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.
You can live in an actual windmill near Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
A truly stunning four-storey windmill has been converted into a dream home and has now gone on the market for £850,000 in the rural setting of Cheshire.
Ever fancied living outside of the usual four walls and roof? How about living in a house with just one curved wall and a pretty big fan on top?
This place will make the rolling fields of Cheshire feel more like Amsterdam and with 1.65 square metres of space, you can easily fit more than a handful of tulips into your garden.
Located just outside of Greater Manchester and very close to Chester – only about 10 minutes, in fact – the interior of this luxury home is arguably even more eye-catching than the windmill itself.
Spacious and open sitting area. The Gibbet Windmill, Cheshire (Credit: Rightmove/ Signature Property Partners)
As you enter ‘The Gibbett Mill’, the ground floor boasts an open plan kitchen space with an island framing the layout.
The first floor has a spacious sitting area which with a bit of creativity could easily be turned into something similar to a cinema room, for cosy nights in or even entertaining guests.
If you don’t have enough space to host all your friends and family, why not sit one or two of them on the balcony which is attached to this level?
Two bedrooms are spread across the second floor with one bathroom space which will be shared between both these rooms.
For those of you who are DIY fanatics, the property even has planning permission for a two-storey extension, if you want to add your own personal touch to your new home – not that this pad needs anything more done to it, mind you.
The third and highest floor has an impressive master bedroom with its own en-suite shower room and with its incredible height, this room boasts views of the Cheshire countryside.
Cosy little nook with a spiral staircase.En-suite and Shower room attached to Master bedroom. The third floor which homes the Master bedroom.Spacious kitchen area.The Gibbet Windmill, Cheshire is genuinely breathtaking. (Credit: Rightmove/ Signature Property Partners)
For anyone with an admittedly big budget, this property is ideal for anyone trying to escape the hustle and bustle of busy day-to-day life, situated in the village of Woodbank, the population is just over 100, and you’ll be treated to some relaxing peace and quiet.
Chester itself has lots to offer too, from well-known shops homed in black and white Tudor-style buildings to impressive walls you can walk which highlight the city and provide incredible views of the landscape.
Life is all about the perfect balance and with the three-bedroom listing being just a 12-minute drive away from Cheshire Oaks, you’re a short journey away from some much-loved retailers and recognisable brands.
S,o if you happen to have £850,000 to spare and fancy living in something more cylindrical and almost out of a fantasy film, this property is your match made in heaven. You can see more down below.
You can find The Gibbett Windmill’s full listing HERE.
Featured Image — Rightmove/ Signature Property Partners
Property
Plans approved for new ‘first of its kind’ majority LGBTQ+ housing scheme for over 55s in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Plans have been approved for the UK’s ‘first of its kind’ purpose-built majority LGBTQ+ social rent housing scheme for over 55s in Manchester.
Great Places Housing Group’s proposals for the site of the former Spire Hospital on Russell Road in Whalley Range – a brownfield site which has been vacant since the hospital was demolished in September 2019 – were approved at Manchester City Council’s planning meeting last week (26 September).
The plans for the majority LGBTQ+ ‘Extra Care’ housing scheme have been co-produced in partnership with the Russell Road Community Steering Group, Manchester City Council, and LGBT Foundation.
According to developers and the Council, this newly-approved development will be made up of 80 one and two-bedroom apartments for older people within a “high-quality sustainable building offering a safe and welcoming feel and inviting presence”.
Designed to “respect the surrounding conservation area”, the low-carbon scheme will also include several shared communal facilities too – including lounges, treatment rooms, and landscaped gardens.
The site will also include a neighbouring development of 40 shared ownership homes.
Plans have been approved for a new ‘first of its kind’ majority LGBTQ+ housing scheme in Manchester / Credit: John Walding (via Great Places Housing Group)
Greater Manchester‘s Extra Care housing schemes are all about increasing the opportunities for older people to move into high-quality accommodation across our region – with all the residents at Russell Road therefore being aged 55 or over.
The majority of residents at the development will also be members of the LGBTQ+ community from Manchester, and they will live alongside allies in what developers and the Council are aiming to be an “open and inclusive place of psychological safety”.
Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development, said the approval of the plans is “a real celebratory moment” and a “landmark development in every sense”.
He continued: “[This development] has been in the works for some years and is designed to meet a clear need for quality, social rent housing for LGBTQ+ older people to live in safety, dignity, and as part of a welcoming and supportive community.
“We have helped build hundreds of Extra Care homes across Manchester in recent years to meet demand for older people to live in their later lives, many with care needs provided on site, but this is the first purpose-built LGBTQ+ majority Extra Care community in the UK”.
Work on the new development – which will be funded by Great Places, complimented by grant funding from Homes England, and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Brownfield Housing Fund – will begin later this year, the Council has confirmed.
Daisy Jackson -
5th April 2024 
