Rightmove has revealed its list of the most-viewed homes of 2023, and unsurprisingly (given that this sentence involves the words ‘£10 million’ and ‘manor’), a £10m Cheshire manor house made the list.
We all love to torture ourselves looking at beautiful things we’ll probably never own (like Harry Styles), so it’s no wonder that the most-viewed houses are all at least £2m.
In 2023, we were nosey at a £75m mansion in Buckinghamshire, a Victorian Villa set within actual palace grounds, an 18-bedroom castle, and a Lake District home in private countryside.
But also making the list was Blackden Manor, a Grade II-listed manor house in Goostrey, not far from Greater Manchester.
This sprawling house has six bedrooms, a butler’s pantry, a wine cellar AND a temperature-controlled wine display room, a drawing room, dining room, sitting room and kitchen/breakfast room, a billiard room with a hidden bar, a gym, a LIBRARY, and loads more.
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The Cheshire manor house has been constructed around a central courtyard and retains loads of original period features.
While some rooms are still historic, with wood-panelled walls and ornate fireplaces, others are modern and filled with state-of-the-art fixtures.
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You can even see Jodrell Bank from here while roaming around your 28.5 acres of land.
The Cheshire manor house has an outdoor poolThe bedrooms retain period featuresInside the Cheshire manor house’s landscaped groundsA temperature-controlled wine room in the Cheshire manor houseThe billiard room in the Cheshire manor houseThe modern kitchen and dining room in the Cheshire manor houseClick or swipe through the gallery to see more photos of the Cheshire manor house
It’s not just the main manor house included £10m price tag – the property also has a self-contained annexe for staff or a relative, and an entire cottage in the grounds with three more bedrooms and its own garden.
Outside, there’s a five-car garage with storage above, a two-storey barn with scope for development, an outdoor swimming pool, a tennis court, landscape gardens, a lake, and a paddock.
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Crispin Harris, director of Jackson-Stops, who are listing the home, said: “One of the finest country houses I have ever had the pleasure of visiting, Blackden Manor is an exemplar of creating modern living within the context of a beautiful Listed building”
Rightmove’s property expert Tim Bannister said of the most-viewed homes of 2023: “Home-hunters have taken a look inside some of the grandest homes on the market during their search this year, with unique features ranging from a home gym and swimming pool, to a library and even a temperature controlled wine cellar.”
You can see the full listing for the Cheshire manor house here.
The Council is giving Mancs £2,500 to move into a ‘more manageable’ home
Emily Sergeant
The Council is now offering financial help to support people moving into a smaller and ‘more manageable’ property.
Ever heard of ‘rightsizing? Well, according Manchester City Council it’s a process where a tenant in a larger social rent, Council, or Housing Association property, that may have more rooms than they need or perhaps are struggling to manage a big house as they get older, can be supported into a smaller property that better suits their needs.
The benefits of this process include cheaper bills, lower rents, and overall, just homes that are easier to clean and manage.
The aim of it is also to free up larger Council properties for families who are on the housing register – of which there are said to be around 20,000 of them currently at this time, with larger homes having some of the most significant wait times.
Are you struggling to look after a big Council or housing association home? We can help!
We are offering £2,500 to help people move into a smaller more manageable home, freeing up larger homes for families that need them.
It’s also estimated, according to the Council, that a third of all social rented family homes are thought to ‘underoccupied’.
This is why financial support and grants are now being offered.
Last year alone, 109 households were helped to ‘rightsize’ and were supported in the process by a dedicated team of Council officers, as well as benefitting from the Rightsizing Incentive Scheme – with a further 432 households having expressed interest doing so in the future.
Residents interested in ‘rightsizing’ could get a cash incentive of £2,500, which can be spent on anything they like, along with moving costs.
The Council is giving Mancs £2,500 to move into a ‘more manageable’ home / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
“Rightsizing could be a brilliant option for older people who are renting a Council home who may have spare rooms they don’t need or would benefit from looking after a smaller property,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Housing and Development.
“Often a barrier to moving is the cost, but the Council will take care of the financial burden to help a resident move into a new home.
“The benefit for the city is that we can free up more larger homes for people who are waiting for a property that properly meets their needs. We think around a third of Council tenants could be under occupying their home, which means they could be paying more than they need to or they could be hit with the bedroom tax.”
Does this sound like you? Are you ready to ‘rightsize’? Find out more and begin the process via Manchester City Council’s website here.
Featured Image – Vitaly Gariev (via Unsplash)
Property
Local Bolton schoolkids chosen to select street names in new neighbourhood
Danny Jones
Some local schoolkids from Bolton are among the lucky few to be chosen for a great honour: to be the people responsible for selecting the street names for a brand new neighbourhood.
That’s definitely something to tell their little ones and grandchildren someday.
For anyone from the Bolton area, you may have heard of the new development popping up over in Little Lever, a burgeoning suburban area not too far away from Moses Gate Country Park.
Carrying on the ‘Creams Mill’ moniker as a whole, a group of students from nearby Mytham Primary School have further been entrusted with naming the next leafy chapter of village life.
Credit: Watson (press shots)
Picking a handful of pupils from members of the school council, who have clearly already shown plenty of initiative and interest in extracurricular activities, property firm Watson Homes first visited the school back in 2023 to allow some young minds to take part in an exciting competition.
Known as ‘The Change Makers’ in Mytham Primary, not only did they find out more about the brownfield plot, but also more about the site’s surrounding history, including its rich industrial heritage, the significance of the canal corridor in the wider context of Greater Manchester and more.
Having then been inspired by everything from the waterways to the native wildlife, names were thrown into the mix; now, more than two years later, eight of those bright-eyed pupils and some of their teachers were invited back for a mini grand opening of their own.
Getting to see the road signs unveiled for the first time – Woodpecker Road, Deer Lane, Owl Lane, Dragonfly Court, Middle Bents Lane, and Bally Close – as well as putting the finishing touches on other things like hedgehog pathways and birdboxes. Cute.
They even got to name three apartment buildings within Creams Mill, which have now been dubbed Davenport House, Fletcher House, and Waterway House. Such a cool experience for these youngsters.
Honestly, how wholesome is this?
Credit: Supplied
The Manchester-based affordable housing firm’s director, Mike Watson, said in a statement: “It has been incredibly rewarding to see the pupils of Mytham Primary return to the site and see their ideas become part of the streets they helped to imagine.
“This project started with conversations in a classroom and is now taking shape on the ground – from the new homes rising across the site to the restoration of the canal.
“This is a development that genuinely reflects Little Lever’s heritage and future ambitions, and is a powerful example of how regeneration is rooted in community pride as well as bricks and mortar.”
We think we speak for everyone when we say this is the kind of work in the community that we’d like to see more of from the various developers across the region.
Daisy Jackson -
5th January 2024 
