Cloud 23 / 20 Stories

What are Cloud 23 and 20 Stories?

Cloud 23 is the cocktail bar on the 23rd floor of the Beetham Tower, Manchester’s landmark 47-storey skyscraper on Deansgate. Perched roughly 100 metres above street level, it offers floor-to-ceiling windows with sweeping views north across the city centre toward the Pennines and south over Castlefield and Old Trafford. The bar’s sleek, dimly lit interior and reflective surfaces make it a dramatic setting for both portrait and cityscape photography.

20 Stories occupies the 19th and 20th floors of No. 1 Spinningfields, the commercial tower at the heart of Manchester’s business district. Unlike Cloud 23’s enclosed lounge, 20 Stories features a large open-air rooftop terrace planted with olive trees and fitted with fire pits, giving it a relaxed Mediterranean feel elevated above the Manchester skyline. The outdoor space faces east and south, offering direct sightlines to the Town Hall clock tower, Deansgate Square, and the Mancunian Way corridor.

Together, these two venues represent the best publicly accessible high-altitude vantage points in central Manchester. Both require reservations, especially at weekends, and have dress codes, so plan ahead. Photography policies can vary — it is worth checking with staff before setting up a tripod or flash.

Why Shoot Here?

• High-Altitude Views: Capture the entire city from a bird’s-eye perspective, with views stretching out to the Pennines on clear days.
• Skyline at Night: The city lights from above are spectacular, making these spots perfect for capturing the energy of Manchester after dark.
• Architectural Framing: Use the modern design of the bars and their terraces to frame your shots of the surrounding skyscrapers.
• Sunset and Golden Hour: Being high up allows you to capture the full beauty of the sun setting over the city’s rooftops.

Getting There

Deansgate-Castlefield Metrolink is a three-minute walk from Cloud 23 in Beetham Tower on Deansgate; 20 Stories is in No. 1 Spinningfields, about eight minutes north. NCP Great Northern is the nearest car park at roughly £8–12 per day, and sits between the two.

Access is the whole problem here, and it is worth being clear about it. Both are working cocktail bars, not viewing platforms. Booking is usually required, especially at weekends, both operate dress codes, and photography policies vary between the venues and can change — check when you book rather than turning up with a bag of gear and hoping. You are a paying customer with a camera, which is a very different proposition from a photographer on a public street. Spinningfields and Deansgate Locks are the ground-level spots nearby in the city centre.

Photography FAQ

Can you take photos at Cloud 23 and 20 Stories?

Handheld photography as a customer is generally accepted at both — it is a large part of why people book. What is not safe to assume is anything more than that. Photography policies vary by venue and change, so ask when you book and again when you arrive. Other guests have a reasonable expectation of not appearing in your frames, so shoot outward at the city rather than across the room, and never photograph someone at another table.

Can you use a tripod up there?

Realistically, no. Both are busy licensed venues with limited floor space, and a tripod in a cocktail bar is an obstruction and a trip hazard regardless of the written policy. If you genuinely need one, contact the venue in advance and ask — do not set one up on spec. For handheld work at blue hour, brace against the window frame or a table edge, open the aperture up, and accept a higher ISO. A small beanbag on a window ledge is the practical substitute.

What is the best time to book for photography?

An early weekday evening, at a table booked 30–45 minutes before sunset. That gives you golden light on the skyline, then the transition into blue hour when the city becomes a carpet of artificial light — the best sequence available, all from one seat. Weekday evenings are also quieter, so you can move between windows or around the terrace without other guests in your sightlines. Clear winter evenings are the sharpest of all: cold dry air lifts visibility and the Pennines read as a crisp backdrop.

How do you deal with reflections in the windows at Cloud 23?

Cloud 23 is an enclosed lounge behind floor-to-ceiling glass, and the interior lighting reflects. The two options are to fight it or to use it. To fight it, get the lens as close to the glass as you can — almost touching — and shield the gap with your hand or a dark coat. To use it, step back deliberately and layer the interior bar lights over the city panorama for an in-camera double exposure, which is the more interesting image and the one that could only be made here.

What is the difference between the two for a photographer?

Cloud 23 is on the 23rd floor of Beetham Tower, roughly 100 metres up, enclosed behind glass, with sweeping views north over the city toward the Pennines and south over Castlefield and Old Trafford. 20 Stories occupies the 19th and 20th floors of No. 1 Spinningfields and has a large open-air terrace planted with olive trees and fitted with fire pits, facing east and south toward the Town Hall clock tower and Deansgate Square. If you want unobstructed glass-free frames and foreground objects to compose with, go to 20 Stories; if you want height and the northern panorama, go to Cloud 23.

Best Times to Shoot

• Sunset through blue hour — Book a table 30-45 minutes before sunset so you can capture the golden light on the skyline, then stay as the city transitions into a carpet of artificial light during blue hour.
• Clear winter evenings — Cold, dry air sharpens visibility dramatically; the Pennines become a crisp backdrop and city lights punch harder against the dark sky, ideal for long-exposure panoramas.
• After rain — Wet rooftops and streets below reflect light in colourful streaks, adding depth and interest to downward-looking cityscapes from the terrace at 20 Stories.
• Early weekday evenings — Quieter than weekend slots, giving you more space to move around the terrace or window seats without other guests crowding the sightlines.

Composition Ideas

• Window reflection layering (Cloud 23) — Shoot through the floor-to-ceiling glass to layer the interior bar lights and your own reflection over the city panorama, creating a moody double-exposure effect in-camera.
• Fire pit foreground (20 Stories) — Use the terrace fire pits or olive trees as warm foreground elements framing the skyline behind, adding depth and a sense of place to rooftop shots.
• Telephoto skyline compression — Bring a telephoto like the Sony 70-200mm f/4 G OSS to isolate individual landmarks like the Town Hall clock tower, Beetham Tower blade, or Deansgate Square towers, compressing the cityscape into dense, layered compositions.
• Vertical panorama — Shoot a multi-frame vertical stitch from street level far below to the horizon, capturing the full sense of height and the stacked layers of Manchester’s urban fabric.