Bruntwood SciTech has completed a £6m transformation 117-119 Portland Street — a Grade II listed gem in the heart of Manchester city centre, unveiling the historic building as the anchor of its new Thread Works cluster aimed at creative, tech and innovation led businesses.
Originally built in 1886 and home to 19th-century shipping merchants Schill Seebohm & Co, the former cotton warehouse has been meticulously restored and reimagined as a future-facing workspace.
Now part of a four-building cluster that includes 113–115 Portland Street, 127 Portland Street and 61 Oxford Street, Thread Works forms a gateway between the city centre and Manchester’s Oxford Road Corridor knowledge quarter.
Take a video tour of the building below…
In the latest edition in our Spaces and Places series, offering readers glimpses into the region’s coolest and most creative new spaces, we’ve been given exclusive access inside the striking 117-119 Portland Street — the 35,000 sq ft reinvention aiming to weave together the city’s industrial past with its creative future.
“It’s a space for tomorrow’s economy, situated in a building which was born out of the city’s first economic revolution“,” said Richard Roper, Associate Director – Asset and Property Management at Bruntwood SciTech. “As the anchor of our new Thread Works cluster, it supports the growing number of innovation-led businesses who want highly sustainable office space near Manchester’s world-class universities, talent and transport.”
The cluster’s name, Thread Works, is as symbolic as it is historic. It reflects both its industrial roots in Manchester’s textile trade and the modern computing concept of a ‘thread’ – the smallest sequence of instructions a computer can handle. Together, these themes weave a narrative of heritage meeting innovation — past powering future.
Spread across six floors and totalling 35,000 sq ft, the building features nine fully fitted and furnished workspaces, with suites ranging from 1,200 to 6,200 sq ft. Floors one and two have been split into smaller 2k and 4k sq ft spaces to suit growing businesses, while the third and fourth floors retain their full-floor grandeur for firms ready to scale.
But it’s not just about square footage – amenities have been curated to elevate the workday. A ground floor business lounge features private phone booths, a fitted kitchen, and complimentary refreshments. In the basement, there’s a gym open to all Thread Works customers, high-end changing rooms with towel service, and a 40-seat bookable auditorium.
As a community, Thread Works has been designed to encourage collaboration across industries. Shared amenities, breakout spaces, and a focus on events help foster creative collisions between companies in everything from architecture to AI.
Some businesses have already made the move. Architecture practice WW+P and engineering consultancy Egis UK have taken over the entire ground floor, while Property Hub – known for its popular buy-to-let podcast – is also set to join the cluster.
“Joining the Thread Works cluster marks an exciting moment in our strategic growth,” said Adam Brown, Associate and Manchester Studio Lead at WW+P. “It offers us the opportunity to deepen our connections with Manchester and continue championing design quality and creative collaboration.”
As part of a wider £243m programme by Bruntwood SciTech across Manchester, the completion of 117–119 Portland Street signals a vote of confidence in the city’s growing innovation sector. With sustainability built in – including full electrification, 100% renewable energy use and an EPC ‘A’ rating – it’s a bold, thoughtful reworking of the past, designed to shape what comes next. Find out more about Bruntwood SciTech.
