Greater Manchester street is one of the 'best to live on in UK' - but one issue has everyone talking

-Credit: (Image: Paige Oldfield)
-Credit: (Image: Paige Oldfield)


A stroll down leafy Stamford Road makes it easy to see why it’s been named one of the best streets to live on in Britain.

With its fairytale cottages and huge Victorian terraces, the tree-lined road is said to have been home to stars including Manchester United footballers and rock stars over the years.

The street, which sits on the border between Bowdon and Hale, ends at peaceful Springbank Park and is walking distance from Altrincham town centre.

Try MEN Premium now for FREE... just click here to give it a go.

With Altrincham Grammar School for Boys and Altrincham Grammar School for Girls on its doorstep, life on the street doesn’t come cheap – currently holding an average house price of £752,558.

Recently dubbed one of the best roads to live on in the UK by the Telegraph, Stamford Road was the only street in Greater Manchester to have made the list.

The study found 50 sought-after addresses where househunters desire to live, basing the research on crime levels, employment opportunities, quality of the public realm and proximity to schools and transport.

Stamford Road -Credit:Paige Oldfield
Stamford Road -Credit:Paige Oldfield

“The roads surrounding Springbank Park on the border between Bowden and Hale are lined with Victorian and Edwardian housing stock and are within walking distance of Hale village centre and the train station (with a 30-minute journey into Manchester Piccadilly)," The Telegraph wrote.

Altrincham Grammar School for Boys and Altrincham Grammar School for Girls are both within a very short walk of the street putting a considerable premium on the house prices, according to Savills' Andrew Thorpe.

“There's a four-bedroom semi-detached red brick house currently for sale through Hildritch & Co on Stamford Road for £950,000.”

Three other streets in north west areas also made the cut, with each one located in Cheshire - Prestbury, Wilmslow and Chester.

The Manchester Evening News took a trip down to the street to find out what life is really like there – and residents all said the same thing.

Locals say traffic on the road can be “horrendous” at times, especially in the mornings and late afternoons during the school run.

The backed-up cars mean some residents struggle to get out of their drives and some fear speeding cars are turning the street into a “racetrack”.

Retired magistrate Richard Monkhouse, 77, says the level of traffic is one of the few downsides about living on Stamford Road. “The traffic is horrendous,” he told the Manchester Evening News.

Richard Monkhouse -Credit:Paige Oldfield
Richard Monkhouse -Credit:Paige Oldfield

“Parking is the problem. They park on the pavement and in the most inappropriate places at school times. It’s chaos in the morning and evening, but the rest of the time when schools are off it’s nice and calm. It’s a nice place.”

Richard and his wife moved to Stamford Road 37 years ago in 1987 after falling in love with their Grade-II listed property. Though they’ve looked at buying elsewhere, Richard says there’s nowhere else the couple would want to live.

“The moment I walked in, I just felt at home,” he told the MEN. “We have everything we want. We’ve looked around at various places over the years but we keep coming back here.

“We have seven neighbours we touch onto and they’re all pleasant. We said if our neighbours move, we will move because of the thought of someone coming in and battering the place around and modernising it.

Richard Monkhouse -Credit:Paige Oldfield
Richard Monkhouse -Credit:Paige Oldfield

“The thing I like about the road is none of the houses are the same. There’s lots of variety. There are no neighbourhood problems – everyone is aware without being in each other’s pockets. You know what’s going on.”

Richard has even had several celebrity neighbours over the years, ranging from Manchester United footballers to Bonehead from Oasis.

“It’s a road I think everybody likes,” he continued. “It has so much variety on it. Footballers live on it and normal people live on it.

“[The celebrities] weren’t grasped hold of like, ‘I know you, please talk to me,’ you nodded at them and they nodded back. It was pleasant when you saw them.”

Neil Cowan moved to Stamford Road just before the pandemic but has lived in the area for around 15 years.

Neil Cowan -Credit:Paige Oldfield
Neil Cowan -Credit:Paige Oldfield

While he loves the convenience of the location and its close amenities, the 67-year-old says he can “think of better places to live”.

“It’s like a racetrack,” he told the MEN. “I can’t believe I used to live across the road and didn’t realise how busy this road is. It’s very, very busy. It needs to be one-way.

“There are occasions where we can’t get out of the drive or into the drive, so how it’s been named [one of the best streets to live on] I don’t know.

Neil Cowan -Credit:Paige Oldfield
Neil Cowan -Credit:Paige Oldfield

“I can think of better places to live than Stamford Road. It’s lovely with the overhanging trees; it’s a lovely road – it's just too busy. If you get rid of the traffic, it’s perfect.”

Katie Lucas says she feels 'very lucky' to live on Stamford Road. “I’ve lived here for 14 years,” she said.

“The houses are so beautiful. There are so many lovely old houses and they’re all really well looked after. There are lots of trees and the old-fashioned houses always have impressive front gardens. I feel very lucky to live on this road.”

Katie Lucas with dog Gilbert -Credit:Paige Oldfield
Katie Lucas with dog Gilbert -Credit:Paige Oldfield

Neil Colby, 76, says people don’t tend to leave after moving to the area. “It’s wonderful,” he said.

“I like the houses, it's just lovely and so many people tend to stay. It’s quiet but the traffic is a bit busy at the moment because they are digging up the road at the bottom.

“It gets a bit busier in the mornings and the evenings because there are so many great schools around here.”

Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “I’ve lived here for 20 years. The houses have got character and it’s very convenient for the village and the airport. There are great schools within walking distance and it’s very leafy.”

A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: “Trafford Council is delighted to see that Stamford Road has been named one of the best 50 roads in the UK – although we feel there are many other great streets in the borough as well.

The street is very picturesque -Credit:Paige Oldfield
The street is very picturesque -Credit:Paige Oldfield

“We will continue to monitor the parking and driving situation on Stamford Road and will take action where appropriate. Road safety and on-street parking is a widespread concern across the borough due to the size and volume of motor traffic and inconsiderate parking by drivers.

“The Council records requests for action to deal with parking and wider road safety concerns and will act on the information that is received. Some action has already been taken to implement parking controls on Stamford Road in response to specific issues.

“We would obviously appeal to drivers not to park across people’s driveways but if residents are having issues with this and they do not have parking restrictions outside their property they can report their concerns at https://www.gmp.police.uk/ro/report/rti/rti-b/report-a-road-traffic-incident/"

The Manchester Evening News has approached GMP for comment.