For a property to get a big thumbs-up from Kevin McCloud and Grand Designs, you know it must be special – and you can now stay overnight inside one of his favourites, the Lymm Water Tower.
This iconic 150-year-old landmark just outside Greater Manchester has been carefully converted into an Airbnb favourite.
The tower’s restoration has been an award-winning endeavour and has been in the public eye for more than two decades, The Hoot Leeds reports.
After being purchased back in 1997 by a sealed auction bid to Jannette and Russell Harris, the historic building was transformed into a contemporary home that combines that need to escape reality without compromising on any modern conveniences.
The Lymm Water Tower was a working water system up until the 1970s but has since been transformed with an extensive wrap-around extension that makes up the rooms itself.
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Described as an ode to ‘calm modernity’, there’s truly nothing quite like it in the north, even the UK – and now, you’ve got the opportunity to play Grand Designs without any of the construction, and stay here on a countryside escape of your own.
Inside, you’ll find two different staycation options.
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Set over two floors, the first is a open-plan, double-height suite with a king-size handmade Duxiana bed, a dressing area, with dressing table, extensive wardrobe space with a guest tablet (but no TV), plus and a bathroom floating over the bedroom: so regardless of whether you’re staying for a single evening, or a fortnight, you’ll have plenty of storage and freedom to make the staycation your own home, for however long you need.
The Penthouse Suite meanwhile is a single-storey, open-plan lounge with en-suite and king-sized bedroom. This suite in particular boasts the award-winning views, and is fitted with stunning sound system, mood lighting and a TV and guest tablet.
Both come with first-class service it would seem. Continental breakfast trays are served in your room and welcome refreshments are provided. You’ll also have access to a refreshment area, complete with, tea and coffee making facilities, ice, glasses and a fridge – and the hosts have even received a prestigious ‘superhost’ rating on Airbnb for their hospitality.
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Lymm Water Tower. Credit: Airbnb
So, why exactly has the water tower become such a popular name across the north over the past two decades?
The restoration and renovation project appeared on TV show Seven Year Makeover, and went on to be selected as one of Kevin McCloud’s Best of Grand Designs, despite the fact that it did not appear on the show itself, and went on to win 11 different awards.
Most notably, the former owners, the Harris’s, took home 2006 RIBA Award for the Best Contemporary House before deciding to move on from the project, and was later sold to its current owners, who have decided to share the unique home with the UK by opening it up as a short-term rental.
These days, the site itself is the perfect escape to the country, and with just an hour to drive from Leeds, or slightly further from Sheffield, Lymm has plenty to offer.
You can find more information, including how to book your staycation at Lymm Water Tower on Airbnb here.
Inside Soho House Manchester as rooftop pool finally opens
Daisy Jackson
Soho House Manchester finally opened its doors to members late last year – but there’s still more to come.
The exclusive members’ club, which costs from £2,400 per year to access, faced several years’ worth of unavoidable delays as it transformed the old Granada Studios.
And even now that members can finally visit the space for networking, dinner and drinks, events, and working, Soho House isn’t actually finished.
Instead, the hotly-anticipated venue is opening in phases – the latest of which is that beautiful rooftop pool, with views overlooking the city from the top of the former television studio.
New images taken inside Soho House Manchester show several of the completed spaces, from lounges with beautiful natural light flooding through skylights, to stylish candlelit dining rooms, to gorgeous bedrooms.
In keeping with the building’s history, the Soho House design team have stuck with a premium mid-century interior, including terrazzo flooring and warm wood details, muted green and orange colour palettes, and chrome furniture.
Have a look inside Soho House Manchester:
Soho House Manchester is now open. Credit: SuppliedBeautiful interiors. Credit: SuppliedA bar space. Credit: Edvina BruzasRestaurant spaces. Credit: Edvina BruzasDetails of Soho House Manchester. Credit: Edvina BruzasMid-century details at Soho House Manchester. Credit: Edvina BruzasInside Soho House in Manchester. Credit: Edvinas BruzasNew spaces are still opening. Credit: Edvinas BruzasThere are 22 bedrooms inside. Credit: Harry Crowder
There are now 22 beautiful bedrooms up on the sixth floor, exclusively available to Soho House Members, which carry on the 1950s heritage design.
As the build continues, members will soon have access to a Soho Health Club with a gym, reformer Pilates studio, smoothie bar, and infrared sauna and steam room.
Every Soho House has a strict no-photos policy to protect to privacy of members – which means unless you fancy forking out £333.33 a month, you might never see inside it beyond the club’s official photography.
The cosy Peak District pub serving a pick’n’mix sausage and mash menu
Daisy Jackson
There’s a Peak District pub that’s turned one of Britain’s most beloved comfort foods into a full-on pick’n’mix.
Tucked away in the postcard-perfect village of Castleton, Ye Olde Nags Head is serving up a fully customisable menu of sausage and mash dishes.
We’re talking near-endless combinations of proper pub grub.
You start by choosing your sausages from a daily rotating selection (not a sentence you hear every day, but we’re into it).
Expect classics like Cumberland alongside more adventurous options like venison and mustard, or even wild boar and orange, plus a veggie sausage daily.
Then it’s onto the mash – you can go for flavours like cheese and onion, wholegrain mustard, or even black pudding mash.
Classic cumberland, mustard mash, and mushroom sauceVeggie sausage with cheese and onion mash and classic gravyTucking in
To finish? A choice of rich, hearty gravies and sauces to bring it all together, whether that’s a classic onion gravy, a peppercorn sauce, or a creamy wild mushroom sauce.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can even upgrade your bangers and mash pick’n’mix by having it all served inside a giant Yorkshire pudding.
Ye Olde Nags Head is a historic 17th-century pub, with a roaring fire in every room and cosy bedrooms upstairs.
Inside Ye Olde Nags Head pub in the Peak DistrictYe Olde Nags Head pub is near Mam Tor
It’s one of those flagstone-floored, beamed-ceilinged, mismatched-furniture type pubs that welcomes everyone in every state, whether you’re caked in mud from a hike or popping in on a coach tour.
Another of the pub’s specialties is the Derbyshire Breakfast, a hearty plate of sausage, smoked bacon, black pudding, free range egg, grilled tomatoes, field mushrooms, baked beans and fried bread.
The pub also offers takeaway breakfast butties, so you can use it for both a pre-hike stop and a post-hike pint.
Given it’s just minutes from the ever-popular Mam Tor hike, this is one pub you’ll definitely want to add to your next Peak District day out itinerary.
Sophie Smith -
25th February 2024 
