The Lock Building Apartments Whitworth St West
Ever since I stood on the platform of Oxford Rd Station and noticed a new, white aparment building with transparent orange balcony fronts, I’ve been fascinated with The Lock Building. I thought the balcony fronts had an effect of John Lennon’s glasses, trendy, with overtones of the White Album.
The Lock Building Whitworth St West with characteristic orange balcony fronts
Walking along Whitworth St West I noticed the building has many superb exterior design features, which set it apart from its neighbours - The white exterior tiling, the acute angles on the corner, the interestingly shaped vents at the top.
And when I saw the interior, I was even more pleasantly surprised. There’s a ground floor to ceiling atrium, criss-crossed by walkways on every floor. The atrium has open vents at the side, so it’s cold in the winter and airy in the summer.
The apartments were very impressive, with some interesting features: The rooms have a more spacious feel thanks to the higher ceiling - noticeably higher than Whitworth West apartments just up the street. Also, the outer walls are soundproofed, so the noise of the traffic and the trains is almost completely blocked out, Actually I love the sound of trains, and a great place for trainspotting is out on the balcony. It’s a little scary as you can look down through the slats. The view over Oxford Road station and down towards MMU is…, well, not quite the Bay of Naples, but it’s typically Manchester, and most residents will agree.. very nice indeed. You can brighten up a dull Manchester day by looking through the orange transparent balcony front.
The Lock Apartments (centre) overlooking the canal behind Whitworth Street West
The price of the two bedroomed apartment is just short of £200,000. I will add details about service charge and parking arrangements to this feature shortly.
The Lock Building EOM’s verdict: The most eye-catching residential building in Manchester, well appointed apartments with a spacious feel, great location, what more could you ask?
The Lock Apartments is a development by Dandara. Visit their webiste at dandara.com
Back down on Whitworth Street, I was surprised to look in an estate agents window and find that a two bedroomed apartment in the Lock Building available for rent at a suprisingly low £550 pounds per calendar month. Tempting. But this is only the second property I’ve looked at and there are still scores to see.. I think I’ll wait…