CONTACT: call me on 07876235638, email me on jgschofield@btinternet.com, follow me on @JonathSchofield 

Thoughts and words from guests

'The Manchester International Festival Tour called Future Cities was absolutely fantastic, both thoroughly enjoyable and incredibly insightful on so many levels . It provided me with a greater appreciation of a city I love and also enabled me to comprehend the future shape of the urban spaces of Manchester. Having lived in the city from the early 1990’s into the beginning of the millennium, I could really appreciate the descriptions of change , as well as the potential impact those architectural schemes and plans that never actually took shape might have had! By using the past as a guide to explore the concept of future urban thinking and policies of various historical eras , you did an excellent job of highlighting what Manchester was, is now and what it might become in the coming decades.' David Kendrick, 28 July, 2019

'Jonathan, recently chaired a pair of Guardian Live debates in Manchester. His clever control of the panel and guests in a full house ensured a balanced, lively, debate that covered a great deal of ground.' Anna Chesters, 16 June, 2019

'Everyone was absolutely thrilled with their tours. Indeed many people had either never been to Manchester, or certainly not seen any of the sights, and they were really bowled over and impressed, especially by your delivery, enthusiasm and wit.' Tony Kaye, 17 June 2019

'You really ask Jonathan Schofield about this. My husband has organised private tours with him before and they're always, absolutely, 100%.' Edd A-M, via Twitter, 16 June 2019 

'Hi, Jonathan. We did end up in Mackie Mayor and it was fantastic- one thing led to another and I ended up with a bottle of Manchester Spiced rum before the evening was through. Another great tour we thoroughly enjoyed!'. Mark McCullum, 10 June 2019

'The most fascinating thing of my holiday so far is my biggest bucket list ticked off to see Chethams. My Grandmother a Chetham has always spoken to me about our history and our family from Manchester since I was little and I’m so grateful that I have been able to visit a important piece of history. What a wonderful tour done by Jonathan Schofield who I got to have a chat with thanks for the shout out today. History is Amazing!' Sammy Jayne, 1 June 2019

'Jonathan Schofield is the best if you love Manchester, or are just visiting: book on one of his tours, his passion and knowledge of Manchester is unbelievable. (I) could listen to him for hours.' Win Edmondson, 31 May 2019

'Excellent tours and great fun.' Derick Softley, 15 March 2019

'Been on several of Jonathan’s tours and he always delivers them with such great humour and in-depth knowledge. Can’t recommend them enough!' Lindsay Slamon, 2 February 2019

'Went on the Chetham's tour today, fantastic place and fantastic guide everything very interesting.' Sharon Leather, 24 November 2018

23 July 2018
Went to yet another Jonathan Schofield's tour, this time about abandoned Mayfield railway station. Who else could get you into an abandoned building - and share amazing stories in meantime? Anna Godakanda.


21 April 2018
A big THANK YOU for  yesterday's tour. It was simply fantastic!! I put lots of effort into this conference over the past 6 months to make it an important event and the tour yesterday was, simply put, a great  conclusion to this event. Thank you very much for helping me to make it great 'til the end. Dr Maria-Teresa Marchica

1 February 2018
Just a quick note to thank you very much for a superb and entertaining Pub Walk yesterday lunchtime. As ever I learnt something new about our interesting City and its glorious past. Look forward to doing another walk soon. Thanks, John Holland.

28 November 2017
​'This is such an interesting tour - I can highy recommend it - if you love history and you love Manchester and want to get it glued together by an amazing wordsmith than this tour is one not to miss!' Patrick Wetzels.

26 September 2017
'Thanks once again for the wonderful Chetham's tour the other week. Thanks again.' Francis French.

16 June 2017
"Great and provocative talk, you are the man-machine of Manchester's history!" Janine Watson, Consultant.

8 June 2017
"Everyone loved the tour you did for us and the wife of the Secretary General of Nova (Paints, USA) gave it a 10 out of 10." Paddy Dyson, Marketing Manager, HMG Paints Ltd.

17 April 2017
"I just wanted to drop you a line to say many thanks for the tour on Friday, it was absolutely superb!  I’ve had so many positive comments, everyone enjoyed it and you are a fantastic guide!" Joanne Ormerod, Arcadis. 

25 January 2017
"Thank you for that great tour you did yesterday -  the students loved it and I learned a lot. I have told other colleagues about you so they can perhaps use you on their units." Dr Joan Ormrod, Programme Leader FMS BA (Hons), Senior Lecturer, Department of Media, Manchester Metropolitan University. 

14 December 2016
"Jonathan gave us a brilliant introduction to the social and historic landscape of 1819 through his lively and engaging guiding around the city.  Using the geography and architecture of Manchester, he was able to bring to life the political complexities and historic details that led to the Peterloo Massacre. And the whole tour was further animated by his reading from poetry of the era and illuminating stories, shared on the streets as we stood in the footsteps of the protestors of 1819. A memorable walk through times past." Liz Pugh, Creative Producer, Walk the Plank​.

15 October 2016
'I went on the Chetham's tour and I really think it was the greatest tour I've been on in the world.' 
Christine Smyth.

20 September 2016
Thanks so much. They really loved it. Needless to say will be using your services again and again. Amanda Kaye, Landis+Gyr.

19 September 2016
I just wanted to say a BIG thank you for providing our group with your walking tour in Manchester on Thursday. The group loved it and we've had some really great feedback. We'll be sure to get in touch if when we have another event in Manchester.  Victoria Eaton, Clive Experiental Events Agency, September 2016.

19 September 2016
​Just wanted to say thank you for your tour on Saturday. Your knowledge, wit and passionate approach had me totally engaged from the second you started. I look forward to joining you on future tours.Thanks again. Kerry Wroe, Manchester Visitor Centre Service Leader.

31 August 2016
Thank you so much for yet another uniquely magnificent JS tour at the Fire Station on Monday....and I'm so happy to own your excellent new book now as well. Howard Bamforth.

15 February 2016
I'm one of the journalists who joined your brilliant walking tour the weekend before last. Tamara Hinson, Freelance Journalist

13 February 2016
Your tours just get better. Yesterday's was a classic made memorable by the views from the roof of the car park. I think we are all embarrassed by our lack of knowledge of Manchester which you are quickly remedying. Bill Walsh, Hale Golf Association

12 February 2016
Thank you for your fascinating tour – everyone loved it & it was immensely useful. Katie Vine, Producer, Manchester International Festival.

15 November 2015
Dear Jonathan, thank you so very much for yesterday's tour!!! It was really awesome and my colleagues really liked it and they were very impressed. You helped me make their visiting really cool and pleasant. THANKS A LOT!!! Maria-Teresa Marchica, Manchester Business School.

14 July 2015
I highly recommend Jonathan Schofield's ace Manchester walking tour.'  Katharine Viner, Editor-in-Chief, The Guardian

16 June 2015
Feedback was very positive and some said it was the best city tour they had ever done. A big thank you. Karen Duncalf, Akros Chemicals.

18 April 2015
An astonishing tour around astonishing buildings. Wonderfully presented. Chetham's is a real marvel for Manchester.  Graham Hartwell, visitor.
​
26 May 2014
Jonathan, just a quick thank you for adding to what was a great weekend in Manchester. Really enjoyed our time with you, and hope to have the good fortune of meeting you again in the near future. Glenn Duncan, Vice President, Sales, Ottawa Tourism.

1 May 2014
Heard the tour went well and was really interesting. Just wanted to drop you a line to say thanks for the last couple of jobs (this and Japanese guests tour), the feedback has been great – everyone bloody loves you. Keep meaning to pass it on. Anh Nguyen, Marketing Manchester.

1 February 2014
Just been on @JonathSchofield's rather excellent haunted underground tour. Worth doing and a bit of a bargain at £8. Smyth Harper.

29 January 2014
The best two hour wander around for as long as I can remember.
Kevin Mousley, BBC World Service, after taking and recording the politics and radical Manchester tour for a forthcoming programme.

19 January 2014
Excellent tour again Jonathan, as usual. Really brilliant a mix of new material, old stories, a blend of information about the history of the city and, importantly, what is happening today and into the future. Dave Carter, Head, Manchester Digital Development Agency.

5 September 2013
Thank you so much for your brilliant work as our compere at the Victoria Baths event on Wednesday. Pete Brunskill. Victoria Baths.

Article written about the Haunted Underworld tour by Tracey Lowe on The Good Review - 27 October 2013

I don’t know why I love ghost tours so much. I always end up being absolutely terrified and mortifying the people I’m with. Also, I’m only just getting over quite a severe case of Achluophobia. So what better way to spend my Saturday than underneath the city of Manchester, in complete darkness, listening to spooky stories?

Jonathan Schofield is Mr. Manchester. Not in the greased-up, biceps-flexing way, but in the more valuable, oracle capacity. He hosts several tours of Manchester on various topics, and has been a Blue Badge Guide for the North West of England for nearly twenty years. He is also absolutely hilarious, and I felt we were in extremely capable hands. Starting overground, we were told stories of spurned ladies and beheadings near St. Ann’s Church, before being taken to the depths, beneath Deansgate.

Manchester has a very rich history, some of it extremely dark. This is a not a cheesy Halloween gauntlet, full of clowns with fake chainsaws and infected “zombies”. This is a tour of historical sites with some urban myths thrown in. And a few extra surprises.

Of course, in the light of day, it’s all very silly, and it can’t all be true. But when you’re in the dark, in a very claustrophobic, strange area, you begin to question whether the person next to you just touched your arm, or if it was someone, or something, else.

Haunted Underworld is a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Schofield is an extremely adept tour guide, and you’ll pick up a couple of secrets about the wonderful city of Manchester. But be warned, it is definitely not for those of a nervous disposition. Or the easily embarrassed.

11 March 2013
Thank you once again Jonathan for looking after the group yesterday in the freezing cold! They said you were amazing - informative and interesting as well. Thank you Jonathan. I do hope I have more groups heading to Manchester. Will send them to you when they do! Best Regards, Angela, Experiential Learning, Fortune Travel, Singapore.

7 November 2012
Hi Jonathan, I wanted to drop you a line following our Haunted Tour on Friday. Very simply put, absolutely brilliant!! Thank you for your knowledge and passion for Manchester. As a Mancunian ‘cemented’ to the City (I think Morrissey once said that!) it was fantastic to hear the stories and to experience areas of the city I guess not many have. I will most certainly be taking you up on the alternative tours of the City with other contacts/clients in the near future (I just need to earn a few quid first). Kindest regards, Andy T. Andrew Titterton. Director, for and on behalf of Studio KMA.

31 October 2012
Hi Jonathan, just wanted to say thank you for a fantastic, scary but informative afternoon. The children loved it, Matthew has come home to research Hannah Beswick and tell his dad all your tales. Many thanks, Viki Jolleys.

30 October 2012
Thanks we had a great day in Manchester. Jonathan was outstanding! Never met a better guide. Thanks again. Kind regards, Tiina Iranmanesh, Groups & Incentives, Scancoming LTD.

11 October 2012 - Pub walk in Liverpool
Dear Jonathan, I attended the Real Ale Trail as a guest of Grant Thornton last night and thoroughly enjoyed the evening. I just wanted to say thank you on behalf of DWF for your efforts. My colleagues and I are thinking of future business development events and are considering one of your tours, probably in the context of the pub area around Tithebarn Street. With this in mind can you please provide me with information on costs and also details of what other tours you operate around the city? Andrew McGregor, Solicitor, DWF LLP, Liverpool .

29 September 2012 - concerning the National Trust Urban Walks
Dear Ellie,
I just wanted to say thanks to National Trust for organising Saturday's urban walk in Manchester. We had a great time and Jonathan Schofield is a wonderfully knowledgeable and entertaining guide.  We shall try to attend again and hope that this is a successful venture for NT. Thanks again to National Trust for a great day out and thanks to Jonathan for his encyclopaedic knowledge and unique communications style. Best regards, David Pechey.

30 September 2012
You are the best guide I've ever had in the world, great at communication and for knowledge. I suppose I should say probably the best guide in the world though like - you know - the famous Danish company Carlsberg's advertisement. Ms Anne Hedensted Steffensen, Danish Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

September 2012
To say the guests liked your tour was an understatement. They were bowled over. It hit all the right notes from how they fed back at lunch so thank you. Tim Newns, Chief Executive, MIDAS (Greater Manchester's inward development agency).

June 2012
Jonathan,
We had an excellent time during the underground tours last Sunday: excellent guiding skills on your part and both funny and gripping stories. When we come back to Manchester, we will definitely do another (perhaps The Uninteresting Tour) one! Greetings from the Netherlands. Kind regards,  Michael van Bekkum.  

Jonathan, 
The Beckenham Historical Society had a fabulous time in Manchester. Thank you so much for making it an exceptional visit which informed and entertained us so much. You guiding skills and your knowledge are absolutely top notch. I wish you could come down and take over London guiding. Thank you again. Vanessa Shelton.

Other endorsements
1) I wrote this article on Manchester Confidential, which also contains some lovely pictures:  http://www.manchesterconfidential.co.uk/Culture/Architecture/Beautiful-Manchester-Beauty-Is-In-The-Eye-Of-The-Beholder Here are a couple of comments following that article:  'These guys were so lucky to have you as their tour guide Jonathan - and thank you for sharing these fabulous images!' Howard Bamforth.  'I can personally vouch for Jonathan's tours - an excellent guide.' CB

2) This letter followed a talk I did in December.

Hello Jonathan,

I thoroughly enjoyed the talk you gave on Engels last Sunday. I had always thought he was somewhat in Marx's shadow though your insightful research, considerable knowledge and enthusiastic appreciation of his talents has certainly changed my perception!

 I was wondering if you could please put me on your email list for any future historic tours of our beloved City. Like you, I love the place with a passion and take every opportunity to raise its profile. For many years I have arranged group tours for colleagues and guests and last Xmas, I brought 12 colleagues from the University of Hudderfield. We visited the Town Hall, Cheetham's Library (sat at that desk!), The Royal Exchange and The Cathedral. Needless to say, everyone cannot but help to fall in love with the place, its history, culture, achievements and people. Tomorrow, I am taking the same group to the Ford Madox Brown Exhibition, Rylands Library, Lincoiln Square, The Hidden Gem, The Royal Exchange, The People's History Museum...a meal in El Rincon before reviewing Peterloo through to the Suffragette Movement. Quite a challenge but they'll rise to it....they've been desparate for a second visit for months!

I am the President of The Albert Tennis and Sports Club on Old Lansdowne Road, West Didsbury...do you know it?  I was wondering if you would be willing to offer a contribution....along the lines of either a guided tour (your pub tours are now legendary!) or a talk on a subject of your choosing?

As part of the West Didsbury Festival I have taken visitors on local tours of the area...Wittgenstein lived round the corner from The Albert when studying engineering at the University....so I have some understanding of the keen interest that exists for more knowledge of our city's history.

Sorry to have rambled on Jonathan, it was refreshing to see you in action on Sunday and to witness your enthusiasm for our City was an absolute pleasure. I hope you will consider my request...whatever, the outcome, continue to be yourself and by being so, you'll be a wonderful ambassador for Manchester.

Best wishes, Ian Findlay   

AT THE same talk there was a lad in his twenties who'd been down on a training course in Manchester from Aberdeen. He'd loved Manchester. Said, "I've never felt so at home. And the talk you gave about Engels has convinced me. I want to move here, the place has the most amazing atmosphere." 
​