Pre lockdown, only one-in-eight worked from home and in 2023 around 44% of people work from home either full or part time/hybrid. For many people though, especially the self-employed, working and looking at the same four walls whilst the washing machine rumbles, the endless answering the door (& Ring) and taking the dog for guilt walks, is wearing thin.
For home workers in Monton and the surrounding areas looking for a change, ‘trendy’ shared office space locally is currently lacking but an amazing new shared office concept is to open later this year.
A stone’s throw from Monton, in bordering Swinton, Ministry of Work is the creation of 37-year-old entrepreneur Eddie Whittingham who saw the empty premises online last year and was immediately drawn to it. Having never developed property before (he previously worked in cyber-security) he became hooked on the 132-year-old chapel and threw everything into the £1million development. Working with his architect they drew up comprehensive plans to create a charming, modern space with essential technology plus air conditioning, meeting rooms, private phone booths, outdoor seating, 1GB internet, free tea and coffee, and much more. The building’s modernisation also includes 48 solar panels and it has achieved an ‘A’ rated EPC rating.
A hard hat tour of the 5,000 ft space, which is located on Manchester Road revealed beautiful stained glass windows and other original features including original trusses…there’s even a time capsule that had been buried under the floor in 2000! The interior style is stylish-yet-comfortable with leather, woodwork and ironwork – and Eddie has kept the majority of original features.
The ground floor incorporates a number of private offices for 4-8 people plus a reception, a podcast studio and kitchen. Upstairs are 36 individual coworking desks plus break out areas and plenty of bookable meeting rooms and additional kitchen facilities. The space is also dog friendly and is expected to book up incredibly quickly ahead of its mid-late November opening.
Coworking flexible spaces start from £200 per month, with private desks starting from £300. Eddie has put together a number of packages where people wanting to hot desk flexibly can purchase a package of 5 or 10 days a month. The aim is to create a professional local working space and friendly community with events and a social aspect.
Said Eddie: ‘To see the chapel restored to its former glory is amazing and I am so proud to see the office space take shape. It’s going to be the ideal location for any small local businesses that are mainly desk based. So far we’ve had bookings and interest from designers, PRs, entrepreneurs, HR consultants; a really wide range of local professionals and I am excited to meet everyone and see this community develop. We have designed this space very carefully and included little details often missing in similar spaces like a snug where co-working people can have a little privacy and our dedicated podcast and content studio, where brands can create amazing content.’
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