Restoration gets underway at one of Manchester’s oldest surviving Victorian mills

Restoration of one of Manchester’s oldest Victorian mills has begun, with Talbot Mill set to be repurposed into 190 character-packed new homes and a lush courtyard garden.

Built in 1855, the imposing red-brick mill on Castlefield’s Ellesmere Street was the product of Manchester’s textile boom. Now, social impact developers Capital&Centric have kick-started a £38 million re-imagining of the historic space. 

Work has now started on site to repurpose the mill and to construct a new build neighbouring 10-storey apartment block. Main contractors CR Construction are heading up the work, with the first homes expected to be ready by Spring 2026.

It’s the eighth live construction site for Capital&Centric, who are also ploughing ahead in Manchester’s Piccadilly East restoring Neptune Mill into five floors of creative workspaces.

When done, the Talbot Mill rental community will feature stacks of original features throughout the impressive mill, with Capital&Centric’s signature design edge. Homes will surround a lush hidden canalside garden, with green spaces to hang out and meet.

One of the area’s last massive mills to be restored, it was Talbot that spearheaded the rapid transformation of the Cornbrook area from undeveloped land to a powerful industrial hub in the late 19th century. It went on to have a colourful history, dominating the local cotton industry in the early 1900s. It was even used as a mushroom farm in the 1980s and more recently the set of a period drama and a massive art exhibition.

But now its next chapter begins.

John Moffat, joint managing director at Capital&Centric, said:

“Talbot is steeped in history, it spearheaded the rapid transformation of that part of the city and stands as a reminder of Manchester’s industrial past. We’re now on with the meticulous restoration and repurposing of the mill, keeping as many of the original features as we can. When done, people will be calling an important piece of the city’s heritage their home – with all the historical charm, but a modern, design edge.

“We’ve diversified what we do, bringing our approach to creating flagship new neighbourhoods to towns and cities in UK. But it’s always a pleasure to get back to where it all started for Capital&Centric, repurposing stunning historic buildings into something really special. The re-birth of Talbot will build on what we’ve done at Crusader and Kampus in the city, delivering a genuine community with lush outdoor spaces to boot.”

It's another milestone for Capital&Centric as they get going on another of Manchester’s iconic listed buildings, continuing a lengthy run of projects mixing the old and the new. It includes Crusader Mill, Ducie Street Warehouse and Neptune Mill in Piccadilly East, and Minshull Mill and Minto&Turner at the Kampus garden neighbourhood near Canal Street.

It is shaping up to be another full throttle year as their portfolio expands, with work well underway on major town centre regeneration projects including Farnworth Green near Bolton, the Weir Mill community in Stockport and Goods Yard neighbourhood in Stoke-on-Trent.