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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
This Manchester suburb has just been named one of the UK’s ‘happiest’ places to live in 2024
Thomas Melia
An annual poll has named the Manchester suburb of Didsbury spot among 70 locations said to be the ‘happiest’ places to live in the UK.
Greater Manchester has got lots to say for itself, especially with its diverse and unique cultural landscapes, as well as various vibrant communities, so it comes as no surprise that one of our beautiful suburbs has been voted in a list of the UK’s happiest places to live for this year.
The survey included submissions from 5,000 people and there’s a lot of love being shown to the neighbouring areas of Yorkshire like Doncaster, Bingley, and Harrogate – the lattermost placed in second in the entire country.
But, ranking 62nd out of a possible 70 places, the distinct and vibrant area of Didsbury has been noticed by Furniturebox as one of the ‘happiest’ places to live in the UK.
Credit: The Manc Group
The results took into consideration good state schools, affordable housing, as well as accessibility to pubs, bars, restaurants, independent shops, retailers and more.
With multiple parks, walking destinations, and top-notch travel links with Bee Network trams and buses easily taking you back into the city centre and out to other boroughs, East, West and Didsbury Village all remain some of the most sought-after areas in the region.
There’s a whole host of indie retailers to enjoy, especially on the likes of the main high street and Burton Road, which effectively serves as its own cultural district, home to vintage clothing shops like Steranko, tailored styling opticians Fox Brothers and much more.
Burton Rd also boasts countless fantastic food and drink spots like The Great Kathmandu, SANTÉ, Volta and Proove Pizza, just to name a few; we’ve spent plenty of time just on this stretch of Didsbury alone.
If you’ve spent even a little time in Dids, you’ll know there’s plenty going on and it’s certainly one our happiest places in all of Greater Manchester and therefore the UK.
You can also enjoy the famous ‘Didsbury Dozen’ right on your doorstep.
Elsewhere, and somewhat unsurprisingly, Shakespeare’s ever-romanticised hometown of Stratford-Upon-Avon once again reigned supreme at the top of this list.
That being said, it’s refreshing to see that these locations weren’t entirely related to wealth and similar factors, the survey took affordability into careful consideration.
Cheshire was destined for success with its cracking views and grand properties, as the North West county made waves for the region managing to place in fifth position, holding up against Falmouth in Cornwall which placed in sixth.
Although not nabbing that all-important top spot, Didsbury is carrying the flag for 0161 and showing what all know to be true: Northerners do it best.
Fancy living on one of Manchester’s most-sought after streets?
Thomas Melia
Quick! A house on one of Manchester’s most sought-after streets has just gone up for sale and by owning it you can be a part of living history.
Anita Street near Ancoats is a real-life time capsule transporting residents and passers-by back to the 19th century.
Originally branded ‘Sanitary Street’ over the years the road has lost the ‘S’ and ‘ry’ parts of its name, making it sound much more homely.
The houses on this street were trailblazers back in the day, becoming the first council-owned housing to have a sewage system and indoor plumbing in Manchester, hence its old title.
A glimpse inside the communal living space at the Anita Street property. Credit: Goodwin Fish (via Rightmove)
Now, you can get involved with creating your own future on this street with a listing for a house on this popular street uploaded at the start of this month.
The property, which is a spacious two-bedroom maisonette with parking, has a guide price of offers over £310,000.
The floor plan for this living space displays a very practical set-up with both bedrooms on the left-hand side and facilities such as the bathroom and kitchen on the right.
As you enter through the front door there is a corridor running through the whole property with a communal living room and second bedroom at the end of the hall-esque walkway.
The modern and sleek bathroom at Anita Street.Snug kitchen set-up at Anita Street. With interiors like this to boot, it’s not hard to see why it’s one of Manchester’s most sought-after streets. (Credit: Rightmove)
This rare find is even available to first-time buyers or anyone looking for a buy-to-let opportunity in a location that has gained quite a big reputation for itself.
Although the exterior street and attached houses are very much original to their 1897 foundations, the surrounding areas offer a handful of cute vendors to visit and enjoy.
Whether you’re a coffee aficionado or pizza lover, being so close to Ancoats will come in handy with coffee shops and one of the OG Rudy‘s so close by.
It’s not the only property to have been recently listed on this rich road positively dripping with heritage.
Daisy Jackson -
5th April 2024 
