A quiet one-bedroom lodge beside Heaton Park
A self-contained ground-floor lodge in Prestwich, with one bedroom, a sofa bed, a kitchen and a patio on the edge of Heaton Park.
You get a small brick lodge to yourself on the Prestwich side of Heaton Park, rather than a hotel room in the city centre. There is one bedroom, a sofa bed, a kitchen and a patio. The tram toward Manchester is a walk away, and you park on the street outside.
Overview
The Old Vicarage Lodge is a ground-floor apartment in its own brick building at 4 St Margaret's Road, Prestwich, Manchester M25 2QB. You book it through the partner link on this page. Inside there is one bedroom, a sitting room, a kitchen along one wall and a bathroom with a walk-in shower. A wooden door opens onto a paved patio with a table and chairs, and the sitting-room window looks over a lawn and trees.
The bedroom has a wooden bed, bedside tables and a wall of tree-patterned paper. The booking page calls that bed a double. The operator's page calls it a king. Plan for one bed in the bedroom plus a sofa bed, and ask about the mattress if the size will matter. The apartment is about 30 square metres.
Prestwich is the town on the ground. Manchester is the city in the address, and the right guide if you are coming from further away. Whitefield is the neighbouring town, and the place where the operator's company is registered. It is not this address.
The Old Vicarage Lodge
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From the sitting room you look onto a striped lawn, trees and a sun lounger. It is a garden outlook, not a view of the street or of a reserved parking bay. Guests who want a quiet few days are the ones this suits, including people who have used it as a calm base after a Manchester event.
White cupboards run along a burgundy wall, with an oven and hob, a fridge, a dishwasher, a microwave, a toaster and a kettle. A coffee machine is there too. This is a self-catering stay. Do not arrive expecting a served breakfast. Tea and coffee have been available, and a shop is close enough that guests have bought their own food.
A brown leather sofa faces the television, with a second sofa in the room and shelves against the tree wallpaper. The same window that looks onto the lawn is the one that makes the room feel open. It is a sitting room for a small group, not a hotel lounge.
Beyond the essentials
Winston signs the replies guests see on the booking site. Companies House lists Winston Taylor Watson and Lynsey Taylor Watson, both using The Old Vicarage, 4 St Margarets Road, as their correspondence address. Their lodge page and the contact details for IQS Ltd sit on the same Manchester Airbnb site. That is enough to introduce them as the people connected with the stay. It does not show that their company owns the building, that they live on site, or that anyone named Finlay is part of the welcome.
St Margaret's history says the Earl of Wilton built a parsonage here for the curate in 1867, enlarged it with stables and a coach house in 1871, transferred the buildings to the Church Commissioners in 1913, and records a further enlargement in 1926. That is the story of the vicarage site. It does not date this holiday lodge, and it is not a reason to call the stay an 18th-century building.
The operator's page puts the walk to Heaton Park tram stop at about 12 minutes. That is the practical way toward Manchester without a car. Treat it as an approximate walk, and ask about steps if you have a buggy or heavy bags.
This address is Prestwich. Whitefield is the next town in Bury, and it is where the operator's company is registered, not where the lodge stands.
Verdict
Choose this lodge if a quiet, self-catering base beside Heaton Park suits you, and you are happy to park on the street and sort your own breakfast. It is the wrong fit if you need a reserved parking space, a pet, or a hotel breakfast in the city centre.
Rooms
Sleeps 430 m²
One bed in the bedroom, plus a sofa bed
The apartment is about 30 square metres and sleeps up to four. The bedroom has one wooden bed. The booking page calls it a double and the operator's page calls it a king, so check the mattress if that difference matters. A sofa bed is the second sleeping place. The bathroom is private, with a walk-in shower, and the kitchen has an oven, hob, fridge and dishwasher. The whole unit is on the ground floor and has its own door onto the patio.
Facilities
Opens on Booking.com
Location
The lodge stands on St Margaret's Road in Prestwich, on the edge of Heaton Park. Prestwich and Whitefield are two of Bury's towns, and they are not the same place. This address is Prestwich. Whitefield is where the operator's company is registered.
Heaton Park is the large green space next door. How far it feels depends on which gate you mean. The booking surroundings put the park at about 1.2 miles, while the operator describes the lodge as beside the park. Use the walk to the tram as the practical measure, and do not treat one park figure as the distance to every entrance.
The Old Vicarage Lodge4 St Margaret's Road, Manchester, M25 2QB
The address is 4 St Margaret's Road, Prestwich, Manchester M25 2QB. The map pin matches that building. It does not show which door to use or where a car can stop to unload. Tell the operator your arrival time when you book. Check-in runs from 14:00 until midnight, and check-out is from 06:00 until 11:00.
Walk to Heaton Park tram stop, about 12 minutes in the operator's account, then ride toward Manchester. The same stop also serves Bury. When this guide was prepared the Bury-bound lift was out for replacement and the Manchester-bound lift was open. Check before you travel if stairs are a problem.
Parking is free on the public street nearby, and a space cannot be reserved. Guests have found the road busy even when a confirmation mentioned one included space. Do not expect a marked bay beside the patio.
Opens on Booking.com
The operator's page puts this walk at about 12 minutes. The exact pavement, any steps, and which door you leave from still need a check if you have a buggy or heavy bags.
Route detailsThe operator's page allows about 15 to 20 minutes toward the city by tram or by car. The figure moves with the service and the traffic. Check the platform lifts at Heaton Park if you need step-free access.
Route detailsThe reason many people pick this lodge. It sits on the Prestwich side of the park, with a lawn of its own as well. Several pedestrian entrances serve the park, so a single distance from the door would be misleading. No park photograph was cleared for this page.
Visitor informationThe practical way into Manchester without a car. The operator's walk is about 12 minutes. Allow for the day's service, and check the platform lifts if you cannot use the stairs.
Visitor informationThe area
Stay here when the park matters more than being in the middle of Manchester. Heaton Park tram stop is the useful public-transport link, for the city in one direction and Bury in the other. When this guide was prepared, the Bury-bound platform lift at that stop was being replaced, with no finish date shown, and the Manchester-bound lift was still open. If you need a lift, check Bee Network on the day you travel.
Cafe hours, the animal centre and any fireworks night belong on the park's own pages. They change, and they are not repeated here. Check those pages before you plan a day around one facility.
Guest reviews
117 Guest reviews
The guest score is 8.7 from 117 reviews. The comments that repeat are the quiet setting, the park and a clean, comfortable lodge. The useful complaints are street parking that fills up, wind chimes outside, and breakfast that one group expected and did not get.
Guest feedback is paraphrased. Scores reflect the source on the date shown. September 26, 2026
Opens on Booking.com
Alice
A solo guest liked the lodge as a base for Heaton Park, with Bury market and the tram into the city both close, and found it had what she needed for the stay. Her confirmation mentioned one parking space, which turned out to be on the street and awkward when the road was full.
Rachel
A couple who came for Parklife booked the lodge the same day after a poor night somewhere else. They found it clean and cosy, and said the people hosting them were kind about the short notice.
David
A couple looking for a peaceful break described the stay as quiet and relaxing, which matches the setting on a residential road by the park.
Peter
A solo guest in spring kept the comment short: a quiet spot and a comfortable bed.
Christine
A solo guest described a peaceful stay that was still close to everyday shops and the park.
Gayle
A group praised the location and said the host put a Wi-Fi fault right quickly. They had an ironing board and slept well. They had expected breakfast and did not receive it, though tea and coffee were there, and they bought food from a nearby shop.
Mellyh
A couple still gave a top score and singled out wind chimes outside as the thing that got on their nerves.
Rachel
Another couple, earlier in the year, called the lodge clean and comfortable, with clear messages from the host and a price they thought was fair.
Explore the full reviews for more perspectives on staying here.
Opens on Booking.com
Photos
Opens on Booking.com
The practical details
The Old Vicarage Lodge
Check-in is from 14:00 until midnight, and you need to say what time you will arrive. Check-out is from 06:00 until 11:00. The map shows the building, not the door to use or a place to unload. Ask the operator before you turn up with luggage.
Parking is free on the public street nearby, and a space cannot be reserved. A confirmation that mentions one included space has still meant that street, which can be busy. There is no private bay in the photographs of the patio.
Children of any age are welcome. From age 12 they count as adults for the booking, so add their ages when you search. Whether a cot is possible depends on the option you choose, and there are no extra beds. The second sleeping place is the sofa bed.
The current house rules say pets are not allowed. A reply in 2022 that pets could be requested, and a reply in August 2026 that accepted one particular dog, do not change that rule. Smoking is not allowed, and neither are parties. The person checking in must be at least 18. Nothing here sets out an assistance-animal arrangement, so ask the operator if you need one.
The booking partner takes the payment for the stay. Bring cash for any extras once you arrive. Cancellation and prepayment depend on the rate you choose, so read that rate before you confirm.
Do not count on breakfast. The house rules and the operator's page do not describe one, and a group who expected it did not receive it. Tea and coffee have been available.
The apartment is on the ground floor, which is not the same as a checked step-free route. Door widths, thresholds and the path from the pavement are not published. The operator's site applies a wheelchair label. Treat that as their description, and ask them for measurements if step-free access is essential.
FAQs
Do not count on it. The house rules and the operator's page do not describe a breakfast, and a group who expected one did not receive it. Tea and coffee have been available, and a shop nearby has covered the gap.
The current house rules say pets are not allowed. Older messages that allowed a request, or one particular dog, do not make the lodge pet-friendly. Ask the operator directly if you travel with an assistance animal. This page has no separate rule for that.
On the street. It is free and it cannot be reserved. The road can be busy, even if your confirmation mentions one space.
Up to four. There is one bed in the bedroom and a sofa bed. Children of any age are welcome. Ages 12 and over count as adults when you book. Cots depend on the option you select, and there are no extra beds.
No. It is in Prestwich, on the edge of Heaton Park, with a tram ride of about 15 to 20 minutes toward the city. Whitefield is a different town and is not this address.
The apartment is on the ground floor. That does not tell you about steps from the street, door widths or the shower. Ask the operator for those measurements if you need them. The map pin is the building, not a checked entrance.
From 14:00 until midnight, and you should tell them the time in advance. Check-out is from 06:00 until 11:00.
Yes. Wi-Fi is free in the lodge. A speed is not published, so do not plan a heavy work day around an unstated connection. One group said the host fixed a fault quickly.