The £5 million repair of Heaton Hall is now complete – and you can book a tour
"This amazing heritage asset has been painstakingly worked on to protect and preserve its unique architectural features and restore it to its former glory."
The latest phase of £5 million repair works to the historic Heaton Hall have now officially been completed, and tours will begin next month.
Standing as one of a very few Grade I listed buildings nationally, and designed in 1772 by esteemed architect James Wyatt, Heaton Hall is undoubtedly one of the North West’s most important heritage assets, yet despite this, has remained on Historic England’s ‘At Risk’ list for many years.
To help preserve the building, Heaton Hall received key funding support from Historic England and Manchester City Council to ensure the building is protected in the future and to complete essential maintenance works.
It has since undergone five phases of essential maintenance works.
The previous four phases have consisted of work including repairs to the east and west wings, replacement of the windows and shutters, and fixing the roof of the Orangery to protect the Hall, and the most-recent phase has consisted of ongoing maintenance repair works including the replacement of recently-broken windows, rendering repairs, and internal repair work on the first floor.
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Maintenance and ongoing repairs were started over three years ago, and have now been completed to help protect the architectural gem for future generations, according to Manchester City Council.
The current works are now complete and further maintenance will take place in the future.
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The Grade I listed Heaton Hall dates back to the 18th century / Credit: Manchester City Council
Now that all the maintenance work has been complete for the time being, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the popular walking tours of the building and its impressive grounds will resume, so people can see the repairs in all their glory.
The Friends of Heaton Park will conduct free monthly guided tours for groups to enjoy throughout the year, with the 2022 dates being:
Sunday 10 April
Sunday 8 May
Sunday 19 June
Sunday 10 July
Sunday 14 August
Saturday 10 September
Sunday 11 September
And on top of those tours, there’s also the chance for people to book guided tours around the Hall conducted by the extremely-knowledgable Blue Badge Guide Jonathan Schofield, which take place on every second Sunday.
Heaton Hall isn’t the only thing to have received a bit of TLC either, as according to Manchester City Council, Manchester’s flagship Heaton Park has also benefited from “major improvement works” that will help maintain the much-loved green space and cultural attractions.
Over the past five years, the Council says it has been refashioning aspects of the park in a sustainable way to help ensure accessibility and to further enhance the setting of the Hall and make the Grade I building “a fitting focal point of the wider park landscape.”
Improvements include the planting of trees, the provision of new toilets in the park, creating wider entrances, the resurfacing of main paths, and installing 23 new benches.
Speaking on the £5 million repair works to Heaton Hall, Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar – Executive Member for Neighbourhoods at Manchester City Council – said: “As custodians of Heaton Hall, the Council takes its responsibility to ensure it is properly looked after very seriously, and we can’t wait to give the public the chance to see all the work that has been done inside this remarkable building.”
“This amazing heritage asset has been painstakingly worked on to protect and preserve its unique architectural features and restore it to its former glory,” he added.
“Heaton Hall, and its surrounding park, are really valued by people in Manchester and far beyond and these last couple of years have shown us all how valuable these spaces are to communities,” added Catherine Dewar, North West Regional Director at Historic England.
“The hall is one of a tiny proportion of buildings across England to be listed at Grade I, which is reserved for buildings of the highest significance.
“Working closely with Manchester City Council since 2015, Historic England has provided advice and £758,000 in grants to get to this point, and we’re thrilled that locals and visitors will soon be able to get inside this North Manchester heritage gem once again.”
Travel warning issued as Manchester braces for busiest day of the year so far
Daisy Jackson
A ‘plan ahead’ travel warning has been issued for this weekend as the Manchester Marathon brings the busiest day of the year so far on the tram network.
Tens of thousands of people will hit the streets to take part in the race itself, with thousands more cheering them on from the sidelines.
This year’s Manchester Marathon route takes 36,000 runners through Sale, Stretford and Timperley before finishing up at a new finish line on Oxford Road – and there’ll be some big changes to your usual travel routes to accommodate this.
TfGM has said that Bee Network trams will be very busy before, during and after the 26.2 mile race, especially in Manchester and Trafford, with a number of road closures in place too.
Taking place on Sunday 27 April, the Manchester Marathon will coincide with Manchester’s popular St George’s Day parade which starts and ends across town around Oldham Road and Great Ancoats Street.
People are being encouraged to plan their journeys carefully this weekend, as it’s expected to be the busiest day of the year on the Bee Network trams.
The Manchester Marathon last year set a new personal best for the tram network, with 175,000 tram journeys racked up – the highest ever recorded on a single Sunday.
Trams will be the best choice to get around the Manchester Marathon course with key stops along the route including Sale, Timperley and Chorlton.
Many road closures will also be in place but at different times of day, so make sure you check HERE for the latest.
This will impact bus services, which will be on diversion from 8am until the end of service on Sunday, with traffic and congestion expected on surrounding roads.
Runners heading to the start line will only be able to access the athletes’ village from Old Trafford and Trafford Bar tram stops up until 9am. Participants arriving after 9am should get off at Wharfside or Exchange Quay instead.
Metrolink is promising to deploy as many double trams as possible across the network, with additional services between Piccadilly and Timperley.
As for other modes of transport, those who wish to drive should make us of Park and Ride facilities where possible; and those on the train should note that Salford Central remains closed with bus replacements in place.
Danny Vaughan, Chief Network Director at TfGM said: “The Manchester Marathon is a highlight of the Manchester city centre calendar and our job is to make sure everyone can get to and from the event as smoothly as possible.
“We want everyone to have a great day – whether they are taking on the run themselves or cheering on a friend or loved one – and would urge people to plan their journey in advance, leave plenty of time and check the Bee Network app or website for the most up-to-date information.
“The start and finish lines will be especially busy so if you are coming to watch you may be better off catching the tram to Sale, Timperley or Chorlton, grabbing a coffee and claiming afront row seat to cheer runners on.
“Using public transport is the best way to avoid congestion and delays – and with Tap and Go contactless payments it’s never been easier or more seamless to get around Greater Manchester by bus and tram.”
Passengers can now travel seamlessly between bus and tram and pay for their journey by tapping on when boarding a bus without the need for a ticket, making it the quickest and easiest way to pay for travel.
People travelling on Bee Network buses on Marathon Day can simply tap in and pay £5 for the day on as many buses as they need and just £4.90 on the tram. You can use all Bee Network buses as much as you want all day from just £5.40*.
Kirsty Wilde, Operations Director, from Manchester Marathon organisers A.S.O. UK, said: “The TfGM tram service is an invaluable part of our event, which allows thousands of participants and supporters to navigate around the city. With a record-breaking 36,000 participants set to take part on Sunday 27th April – and more exciting activities taking place over the weekend as a whole – we’re anticipating a rise in tram journeys, which will subsequently bring economic benefits to local vendors, the hospitality sector, and retail businesses.
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“We’d like to thank Transport for Greater Manchester for its continued hard work helping to facilitate what will be the largest event yet, and would also like to say a big thank you to the residents and businesses across Greater Manchester for their understanding and support.”
The viral factory in Oldham that sells £2 Colin the Caterpillar cakes
Thomas Melia
A factory in Oldham has gone viral online after sweet fiends discover they sell ‘Colin the Caterpillar’ cakes for less than half price.
There are some things that just go hand in hand: a brew and a biscuit, peanut butter and jelly and Brits and their crazy obsession with a character chocolate cake from M&S called Colin the Caterpillar.
Since hitting the shelves in 1990, more than 15 million Colin the Caterpillars have made their way from supermarket shop floor to our sweet-treat-awaiting plates.
Who would’ve ever guessed that the home to this cheeky chappy, who M&S have made their unofficial mascot (after Percy Pig, of course), has been crafted and created right here in Oldham?
The utterly delicious Colin the Caterpillar cake which you can get for £2 at Park Cakes.The shelves at Park Cakes are stacked with Colins and Connies.Credit: The Manc Eats
Established in 1937, The Park Cake Bakeries – or just Park Cakes, colloquially – has been serving up this critter-inspired cake for over 30 years, and savvy shoppers have flocked to their factory shop to get their hands on some very sweet savings.
There’s a whole range of cakes on offer at this Oldham dessert factory shop, including slabs, sponges, loaves and even sweet pies too.
Whether you’re a firm believer that the birthday person deserves all of Colin’s white-choc face or you precisely cut it up so everyone gets some, Park Cakes has the solution, selling bags of the character’s chocolatey face so you can have one all to yourself.
The cake isn’t the only thing that leaves a sweet taste in your mouth, as the prices will too. Colin the Caterpillar, who normally retails for just under a tenner, is sold for around £2 at this Oldham factory shop.
It’s always the ones that look unassuming, isn’t it?
Alongside producing one of the most adored cakes in the UK, they’re also responsible for lots more of your favourite supermarket sweet treats, and we’re definitely not complaining.
You can let your sweet tooth go wild in this factory shop as they sell everything from rainbow birthday cakes to sticky toffee puddings.
There’s so much on offer too, how about a giant bag packed to the brim with misshapen golden flapjacks that’ll last you over a week and cost you less than a fiver? Sounds like a plan to me.
If you haven’t had enough of your Easter chocolate fix, why not trek over to Oldham and stock up on even more chocolate and sweet treats? Trust us, there’s plenty to choose from.
Park Cakes factory shop can be found on Ashton Road in Oldham and is open from 10am-4pm, so go and grab yourself a seriously sweet deal before everyone else beats you to it.
Mini Colins, small in size but still packed with all that chocolatey goodness.Flapjacks and cookie dough bites are just some of the wonderful treats you might be able to get hold of.Credit: The Manc
Emily Sergeant -
8th March 2022 
