Set in a beautiful 19th Century building in Manchester’s civic quarter, Whitworth Locke aparthotel is right in the middle of all the action.
As someone who works in Manchester but lives over in Leeds, this hotel couldn’t be more ideal for me. Less than 10 minutes from both Piccadilly and Oxford road train stations and St Peter’s Square Metrolink station, the ease of getting to the hotel set off my stay to a flying start.
While the beauty of the building is astonishing, it’s almost one of those hidden gems you might miss if you weren’t looking.
Nestled in between the two sides of the building a stunning conservatory marks the main entrance with comfy seating outside I imagine to be an absolute sun trap when Manchester’s weather decides to be kind to us.
As you walk through the glass-roofed bar to get to reception you literally can’t help but be in awe. New York architects, Grzywinski+Pons, embraced the cotton mills’ original features and designed a space to show off bricks and pillars but softened them with pastel paints.
ADVERTISEMENT
A stunning conservatory marks the main entrance. Image: Whitworth Lockethe glass-roofed bar with cobbled floors. Image: Whitworth Locke
The bar area has an inside-outside feel, cobbled floors and covered in plants with light beaming in from all angles. Even if I wasn’t spending the night, I could see myself spending the afternoon enjoying some cocktails in this space.
I immediately had a cheery welcome as I approached the reception to check in, which I think really does make all the difference. I was asked about my day, if I needed any help finding my way around Manchester (actually incredibly useful for someone who gets lost as much as I do) and talked through all of the hotel amenities.
ADVERTISEMENT
The hotel hosts a large gym, perfect for yoga, which is free to use over your stay but I opted out as I wouldn’t have the time. There’s also a lovely coffee shop, Foundation Coffee, serving breakfasts, toasties and of course a lovely cup of joe.
The main attraction though, in my eyes, is the free to use co-working space which takes up a huge part of the ground floor. Happily being used by throughout my visit, the Wi-Fi was great, the seats were comfy and although it was busy, it was nice and quiet.
A large seating and working area.Comfortable king-sized beds.
Now let’s get onto the rooms, I had the privilege of trying out one of the suites and what a treat it was. Rooms are decorated with blush pink and pastel green with brass finishes, very chic and brings almost a holiday feeling even on a rainy day in Manchester.
It’s not all about style though, there’s a fully-equipped kitchen with a huge fridge, lovely comfortable king-sized beds and loads of space to unpack your things. An added touch that really made me feel special was the hand written note hoping I enjoy my stay along with a bottle of red wine and chocolates. Safe to say, you know the way to my heart Whitworth Locke.
The fully-equipped kitchen.
My handwritten note and bottle of wine.
Overall, I woke up feeling very refreshed from a good night’s sleep and even more so after a long waterfall shower. It was really easy to check out, they even looked after my luggage for the day, and with the great location I was out and on a train to my first meeting of the day with pure ease.
The moment we’ve all been waiting for, let’s talk money. Double rooms are from £99 in low season, and from £199 in high. Competitively I think it is good value for money, the facilities and location matched with the service and cleanliness there isn’t really anything I could knock.
If you’re after a really central Manchester stay with a lovely team and a super cool aesthetic, you won’t go wrong with this one. Book your stay here.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Travel & Tourism
A young lad is walking all the way from Manchester to Ibiza for a truly tear-jerking cause
Danny Jones
We recently came across the story of a young man who has set himself the task of walking all the way from Manchester to Ibiza in an effort to raise money for a truly tear-jerking charitable cause.
In case you haven’t heard of him already, the legend responsible behind this is Henry Oscar Moores, a 21-year-old from Macclesfield in Cheshire who is essentially completing a marathon every single day to complete his voyage from rainy 0161 to sunny Spain.
Nearly halfway into his epic trek already, the youngster has been battling plenty of obstacles, not least heavy rain – and that was just here in Greater Manchester…
Going live each day as thousands of followers tune in to support his latest steps, his real-world journey has sparked a wholesome new community online and we’ve got nothing but the utmost respect.
It’s set to take him around 60 days in total, all being well, but what exactly is Henry Moores doing all this for? Or rather who?
Well, the answer is as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking, as the ‘Henry Walk’ from Manchester to Ibiza is all in aid of the Tony Hudgell Foundation, a charity set up in honour of the now nine-year-old boy of the same name and the youngest ever Pride of Britain winner.
Hudgell was sadly the victim of horrific child abuse ever since he was a toddler, so much so that he had to have both of his legs amputated as a result of the treatment. In 2020, when he was still just five, Tony set out to raise £500 by walking 10k in his prosthetic legs. He ended up amassing £1.8m. Incredible.
With a non-profit officially registered in his name since 2021, the organisation aims to provide support to children affected by physical, emotional or psychological abuse. His story also helped usher in Tony’s Law. Now taking over the reins, Henry is pounding the pavement on his behalf – and smashing it.
He’s even been given an added incentive by Ibiza’s Ocean Beach owner, Wayne Lineker.
Promising to help Henry finish the walk if he makes it all the way to his final 30k leg in Ibiza Town to the famous club – he’s already polished off the 507km from Manchester to Portsmouth and is currently chipping away at the 1818km stint from Caen in France to Denia – Lineker and the likes of radio DJ Charlie Sloth have been backing the effort since day one.
Describing Tony as an inspirational young figure “who captures hearts with his bravery, optimism, and infectious smile”, even despite his daily struggle and constant treatment, we can’t overstate the admiration we have for both of them. He’s already smashed his initial £20k and just keeps going.
“We really appreciate any donations; we know times are tough. Don’t hesitate if you can’t donate; continue to share and support us in any other way. Thanks to everyone for the past couple of weeks; it’s been insane.” You can do your bit by donating HERE or to Tony Hudgell’s operation fund directly.
Featured Images — Henry Moores (via Instagram)/JustGiving
Travel & Tourism
Passengers brace for ANOTHER day of ‘disruption’ as train drivers strike again this week
Emily Sergeant
Passengers are being told to brace for yet more ‘disruption’ as train drivers across the UK are striking again this week.
Following on from the announcement back in February that ASLEF train drivers at several train companies and operators, with Northern being one of them, had voted ‘overwhelmingly’ to continue taking industrial action for another six months, members of the union are staging more strikes all throughout this week.
ASLEF train drivers at Northern will walk out this Thursday (9 May).
⚠️ Further industrial action is planned to start between 6 – 11 May.
Thursday 9 May, there will be no Northern services.
6, 7, 8 and 10, 11 May there may be some short notice alterations and busy trains.
But, as there are multiple strikes on different days at train operators across the country all this week, this means disruption is also expected in the lead-up to and following the day drivers at Northern actually strike.
Because of this, Northern customers who are connecting onto services with other train operators are being advised to “check before they travel” for all journeys up until this Saturday (11 May).
The company is also warning that its services are likely to be “busier than usual” this week, as it expects people will take alternative travel routes to avoid strikes elsewhere.
Passengers are being told to brace for ‘disruption’ as train drivers strike again this week / Credit: National Rail
“Unfortunately, the action by ASLEF on Thursday 9 May will see our network grind to a halt,” explained Tricia Williams, who is Northern’s Chief Operating Officer.
“On the days when strikes are taking place with other train operators, we will do everything we can to keep our services moving and absorb those extra passengers trying to travel across the region, but we can only apologise, once again, for the disruption this action will cause to people.”
Northern says it’s “disappointed” ASLEF members have chosen to stage more strikes this week, and will continue to do so in the coming months.
Disruption on Northern is also expected on the days surrounding the strike day itself / Credit: Northern
But when ASLEF announced its intention to continue taking industrial action for the foreseeable – which is separate to what is a very long-running dispute with the Department for Transport (DfT) over pay and working conditions – back in February, the union’s General Secretary, Mick Whelan, said he was “fed up to the back teeth with the bad faith shown” by train companies.
He added that train operators like Northern need to “stop what they are doing” and “start to behave properly and honourably”, because their drivers are “no longer prepared to be treated like this”.
Abbie Bartlett -
26th April 2024 
