A historic Manchester site has been given a new lease of life as part of a £30m project.
St Gabriel's Court on Oxford Place, adjacent to Oxford Road, has been transformed into student accommodation with more than 300 bedrooms, after a major development by McLaren Property.
The recently completed 321-bed complex is split over a two-acre site comprising a number of refurbished historical buildings and two new four and five-storey blocks. Refurbished sites include the 125-year-old St Gabriels Lodge, an old chapel, designed in 1963 by modernist architects Reynolds and Scott, and Woodthorpe Hall, formerly used as a women's only hall of residence in the 1930s.
St Gabriel's Lodge and Woodthorpe Hall are now home to studio apartments, while the chapel contains shared student amenities. The new blocks on either side of the site contain shared student apartments with between five and eight bedrooms.
Construction of the site, which is located a twenty-five minute walk from the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University campuses was started in 2023 by McLaren Construction Midlands and North. The rooms were completed in October and recently welcomed their first tenants.
David Atherton, Divisional Managing Director, McLaren Property, said: "The quality of the finished product speaks for itself, and the McLaren Construction team have done an excellent job getting this challenging construction project across the line.
"The buildings have been sensitively restored and whilst all bedrooms reflect the highest standards expected from modern student accommodation; the original character of the historic buildings continues to shine though. With students now fully settled in the new accommodation, this project represents a very pleasing result for all involved."
The construction was designed to complement the nearby Victoria Park Conservation Area, with older buildings 'lovingly restored' using the original stone façade, ornate chimneys and curved windows, as well as reclaimed brick work. The interior has been modernised but with key elements preserved while new amenity spaces were introduced.
Alongside the renovation work, the new buildings complement the site's heritage with buff and red brick finishes, aluminium-framed glazing, and perforated aluminium screens.
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