The property market may be slowing down across the UK, but it’s a different story here in Greater Manchester as house prices continue to soar in 2023.
There’s no doubt the property market in our region has been booming over the last decade or so, with average house prices seeming to rise year-on-year, and more and more areas becoming sought-after as the places to live.
But when we look at the wider UK housing market, house prices are currently on the decline.
After what had been continuous price hikes as a result of a high demand for properties following the pandemic, recent figures from Nationwide and Halifax have shown a consistent fall in the average house prices over the last five months – which is of course great news for buyers, but not so good for those looking to sell.
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House prices are rising the most in these Greater Manchester areas / Credit: Geograph
Here in Greater Manchester though, a handful of residential areas have seen house prices continue or start to soar in 2023, and the Manchester Evening News has decided to shine a light on 10 of them in a recent round-up.
The paper used data from HM Land Registry and looked at what the average price of a house was back in October 2022 compared to February 2023 to find out where prices are rising the most.
10 Greater Manchester areas where house prices are rising the most
(Average price as of February 2023 listed)
Bramhall, Stockport – £494,819
Broadheath, Trafford – £349,190
Bowdon, Trafford – £897,758
Heaton Chapel, Stockport – £358,329
Cheadle Hulme, Stockport – £365,327
Heaton Norris, Stockport – £300,921
Whitefield, Bury – £274,705
Radcliffe, Bury – £231,989
Audenshaw, Tameside – £221,088
Ardwick, Manchester – £204,743
The affluent leafy suburb of Bramhall in Stockport took the top spot on the list, with data showing that the average cost of a home in the area is now £494,819 – which has gone up by £48,558 from £446,261 in October 2022.
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The average cost of a home in Broadheath in Trafford was £303,094 back in October, but this has now jumped up to £349,190 in February, where as in Bowdon – which has always been one of the most expensive places to live in the region – the average price was £855,886 in October, but this has now risen by £41,872 to reach £897,758.
Bramhall, Broadheath, and Bowdon are the places where prices are rising the most / Credit: Alan Cleaver (via Flickr)
Heaton Chapel and Cheadle Hulme in Stockport are both seeing fast price hikes, with the average cost of a home now being £358,329 and £365,327.
Two of the most popular areas in the borough of Bury, Whitefield and Radcliffe, have also seen house prices rise on average, with the Tameside town of Audenshaw also seeing homes get more expensive, and while the Manchester suburb of Ardwick may be sitting in tenth place, prices are still on the rise.
We may only be two months into 2023, but it’s predicted that in these 10 areas of the region, house prices will only continue to rise.
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Geograph)
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Five beautiful blossom filled walks to try this spring in and around Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
Greater Manchester is full of wonderful walks and as we race headlong into spring, let’s make the most of those gorgeous blossom trees while we can.
It’s blossom season! No, not the iconic Stockport five-piece you can never get enough of – it’s that time of year when the skies get a little more colourful thanks to those lovely blossom trees.
Manchester is filled with fun things to do all year round, but now the weather is starting to hit double digits again, what better way to enjoy it than to go for a nice walk admiring nature?
If one of 2024’s biggest films was anything to go off, it’s safe to say that “green goes well with pink”, so get your walking boots on and go exploring.
Five of the best spring walks in and around Manchester
1. Fletcher Moss Gardens – Didsbury
A 20-minute drive from the city centre, Fletcher Moss Park has some stunning scenery and it’s nestled in the lovely suburb of Didsbury.
This park has its own botanical gardens and tennis courts, as well as a glorious array of cherry blossom trees, this needs adding to your Manchester walks list.
If the spring weather isn’t warming up the way you’d like it to, you can stop off at the on-site truck providing walkers with food, treats and coffees with a selection of syrups that just sweeten the deal.
Spanning over 600 acres, this park has its own boating lake, lots of prime picnic spots and a cafe for a hot drink and a pastry to pair with it.
If all is on your side, you might even catch a glimpse of that Manchester sun peering through the cherry blossom flowers hanging in the sky, lush.
3. Castlefield Viaduct – Castlefield
This next walk is a little bit different and one we’re sure you’re all familiar with because it’s not too far from the hustle and bustle, located in Castlefield.
Our next stroll also doubles as a National Trust site and we couldn’t be more grateful as each year the blossoms that appear around this trail get lovelier and lovelier each year.
This place is the best of both worlds, offering an urban walking route with potted planters, hedges and flower walls that are good for the mind and live music events over at Castlefield Bowl – which is pretty good for the soul too.
If we put the gearstick in reverse and park our cars back in Didsbury for the day, just down the road from the famous Fletcher Moss Park is the equally beautiful Parsonage Gardens, which is just as colourful come the springtime in Greater Manchester.
Not to be confused with small municipal green space located just off Deansgate in the city centre, though they do share a name, these gardens are operated by The Didsbury Parsonage Trust which looks after the Grade II-listed building on its premises and offers a nature-filled community hub to locals.
Walk through the archway located not too far from the start of the Didsbury Dozen and follow it round to find a wonderful little floral escape that has won gold in the annual RHS competitions multiple times and is the perfect length for a casual stroll.
As well as leading the way in terms of Christmas trails, Dunham Massey on the border of Altrincham and Cheshire knows a thing or two about spring walks too.
Alongside the park’s stunning manor house, there are plenty of green fields and blossom trees to get lost in, if you stay long enough you’ll forget the fact that Manchester is less than an hour away.
Being a National Trust property, there will be guides in the park to answer any queries about the park or manor that comes with it and of course a cosy little cafe where you can scoff a cake slab or two, delish.
So, this spring why not venture for a stroll into somewhere new in Greater Manchester while treating your eyes to some pretty blush pink views as we prepare for the summer ahead?
Featured Images – Peter Turner (via Geograph)/The Manc Group
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The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 24 – 30 March 2025
Emily Sergeant
The sun has been shining and spring is officially here.
With just one week left until it’s time to say goodbye to March and welcome in April with open arms, there’s absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to in Greater Manchester this week – both free things, and those that’ll set you back a few pennies too.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though?
We’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide, so here’s some of our recommendations.
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An Edible Family in a Mobile Home
Whitworth Art Gallery
Monday 24 March – 20 April
An Edible Family in a Mobile Home / Credit: The Manc Group
An exciting new exhibition where all the sculptures inside are made of cakes, biscuits, and icing has now opened in Manchester – and yes, you are encouraged to tuck in.
You’ll be whizzed back in time to the 1970s at An Edible Family in a Mobile Home, down to the retro comedy playing on the telly, and over the coming weeks, members of the public will gradually eat the sculptures until there’s nothing left.
Even the walls at this new genius collaborative creation of artist Bobby Baker and Manchester’s-own Long Boi Bakes are decorated in icing, and it’s open down at Whitworth Art Gallery until 20 April.
Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can plunge headfirst into the incredible world of our senses at a new immersive museum exhibition that’s now arrived at the Science and Industry Museum.
Back by popular demand after a successful run over these past two years, but with a fresh new adventure lined up for 2025, Operation Ouch! is giving you the chance to journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Tickets to Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You are now on sale, and visitors are being told to prepare themselves for an “epic exploration of the senses”.
How cute is this? We’ve discovered a little workshop over in Chorlton where you can ice, pipe, garnish, and decorate a miniature bento cake just the way you want it, with the help of the experts at Vanilla Ice Cakes.
You can whip up your dream colour buttercream, personalise your fillings, and learn brand-new skills before heading home with this adorable little celebration cake of your own.
At Vanilla Ice Cakes in Chorlton, you’ll sit under the expert eye of owner Fiza, a master baker who’s been in the game for more than a decade, and she’ll guide you (and sometimes step in to help you) as you fumble your way through decorating your own cake.
Did you see that one of Greater Manchester’s popular museums has been named the best free museum in the UK?
With the Easter holidays not far off, plenty of parents, carers, and guardians across Greater Manchester will likely be looking for a ways to keep the kids entertained and educated while schools are out, and without having to break the bank too.
Luckily enough, Bolton Museum has taken the top spot in a list of the best free museums and galleries to visit in the whole of the UK.
Bolton Museum has been crowned the best free museum to visit in the UK / Credit: Bolton Council
The museum – which is on the Grade II-listed Le Mans Crescent in the town centre, and dates back to 1852 – has been a part of the leisure and education of Boltonians for over 120 years, and is home to one of the largest regional Egyptology collections in the UK, made up of over 10,000 archaeological objects.
There’s also an extensive local history section, with 38,000 objects from the 17th to 20th century relating to Bolton.
The Pac-Man Live Experience / Credit: The Manc Group
Prepare to wakka wakka and chomp your way around a maze, because a brand-new interactive experience has now landed in Manchester, and it’s brought the world of the iconic retro game Pac-Man to life.
This augmented reality game will have you sprinting your way around an ever-changing digital maze, dodging ghosts and collecting fruit as you go.
Costing £26 per person, you’ll be challenged to race your mates around the course in a bid to grab special items and tackle everything in your path, and if you rack up the the most points, then you’ll be declared champ.
Ready to get baked? Well, what are you waiting for.
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It’s been a long time coming, but one of the most highly-anticipated new arrivals of 2025 has finally thrown its doors open in the heart of the Northern Quarter, so if you’ve got a chocolate craving or you sweet tooth needs satisfying, get yourself down to Get Baked.
Known and loved over in Leeds, this new independent bakery has opened on Stevenson Square, and stepping inside is like entering sweet treat heaven.
Manchester city centre’s newest boutique hotel has now opened.
This treehouse-inspired, 200-room hotel has taken over a huge space at the foot of Deansgate, filling the old Brutalist building with nature-inspired interiors.
To celebrate its opening, the hotel is hosting a series of activations in collaboration with local creatives, wellness experts, and artists all throughout this month – from art workshops to fitness sessions and cosy film nights.
Cruel Intentions is taking to the stage in Manchester this week.
Following sell-out seasons in London and New York, this brand-new smash hit musical – based on the iconic film of the same name and inspired by Les Liaisons Dangereuses – is packed with 90s pop classics, making it the ultimate retro night out.
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It includes the songs of Britney Spears, Boyz II Men, Christina Aguilera, TLC, The Verve, NSYNC, and so many more.
The BBC Radio 6 Music Festival is coming back to Manchester once again this week, and they’re bringing yet another phenomenal lineup with them.
Over the years, the festival has brought some of music’s biggest and up-and-coming names to lots of local venues across Greater Manchester, putting on an array of brilliant live performances along the way, and 2025 is set to be no different.
On the lineup this year is Ezra Collective, Mogwai, English Teacher, Kae Tempest, Perfume Genius, and so many more DJ sets.
Find out more and see if there’s any tickets still going here.
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Clothes Cycle Manchester
Victoria Baths
Sunday 30 March
Clothes Cycle Manchester / Credit: Clothes Cycle Markets
Clothes Cycle, the UK’s biggest curated second-hand clothing market, is back with a huge pop-up fashion fair full of vintage, pre-loved, and small business clothing in Manchester this weekend.
With a focus on championing sustainable clothing and helping fashion fans find a gem they’ll treasure forever, each pop-up market sees dozens of carefully-curated sellers offering a wide range of styles and items all come together under one roof.
Taking over the historic Victoria Baths this Sunday, there’ll be dozens of sellers offering something for everyone on all budgets.
NOMA’s growing neighbourhood is celebrating the joys of spring with A Farmers’ Market this Sunday.
Curated by Where The Light Gets In, Manchester Urban Diggers (MUD), and NOMA’s very own hobby-house, Altogether Otherwise, the free-to-attend market will be held from 11am in Sadler’s Yard, with lots of fresh, locally-sourced food to purchase, all while building meaningful community connections in the heart of NOMA.
Stalls will feature a handpicked selection of seasonal produce from farmers, growers, and artisans who are committed to ethical and sustainable practices.
Attendees can enjoy cooking demos, live music, and family workshops too.
Emily Sergeant -
9th February 2023 
