The Locks offer a mix of modern one and two-bedroom apartments, two, three and four-bedroom mews houses, along with three and four-bedroom canal side townhouses, set around a beautiful central courtyard.
Nestled between two locks on the banks of the Ashton Canal, the area offers great transport links including the New Islington Metrolink stop just a few minutes’ walk away. It is just a ten-minute stroll along the canal to Manchester Piccadilly train station and the Northern Quarter.
They’re sympathetically designed to chime with the area’s rich industrial heritage, yet still boast modern features including either a balcony, roof/garden terrace or courtyard, with many homes also offering either off-road parking or a garage – a rarity in city centre living.
Whether your ideal home needs to accommodate a growing family, a flatmate, frequent weekend visitors or you simply require the space for a home gym or a home office, chances are Islington Wharf Locks is the place for you. Outdoor space makes all the difference to city living and general wellbeing.
One person’s love of the outdoors is a floor-to-ceiling window with a view of the canal; another’s is a roof terrace with sights on the skyline; yet another’s is garage space for the wheels. Whether you’re a head in the clouds or a feet on the ground type of person, many of the homes include outdoors spaces, with access to an authentic private mews-style central courtyard.
The New Islington Marina close by is the perfect place to unwind and watch the house boats moored on the canal. It’s also just a short walk to Cotton Field Eco-Park, which beautifully blends the natural waterside with an ‘urban beach’.
Islington Wharf Locks is also within the catchment area of a number of high-performing schools, including the Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ New Islington Free School, and some of the UK’s best universities including the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford, just a short tram or train ride away.
Ancoats was also known locally as ‘Little Italy’; where Italian families originally settled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With a focus on creating a connected, local community, Waterside Places played homage to Ancoats’ Italian history with ‘Gelato in July’ in 2010 and 2011 – an original ice cream festival which saw thousands of people flock to the site for a weekend of music, entertainment and plenty of sweet treats.
Since 2002, the area has been transformed – thanks to considerable investment – as part of the New East Manchester project, one of the most significant regeneration programmes in the UK. Waterside Places has been developing here since 2005, attracting residents and visitors back, as well as reclaiming Manchester’s canal side as a place where people can live, work and unwind.
Islington Wharf Locks, 10 Old Mill Street, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 6DZ
0161 300 8548
http://www.islingtonwharf-locks.co.uk