What’s going for it? There are many Didsburys. There’s the teeny Lancashire hamlet, all lanes and rose-strewn cottages huddled round St James’s church, caught in a meandering curl of the river Mersey. Then, confusingly, there is Didsbury Village, not a village at all, of course, but an estate agents’ “Village”, up the road from the actual village. Keep up. It’s not at all village-like, being more like a normal town centre stuffed with Subways, passing lorries and Greggs, but contains a lovely cheese shop, a good butcher, a purveyor of sushi, and opticians selling “eyewear”. Then there is West Didsbury, which rocks more of an artisan coffee, slinky casual dining and boutique chocolatier kind of vibe. These three make up the Didsbury Of Popular Culture, the butt of jokes, natural habitat of the north-west’s metropolitan elite, a kind of Mancunian mash-up of Notting Hill and Hackney with more umbrellas. And not forgetting East Didsbury, which everyone seems to, perhaps because it is more affordable. It contains a Travelodge, a Tesco superstore and a Cineworld multiplex and couldn’t pass for a village even if its streets were bumper-to-bumper with combine harvesters.
The case against One of the priciest parts of Manchester, East Didsbury excepted. And, if the metropolitan elite are not your bosom buddies, probably not for you. The sometimes not-that-distant hum of M60 and Manchester airport.
Well connected? Trains: East Didsbury takes you to Manchester Piccadilly two times an hour (9-14 mins). Tram: three stops on the Metrolink, with St Peter’s Square 22 mins away (every 6 to 12 mins). Driving: a half-hour drive into town, 15 mins to the airport. Right on the M60, the A34 and the M56 for escapes; you can be in the countryside in minutes, the Peak District in half an hour.
Schools Primaries: West Didsbury CofE, St Paul’s CofE, St Ambrose RC and Old Moat are all “good”, says Ofsted, with St Catherine’s RC, Beaver Road and Didsbury CofE “outstanding”. Secondaries: nearby Loreto High and Chorlton High are “good”, with Burnage Academy (boys) “outstanding”.
Hang out at… Take your pick from the garlanded Hispi, the Lime Tree, Indique and Volta, and many more.
Where to buy This is mostly a neighbourbood of large, handsomely made Victorian redbrick semis and villas. In Didsbury itself there are huge piles on, and off, Wilmslow Road. The actual old village has cottages aplenty. West Didsbury, centred on the main drag, Burton Road, and the Albert Road conservation area, has streets of slightly smaller semis and townhouses. East Didsbury has mostly interwar semis. Large semis and townhouses, £550,000-£1.4m. Smaller semis, £200,000-£550,000. Terraces and cottages, £420,000. Flats, £120,000-£450,000. Rentals: a one-bed flat, £500-£800pcm; a three-bed house, £850-£1,650pcm.
Bargain of the week Three-bedroom postwar semi right by Burton Road, “priced to sell” at £180,000 with yopa.co.uk.
From the streets
Doug Battersby: ‘Sip, a friendly wine bar, is justly a local favourite.’
Richard Berry: ‘Hidden gem: the Albert Bowling and Tennis Club. Fridays are popular with families.’
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