The Strange Quarter is an informal name for a loosely defined area on the northern fringe of Manchester city centre, England, straddling the boundary between Manchester and Salford. It covers parts of Strangeways, Cheetham Hill and Lower Broughton, and takes its name from HM Prison Manchester, commonly known as Strangeways.

The area is an industrial and wholesale district. During the 2010s and 2020s its warehouses and workshops were taken over by independent music venues, nightclubs and studios, including the White Hotel, Hidden, the Derby Brewery Arms and the Yard.

Manchester City Council and Salford City Council approved the Strangeways and Cambridge Strategic Regeneration Framework in November 2025. It covers 130 hectares and proposes up to 7,000 homes, 1.75 million square feet of commercial floorspace and a new urban park, over a period of 20 to 30 years. Operators of several venues told The Guardian and the Manchester Evening News that they feared the plans would displace the area's cultural activity, a concern the councils have said the framework is intended to address.

See also Strangeways, Manchester Northern Quarter, Manchester

References