One of Manchester city centre’s very few townhouses has gone up for rent – and unsurprisingly, this Georgian beauty is one of the most expensive in the city.
The four-storey house is one of only a handful of properties like this in the city centre, which is otherwise packed with apartments.
The historic townhouses along St John Street date all the way back to 1785, but have spent most of their lives as commercial spaces.
In fact, until they were restored back to residential buildings in recent years, these brick-fronted properties haven’t been used as houses since around 1850.
And although it’ll cost a pricey £10,000 per month to live here, you get a lot of house for your money.
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With three bedrooms, two reception rooms, two bathrooms and a roof terrace, across 1,700 sq ft of living space, you’ll have plenty of space.
Then there’s the location too – you’re right off Deansgate in the heart of the city centre, but also just a short walk from St John’s Gardens.
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The main reception room The contemporary kitchenA bespoke bar in the basementThe TV lounge in the basement
The street of Georgian townhouses is the main reason for the creation of Manchester’s St John Street Conservation Area, so you know you’re not going to wake up with another skyscraper on your doorstep.
Listed as ‘one of the finest houses in Manchester’, the townhouse has undergone a stunning refurbishment to bring it up to scratch.
The basement has been restored to create extra living space, with an entertaining space complete with a bespoke bar, a TV room, a private terrace and a utility room.
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Then on the ground floor there’s a bespoke, contemporary kitchen which still has the building’s original fireplaces, and a bright and sunny lounge.
There are three double bedrooms, two of which have bespoke en suite bathrooms, and a private terrace from the top floor.
The restoration of the townhouse that’s for rent has had ‘no expense spared’, and includes materials like marble cloud tiling with underfloor heating.
One of the townhouses’s three bedroomsA bathroom inside the Georgian townhouse in ManchesterThe views from the roof terrace
The home’s £10,000 a month price tag (it’s currently listed with Reside Manchester) puts it near the top end of the city centre’s more luxury market, though it’s a way off being the most expensive currently on the market.
The most expensive rental property currently on the market remains Phil Neville’s penthouse apartment in Beetham Tower, currently listed at £18,000 a month.
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There’s also an incredible penthouse off St Mary’s Parsonage for £13,500.
And also sitting in the £10k price bracket is a three-bedroom penthouse in Renaker’s new The Blade building.
In a rapidly-growing city of new builds and skyscrapers, this Georgian townhouse is a rare chance to live somewhere with real Manchester history.
Transformational plans set to be approved for ‘major’ new Manchester city centre park
Emily Sergeant
‘Transformational’ plans to regenerate an underused Manchester city centre site are set to be approved next week.
Following ‘overwhelming’ public support for proposals set out in a public consultation earlier this year – where more than 90% of respondents supported the key principles – Manchester City Council says its executive is expected approve an ambitious vision for the Water Street neighbourhood at a meeting next week (Weds 8 July).
The Water Street Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) is set to create a city centre district developed around a new urban park.
The SRF is described as being a ‘high-level blueprint’ for future investment that will guide development through the planning process.
The plans are comprised of a new landscape-led neighbourhood that combines homes – including 20% of them being ‘affordable’ – improved public spaces, enhanced walking and cycling connections, and ‘significant’ new green infrastructure centred around the River Medlock.
Sustainability was highlighted as an area of importance to local residents in the consultation, and to meet these demands, the plans include increased biodiversity, sustainable drainage features, and a largely car-free neighbourhood to support Manchester’s zero-carbon ambitions, as well as the new urban park being at the heart of it all.
The new neighbourhood will also offer plenty of new jobs, skills, and investment opportunities.
“The wider Water Street area has seen major regeneration in recent years with world-class investment at St John’s and Aviva Studios on its doorstep, alongside impressive residential developments,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and regeneration.
“This renewed regeneration framework will help guide investment to bring this area up to the same ambitious level with new housing, including affordable housing to create an inclusive new neighbourhood, complemented by a brand-new city centre urban park.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council (Supplied)
Property
UK’s most popular commuter towns named and four are in Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The UK’s most popular commuter towns have been named, and four of them are here in Greater Manchester.
Where are the most popular commuter towns in the UK right now?
Well, new data collated based on the number of people enquiring about available properties on Rightmove has revealed the locations where buyer demand is highest, and with Manchester being one of the largest cities in the country, of course there’s some Greater Manchester towns on the list.
Rightmove says that choosing the best commuter town requires buyers to balance a number of factors – including property prices, travel times, and local lifestyle.
To narrow it down, the property platform has chosen to focus on commuter towns within a 45-minute rail journey to the target city, and with at least 20,000 people living there.
For Manchester, it’s Stockport that’s taken the title as the city’s most popular commuter town, as amazinly, it generated 70% more enquiries per listing than Manchester itself.
The UK’s most popular commuter towns have been named / Credit: James Feaver (via Unsplash) | Manchester City Council
Being just an eight-minute journey from Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport has an average property price of £308,299.
Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, the picturesque Stockport town of Marple takes second spot on the list, while the Tameside town of Stalybridge comes in third place, and Rochdale also features in the top five, alongside Warrington – which is just outside of our region’s borders, but is only a short 22-minute train journey into the city centre.
Transport options is obviously one of the most important factors in what makes a town a so-called ‘commuter town’.
Stockport benefits from around six fast trains per hour, while Stalybridge and Rochdale offer four per hour. Marple is less frequent at two per hour but still attracts strong interest, likely due to its lifestyle appeal and stunning setting on the edge of the Peak District.
Price growth has been strong across most of the Manchester commuter towns, with Stalybridge (+6.1%) and Rochdale (+5.8%) seeing notable increases year-on-year.
However, average prices for four out of the five commuter locations on the list were higher than the average Manchester property price (£261,891), suggesting that lifestyle factors were a stronger draw for Manchester’s surrounding towns.
Daisy Jackson -
5th April 2024 
