeys ahead of time and allow more time to travel if they need to go via the Mancunian Way.”
Signed diversions will be in place during the course of the works, and details of this can be found on the Council’s dedicated webpage here.
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Travel & Tourism
Life-saving defibrillators to be installed on dozens of trains travelling through Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Life-saving defibrillators are set to be installed on dozens of trains travelling through Greater Manchester.
Rail operator TransPennine Express (TPE) has started work to install the units on all 51 of its Class 185 trains over the next two months, and can be used by both staff and passengers if someone goes into cardiac arrest.
The defibrillators will be fitted by technology company Siemens Mobility, and will be located in an emergency equipment cupboard in the middle of the train.
Every defibrillator being installed on the trains has step-by-step, spoken word instructions built in to them, which explain how to use on someone in an emergency, so passengers and staff need not panic if they’re unsure what to do.
Computers inside the defibrillators will work to analyse a person’s heart rhythms to find out if an electric shock is needed, and if required, electrodes then automatically deliver the shock.
⚡Work has started to fit defibrillators across more than 50 TransPennine Express trains
🚆 The life-saving units will be installed on all 51 of our Class 185 trains by the end of March
The defibrillators – which are already installed on TPE’s Nova 1 trains – have been purchased from the British Heart Foundation charity, which is the biggest independent funder of heart and circulatory research in the UK.
The news that the defibrillators are being installed on trains travelling through Greater Manchester and across the UK come after it was announced back in 2023 that the machines were being installed at more than 100 Northern stations to help save people in cardiac arrest.
Speaking on the installing of the defibrillators on trains, Bushra Khan, who is the Head of Engineering at TransPennine Express, said: “Our defibrillators are a huge benefit to both our customers and the communities we serve.
“This rollout will ensure that people travelling on our services will feel safe and confident that defibrillators are available to help in the event of an emergency, potentially saving lives.”