Visiting the city of Manchester is a visual treat for lovers of historic buildings. The blend of new and old architecture perfectly juxtaposes the modern age with days gone by. Yet as impressive as some of the new builds are, I am drawn to the timeless beauty of the dreamy, modern take on Gothic architecture of the Beyer Building located on the University of Manchester’s quad, which has stood tall for over a century.

The ivy covered walls and grand entrances harken to an age of firsts: the world’s first industrialized metropolis, the world’s first railway line, one of the world’s first stored-program computers (“Baby”), one of the first suffragettes and law graduates (Christabel Pankhurst), one of the first female medical graduates (Catherine Chisholm), and so many more. Manchester is a historic city beautifully preserved in the midst of a lively, modern metropolis. I can’t wait to return for another stroll among the sleeping giants that housed England’s industrialized and feminist past.