One of the most historic houses in Manchester is ready to welcome overnight guests for the first time, as The Station Agent’s House enters its staycation era.
The beautiful Grade I-listed building on Liverpool Road is part of the Science and Industry Museum’s site, and dates all the way back to 1808.
Officially one of the oldest homes in the city, the charming property has now been sensitively adapted by building conservation charity The Landmark Trust and will open as a residence for the first time in 100 years.
Capable of sleeping up to eight guests, the house is just a 10 minute walk from Deansgate and just next door from the new Aviva Studios.
Upstairs, there are views sweeping across many eras of railway infrastructure and the heritage buildings that make up the Science and Industry Museum.
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Its restoration has included plenty of work to the bones of the building – re-roofing and repointing, replacing the sash windows, and swapping out chipboard floors for parquet.
There’s now step-free access and a lift to the first floor living area, with fully accessible bedrooms and bathrooms.
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And at the heart of the house is a specially-made oval skylight to enhance the original staircase.
Views from upstairsThe restored kitchen
Breaks at the self-catering holiday home will start from just £24.38 per person per night.
Casting back to the building’s beginnings, The Station Agent’s House was built in 1808 for Castlefield dyemaster John Rothwell.
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It was later acquired by the Liverpool Manchester Railway directors for the Manchester terminus of the world’s first purpose-built passenger line at Liverpool Road Station (now the site of the museum), and it became the home to the Station Agents working there.
In the 20th century, the house was converted into a shop selling sausages and later car parts; after the railway line was closed in 1975, it was altered again into office use for the museum.
Dr Anna Keay OBE, director of the Landmark Trust says: “The Landmark Trust is proud to be able to give a new future to this grade-1 listed building, part of the world’s oldest surviving passenger railway station.
Details of the restored The Station Agent’s House in Manchester. Credit: Landmark Trust
“Its extensive repair and renovation has been a labour of love, made possible by many generous donations. It is our first building in Manchester and will make a wonderful base from which to explore this peerless industrial city.”
Sally McDonald, Director of the Science and Industry Museum, adds: “The Landmark Trust has brought expertise in sensitively restoring this incredible heritage building, meaning Station Agent’s House can now be experienced in a new way by the public.
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“It’s a spectacular transformation that has breathed new life into the building while complimenting its historically significant status.
“It’s an exciting time at the Science and Industry Museum as we undergo a multi-million-pound repair and improvement project with the aim of bringing into use every part of our historic site. This includes the reopening of Power Hall next spring, as well as new galleries, the re-opening of the 1830 Station and outdoor experiences in the coming years.
“We are so pleased that Station Agent’s House has become the latest regenerated space thanks to The Landmark Trust, who are supporting our vision to create a more sustainable museum and reveal new spaces and perspectives for everyone to enjoy.”
The Landmark Trust will open the Station Agent’s House for free public open days each year, including from 10am till 4pm on Sunday 19 May. An additional bookable lates event from 5pm on Thursday 23 May welcomes The Poetry Takeaway for an interactive evening experience.
Victoria Braddock, Managing Director of Marketing Manchester says: “Manchester’s rich history is woven into the fabric of the Station Agent’s House. We are thrilled to see the Landmark Trust’s restoration of this unique building, in partnership with the Science and Industry Museum, which makes it the first in the city for the building conservation charity.
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“As we approach the bicentenary of the 1830 Liverpool and Manchester railway opening, the preservation of this historical house adds immense value to our heritage and identity.
“Joining local venues such as the Science and Industry Museum, Castlefield Viaduct and Aviva Studios in the growing Castlefield neighbourhood, the Station Agent’s House will undoubtedly add to the city’s vibrant cultural landscape as it opens to the public for the first time, and will also provide a welcoming and distinctive experience to the growing accommodation offer in the city-region.”
Calum McGowan, Chair, Castlefield Forum says: “We are absolutely thrilled at this restoration, and what great news to see more of the Museum’s estate come to life.
“Part of our mission at the Forum is to ensure that we celebrate and cherish the heritage assets in our neighbourhood so this is another great contribution towards that. The building looks set to be a wonderful place to stay, on iconic site, in an iconic neighbourhood!”
Manchester Airport to host big jobs fair with more than 500 roles on offer
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of careers are set for take-off, as Manchester Airport’s popular jobs fair is returning early next month.
Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which owns and operates Manchester Airport as well as East Midlands and London Stansted Airports, is one of the largest of its kind in the UK, and for its first jobs fair of the year is promoting vacancies in areas like airport security, lounge hospitalitylmand terminal operations, as well as other roles on offer with third-party employers based at the airport.
Some of these roles range from airline support and check‑in, to airside operations, logistics and ground handling, retail, and special assistance services for passengers with restricted mobility.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about a career at the airport by speaking to employers operating on-site.
More than 500 roles will be advertised at the event, and more than 20 leading employers will be represented.
Manchester Airport is hosting a big jobs fair with more than 500 roles on offer / Credit: MAG
Running from 10am to 2pm on Tuesday 3 March at Wythenshawe Forum, some of the other employers who will be represented at the fair include retailers and franchise operators like Boots, Costa Coffee, JD Wetherspoon, WHSmith, Pasta Evangelists, Monsoon, HMSHost SSP, and World Duty Free, as well as airport service providers like PrimeFlight, 36T HUB, Mitie, Swissport and ABM.
The Airport Academy, which is run in partnership by Manchester Airport and Trafford & Stockport College Group, will also be in attendance on the day to promote its free pre-employment support programmes and fully accredited training schemes.
Jobseekers who secure a role within MAG can take advantage of a wide range of benefits during their employment.
These include discounts on public transport when travelling to work, free on-site car parking whilst working and when going on holiday, an excellent pension scheme, training programmes, retail discounts, and many more.
There’ll also be a wide range of third-party employers present at the event / Credit: MAG
“We’re proud to serve the North, not just by flying people to the places they want to travel to, but by helping local people find their way into rewarding and fulfilling careers,” commented Tina Edwards, who is the People Director at Manchester Airport.
“The airport directly employs more than 3,400 people and indirectly supports almost 20,000 jobs, so we’re a major contributor to the local economy and our ambitious growth plans mean we’re always looking for more talented people to join our teams. The same is true of our fantastic partners who are represented at this jobs fair.
“It’s an exciting time to be embarking on a career at Manchester Airport as our £1.3bn, decade-long expansion programme wraps up this year, giving us the platform to realise our potential as a truly global hub.”
Manchester Airport’s spring careers fair is free for all to attend, but you’ll need to book your ticket online first here.
Featured Image – MAG
Travel & Tourism
Chester Zoo becomes first UK zoo to gain important international status
Danny Jones
The North West’s beloved Chester Zoo has been awarded a highly coveted global status, being named as the first international botanical garden in the entire UK.
With so many well-deserved awards, accolades and plaudits from within the world of wildlife preservation over the year, it’s no surprise.
A gem in Cheshire and the wider region’s crown, which continues to express its extreme commitment to ecological and environmental causes year in and year out, Chester Zoo is regularly ranked the best in the country and one of the top facilities in all of Europe, and now its worldwide reputation is growing too.
Taking its already sterling CV one further this year, 2026 marks the inaugural year of not only Chester Zoo existing as a recognised international botanical garden, but a big moment for Great Britain’s conservation status in general, as it’s been over 150 years since it last held the status.
Writing on social media in response to the huge honour, they wrote: “We’re officially the FIRST UK zoo recognised as a globally important botanic garden!
“We care for hundreds of rare plants, protect species at risk of extinction, and create beautiful gardens that encourage visitors to slow down and connect with nature.
“Global plant conservation organisation [Botanic Gardens Conservation International] assessed us against 22 criteria before awarding us Conservation Practitioner status – a recognition that now lets us do even more to protect native wildlife alongside our incredible conservation partners!”
Incredible stuff.
They signed off by adding that their efforts are “all made possible by YOU”, with 2025 marking an all-around groundbreaking year for the venue, as a total of 2,136,224 visitors came through the gates to surpass their previous record tally back in 2019 (2,086,785).
BGCI’s awarding of Conservation Practitioner is yet more proof of just how much work Chester Zoo does throughout the annual calendar, not least of all the incredible fundraising they do via various activations like their hugely successful charity run.
They signed off by adding that their efforts are “all made possible by YOU”, with 2025 marking an all-around groundbreaking year for the venue, as a total of 2,136,224 individuals came through the gates to surpass their previous record tally back in 2019 (2,086,785).
Speaking directly on the watershed moment, the zoo’s head of plants, Philip Esseen, said in an official press release: “This recognition shows that our plant work has real conservation value.
“We’re caring for species that are threatened with extinction in the wild, and that carries a responsibility to protect them, propagate them and share our expertise with others.
“The accreditation will help us work more closely with other horticultural and conservation organisations and increase the amount of conservation work we can do, particularly to support native species.”
Congratulations once again to Chester Zoo on such a significant achievement, and with around 10k people visiting each day – be that staff, field-expert guests or visitors – the proof is in the pudding: it really is the best in Britain doing some of the most vital work possible.
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