There’s been another update in the eagerly-anticipated arrival of Soho House in Manchester, with the global members’ club brand confirming membership price.
The luxury hospitality business is set to open its first Manchester house in the old Granada Studios building.
When it opens, Soho House Manchester will span five floors and will include a gym, events space, bars, a restaurant, bedrooms, a live music space, and that very exciting rooftop pool.
New images have been released of the site, showing what the 23 bedrooms within Soho House will look like when it opens in late 2023.
As well as those, there’ll be 133 more bedrooms in the neighbouring Mollie’s Motel, Bar & Diner, also being built on the Granada Studios redevelopment in St John’s.
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For the first time, those interested in a Soho House membership in Manchester can see what it will cost them, with applications now open.
If you just want to use the Manchester site, it’ll cost you £1,800 per year.
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Or to access 41 Soho Houses across the globe, membership will cost £2,750 per year – with discounts available for under-27s.
Bedrooms at Soho House Manchester
That price at Soho House Manchester will give you and up to three guests access to the House, daily member event programming, and access to the members-only gym.
The extensive gym, featuring a free weights area, studio space, steam and sauna, a balcony with casual seating, vanity areas and lounge spaces, will be situated on the first floor.
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The main members’ club will be up on the eighth floor, with a casual bar and lounge area, a more formal dining space run by head chef James Lord, an indoor pool lounge area, and an outdoor rooftop pool with sunbeds and a bar.
A spiral staircase leads to the next floor, where there’s a late-night bar and live music space overlooking the pool.
Soho House Manchester. Credit: SuppliedThe gym at Soho House Manchester. Credit: Supplied
The 23 bedrooms on the sixth floor are designed for Soho House, from cosy rooms to large suites, plus an 80 sq metre private apartment.
Its interiors will be inspired by Old Granada Studios history – this iconic building did host The Beatles’ first ever televised performance, after all – with bespoke and vintage furniture in 1950s and 1960s styles.
Soho House threw a lavish party earlier this week to celebrate its arrival in the city, with a three-course dinner served on the Parklife main stage.
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Soho House & Co CEO Andrew Carnie said: “Bringing Soho House to other cities in the UK has always been something we’ve wanted to do and, as a Mancunian, I’m particularly proud to be coming to Manchester.
“Nick and the design team have worked hard to create a space for our members that preserves the heritage of the Granada Studios building, while introducing a rooftop pool terrace and floor to ceiling windows on the top floor. The view of the city is going to be amazing from there and I can’t wait for members to experience it.”
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.
A Greater Manchester town could be set to get a train station for the first time in 60 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s been a whopping six decades, but the residents of one local town could soon be able to hop on a train out of there.
That’s because a planning application for a brand-new £32 million station in Golborne – which would connect the Greater Manchester town, in the Wigan borough, to the rail network for the first time in more than 60 years – has been submitted to Wigan Council, meaning connectivity is finally one step closer to becoming reality.
In case you didn’t know, Golborne currently has no direct bus, train, or tram services to Manchester, and Leigh is the biggest town in England without a rail station, while the wider area is the largest and most-populous area in Greater Manchester not connected to the rail network.
The milestone aims to boost access to jobs and opportunities for people in the town and the wider Wigan borough.
NEWS: Greater Manchester on track with plan for first new rail station in over 20 years. 🚉
✅ 90%+ public consultation support for Golborne station in Wigan ✅ Planning application in to @WiganCouncil ✅ Local area improvements and walking and cycling links
According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the Golborne station scheme forms part of a wider ambition to bring eight commuter lines into the Bee Network by 2028 – of which “significant investment” has been put into.
The application includes plans for a new accessible two-platform rail station, including step-free access throughout with a footbridge across the tracks and lifts to both platforms, a new hourly service between Wigan and Manchester Victoria, and onwards to Stalybridge, an improved town centre car park, and also new walking and cycling links to the town centre.
The submitting of the proposals comes after nearly 3,000 people had their say on the station earlier this year, with more than 90% of respondents supporting the plans.
A CGI of what the proposed new Golborne station could look like, if plans are approved / Credit: TfGM
If the plans are approved by Wigan Council, work on the site should begin in 2026, according to TfGM, with the new station scheduled to open in 2027.
Mayor Andy Burnham called the submitting of the proposals a “transformative step” for the region.
“It has taken a huge effort to get us to this point,” he explained. “But we have finally reached a major milestone on the journey to reconnect Golborne to the rail network for the first time in over 60 years.
“The proposal is based on extremely sound evidence and huge progress has been made with a planning application being submitted and overwhelming support from local residents.”
Daisy Jackson -
9th June 2023 
