A corner of Failsworth is quietly ticking away as one of the best shopping locations in Greater Manchester – and now its status as the city’s Antique Quarter has been cemented with an official brown tourist sign.
While many hear ‘second-hand shopping’ and immediately think of the Northern Quarter’s trendy vintage shops, when it comes to homeware, nowhere comes close.
Out here on the edges of Manchester and Oldham, there are enormous warehouses filled to the brim with antique furniture and second-hand decor.
This cluster of specialists sell just about everything you can think of – sofas, paintings, crockery, clothing, chairs, vinyls, lighting, art, ornaments, trinkets, merry-go-round horses and giant Santas driving miniature cars.
Whatever you’re shopping for, you’re almost guaranteed to find it – even if you do have to navigate teetering towers of furniture and crooked aisles of cabinets to get to it.
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There are several antiques shops to explore here, just a few tram stops out of Manchester city centre.
Each one is an Aladdin’s cave for pre-loved and collectible items, whether you’re after props for a one-off event or a keepsake to carry with you for the rest of your life.
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The largest of all these treasure troves is Empire House Antiques, a building so big and so full of delights that we genuinely got lost in the labyrinth and couldn’t get out.
Empire House Antiques in Failsworth, Greater ManchesterThe stacks of Chesterfield sofas in Greater Manchester’s antiques quarterYou can browse furniture and even cars inside
After you cross the small work yard and pass the wall of safes at the entrance (this sounds like the start of a really crap fairy tale) you’ll find yourself in an enormous room packed to the ceiling with wonders.
There are leather Chesterfield sofas carefully mounted one on top of the other, towers of beautiful wooden cabinets, and even cars – yes, cars – on display to buy.
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Upstairs is a clumsy person’s nightmare, with aisle after aisle of delicate glassware and ornaments.
There’s a secret corridor lined with books that takes you through to a second set of staircases, and a few small workshops specialising in everything from vintage fashion to grandfather clocks.
The giant Carex soap bottleHow many treasures can you spot in the Failsworth Antiques Quarter in Greater Manchester?
You can even find an eight-foot-tall Carex soap prop…
We stayed for ages and still kept finding new rooms – clear the afternoon before you come browsing here.
Immediately across the road is Antique World Manchester, which looks fairly innocuous from street level – just a navy blue sign above a warehouse door.
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Go past the vending machine and the field of Santas (some so old their suits have faded to pink), head up the stairs, and brace yourself for a tardis full of antiques.
There are several traders operating out of here with loads of stands to explore, and you’ll usually find plenty of characters who can assist you with your rummaging.
Casual vinyl record spotted at Antique World ManchesterStacks of antique trunks in Greater Manchester’s antique quarterA retro tomato soup mug
What are you after? Is it a Rugby Songs vinyl where the men are totally naked on the cover? A traditional copper kettle? A vintage pink trunk? A set of crystal jars? A fur coat? A framed football shirt? They’ve got it!
All that along with beautiful wooden furniture, delicate glassware, and taxidermy animals of varying quality…
Next door is Cornerhouse Antiques, a smaller but significantly less jumbled shop, which also rents items out as props for film and TV.
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A sign officially marks the Failsworth Antiques Quarter. Credit: The Manc GroupChairs on chairsAn Aladdin’s cave of treasures just outside Manchester city centreWhat an eclectic mix
And just down the road is Second Time Around Antiques, a showroom so full its items spill out onto the street outside.
These businesses attract all sorts of shoppers – collectors rummaging through cabinets looking for coins, young couples buying a matching set of Ercol chairs for their new home, set dressers trying to create a scene from yesteryear.
Just recently, a brown road sign – used to direct people to tourist attractions in the UK – has been placed on Oldham Road.
So that’s it, it’s official… Failsworth Antiques Quarter is on the map as Greater Manchester’s second-hand heaven.
Police launch investigation after a 19-year-old is stabbed in broad daylight at an Oldham retail park
Emily Sergeant
A police investigation has been launched after a stabbing in a ‘very public place’ in Oldham yesterday afternoon.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that officers were called out to Alexandra Retail Park in Oldham yesterday afternoon ( Sunday 30 March 2025) at 3:25pm, and when they arrived on the scene, they found that a 19-year-old man had been stabbed.
The victim was taken to hospital with ‘serious injuries’, and GMP assures that he and his family are being supported at this time.
A scene remains in place at the retail park and some of the surrounding areas while the investigation is ongoing, and a large police presence can also been seen too as officers continue to collect evidence and piece together the events of what happened.
Police also believe the attack to be an ‘isolated incident’ with those involved known to each other, indicating no threat to the wider public.
“We understand this incident is shocking and took place in a very public space,” commented Inspector Andrew Clayton.
“There have been no arrests so far, but enquiries are ongoing to determine who is responsible. At this stage, we do believe the attack to be an isolated incident involving those known to one another.”
Alexandra Retail Park, where the incident occurred yesterday afternoon / Credit: Google Maps
In a bid to gather as much information as possible, a public police appeal has been made.
Inspector Clayton continues: “We have spoken to a number of witnesses so far, but would encourage anyone who believes they have any information or dash cam footage which could assist our investigation, particularly that which may help us identify the perpetrators, to come forward.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact GMP on 101, quoting log 1757 of 30/03/25, or by getting in touch with Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
Oldham
Farm shops are cool now – and Albion Farm Shop is the best of the best
Daisy Jackson
At some point in life, your idea of a great day out switches from drinking and clubbing to visiting a farm shop, or a garden centre, or something similarly wholesome.
And up in the hills above Manchester is surely one of the best in the UK – Albion Farm Shop.
This Saddleworth favourite is half-cafe, half-shop, with produce all either grown right outside, or sourced as locally as possible.
And while places like Hollies Farm Shop in Cheshire pull in seriously big, glamorous crowds (maybe it’s the Molly-Mae effect), there’s something much more charming and authentic about Albion Farm Shop.
Maybe it’s the tractors parked outside, the fact the produce section is in a drafty barn, the mismatched shelves and cabinets. It’s not curated like this – it just is.
The food in the cafe itself is up there with the best British grub in the North West, and I say that with my hand on my heart.
Whether it’s a full breakfast spilling over the edge of a plate, sandwiches served in a doorstop of bread, or a full menu of burgers made with British beef cap and smoked bone marrow patties, you can’t steer far wrong.
Rag pudding at Albion Farm ShopChips with a side of bone broth gravy Those huge burgers
There are chunky chips served with a full bowl of bone stock gravy on the side (hello, this is Oldham), onion rings so big you can wear them as a bangle, and big bowls of homemade soup.
And it would be remiss of me not to mention the rag pudding, a traditional dish from this neck of the woods. Famously, she’s not a pretty menu item, but this steamed suet pastry stuffed with braised beef shin is comforting and delicious.
If you want to stick northern fare but don’t fancy rag pudding, you can also grab a wedge of cheese and onion pie, lambs liver with mash, or any number of seasonal specials (for us, it was roast pork).
There are cracking views of the surrounding countryside, a resident cat who’s usually sleeping in the entranceway, and charm packed into every square foot.
Albion Farm Shop is at Oldham Road, Delph, Saddleworth OL3 5RQ.
The resident cat at Albion Farm ShopRoast pork in the cafeThe Albion Farm Shop cafeAlbion Farm ShopInside the shop itselfThe produce barn Local cheesesBakery itemsThe produce barn
Daisy Jackson -
2nd March 2024 
