The former home of the BBC on Oxford Road is now home to Manchester’s highest private dining space.
Boasting stunning views across the city, at 35 storeys high Circle Square’s top-floor Astronomer private dining space is officially the highest private dining space in Manchester – sitting a staggering 14 floors above the dining room at Spinningfields’ restaurant 20 Stories.,
Inside The Astronomer, Manchester’s new highest private dining space and roof terrace / Image: Vita Group
Housed at the top of the new residential development, the dining space also features a bookable private roof terrace, which stands tall at over 110 metres above city level and celebrates breath-taking views across the city.
It has been built as part of the huge regeneration project Circle Square, a joint venture between Vita Group and Bruntwood SciTech that is currently one of the north’s largest urban regeneration projects.
The development will also bring the first and largest public park created in the city in a decade, by way of a beautifully designed new green space created to be enjoyed by residents and passers-by.
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Called Symphony Park, the new green space is open to the public and brings some much-needed greenery to the busiest bus route in Europe.
Inside The Astronomer, Manchester’s new highest private dining space and roof terrace / Image: Vita Group
As the joint venture nears completion and heads into its final stage, tenants are now being welcomed to take residence in the building’s luxury apartments designed by Vita Living.
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As well as the breathtaking top floor dining room, the snazzy new building also features three more private dining rooms which have been purpose-built for the enjoyment of residents.
First launched in January 2021, Vita Living East is now nearing full occupancy with only a handful of the 266 apartments still available.
Vita Living North also boasts 417 design-led apartments across 35 storeys, with class-leading amenity space over three floors, bookable suites, a 24-hour gym, communal lounges, and casual workspaces.
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Inside The Astronomer, Manchester’s new highest private dining space and roof terrace / Image: Vita Group
Boutique fitness studio TRIB3 has also now to officially opened its doors to the public, alongside a host of retail and leisure brands such as Canvas and Hello Oriental all heading into their final stages of fit-out ready to open.
They join Circle Square’s thriving urban village of quirky independent retailers at Hatch, which has been bustling since it first opened in 2017 and now welcomes over 55,000 visitors each month.
Inside Circle Square, the home of Manchester’s new highest private dining space and roof terrace / Image: Vita Group
Vita Group’s Mark Stott said: “The sheer sense of occasion really hits you when you arrive at Circle Square now that park is open, and work draws to a close. Symphony Park, Manchester’s first public park to open in decades creates a harmonic escape from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Road.
“Vita Living North completes the puzzle, boasting some of the very best luxury apartments in the city with unbeatable views. The scale of investment which has gone into Manchester’s Circle Square is something which hasn’t been delivered in a city outside of London and Vita Living North apartments offer the very best in terms of place, amenities, and location. As such, we’re expecting unprecedented demand as these apartments launch to market for the first time.”
Feature image – Vita Group
Manchester
Inside Anthropologie as beautiful new store opens in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Anthropologie has finally arrived in Manchester, opening a beautiful new store in the Royal Exchange.
The beloved lifestyle brand is famed for its curated range of clothing, shoes, accessories, activewear, beauty, wellness, furniture, home décor, bridal, and loads more.
Anthropologie has taken over a two-storey unit overlooking St Ann’s Square, which opens today right in time for the Black Friday sales.
Inside, shoppers will find everything from denim to dinnerware, plus delights like martini-shaped handbags, apres ski-inspired glassware, and cosy knitwear.
Brands inside include Damson Madder, Tala, Maeve, Vagabond, and Never Fully Dressed.
There’ll be live music by local artist Maya Blandy, and seasonal drinks from 3pm, for a festive shopping experience.
Inside Anthropologie ManchesterMartini-shaped bags in AnthropologieHomewaresShoes in AnthropologieInside Anthropologie ManchesterTala is in storeThe denim shopBrands include Maeve by Anthropologie
And later down the line, Anthropologie Manchester is hosting a Winter Warmer Day on 9 December, with festive hot drinks and a gift personalisation station – plus a festive goodie bag for the first 100 customers to spend £100 between 9 and 11 December.
Anthropologie was founded in 1992 and has since expanded to have more than 200 stores globally, launching three new UK sites this year (Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow).
Matt Hilgeman, Managing Director of Anthropologie International, said: “We’re excited to open our third and final store for 2025 in the heart of Manchester city.
“As part of our Northern expansion, the new store will showcase a curated assortment of our most-loved brands, exclusive partywear, and our signature ‘Only at Anthropologie’ gifting.
“We can’t wait to open our doors and meet the community.”
Anthropologie Manchester is now from Wednesday 26 November at the Royal Exchange on St Ann’s Square.
Sankeys nightclub is returning to Manchester
Danny Jones
It’s officially happening: iconic local club Sankeys is coming back to Manchester city centre almost a decade on from its gutting closure.
The iconic ‘Sankey’s Soap’ nightlife space – which started out over in Ancoats during the mid-’90s – enjoyed numerous stints during its time in the clubbing world, as well as opening multiple partnered venues in the country and even overseas.
Now, approaching nine years after the shutdown, Sankeys is returning to Manchester in the new year, and Mancs are currently losing their minds.
Whether you are one of those who ‘remember it when’, or someone who sadly missed out on the halcyon days in the old Beehive Mill, we assure you that everyone is in agreement that this is nothing short of massive news…
First teasing the comeback back in July, as our city and the world at large were gripped by ‘Britpop Mania’ 2.0, the largely dormant Instagram account posted: “This week Manchester, and the UK, has been blessed with a homecoming of our very own, Oasis.
“We think Manchester deserves another homecoming… Definitely, maybe?”
The North West corners of the internet and veteran revellers alike were understandably quick to get excited by the potential revival, but nothing else had been said for months – until now.
Confirmed on Tuesday, 25 November, the infamous and storied nightclub’s social media team began by writing, simply: “The Legend Returns” and beckoning “a new era for Sankeys”.
It is still unclear as to where exactly the new and improved club(s) will be, but we do know that the events will be in the city centre. However, we do know we’ll be getting a familiar matrix grid installation as part of the design once again.
They will also be enforcing a strict new no-phones policy, which has become increasingly popular across the scene, thanks to the likes of Amber’s right here in Manchester.
Sankeys first opened in Manchester as "Sankeys Soap" in June 1994.[3] It was so called due to its residence inside Beehive Mill, Ancoats, which once was used to manufacture soap. The basement of the mill was transformed into a club and live music venue#pub#historypic.twitter.com/cnM6Nt23uZ
Sankeys may have remained an active promoter in the days since the building on the corner of Radium and Jersey Street (M4 6JG) closed – going on to become an unsuspecting office development – this will be the first event of the aforementioned next chapter in a flagship venue.
Promising a limited capacity of no more than 500 people, Sankeys is set to make its landmark return on
“We will only be open one night a week on Saturday. There will be no VIP or phones allowed on the dancefloor — everyone is a VIP. People need to stop taking pictures and start dancing to the beat.”
Hordes of clubbers, ravers, students and more are already signing up for early access and general admission tickets for the first two nights on Friday and Saturday, 30-31 January 2026 go on sale at 9am this Friday (28 Nov).
Get ready to grab yours HERE and party like it’s, well, 1994, 2017 – take your pick.