Rail bosses are looking for someone to take on ‘Britain’s coolest 1960s station café’

The lease on ‘Britain’s coolest 1960s station café’ is up - and rail bosses say they are ‘open to any interest and innovation’.

The sweeping mid century design and curved wood of Manchester’s Oxford Road station has been described as ’one of the most remarkable and unusual’ in the country.

Said to be the city’s answer to the Sydney Opera House, the station was redesigned by architect Max Clendinning in the 1960s and remains one of Manchester’s most iconic buildings.

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But the ambitious design is not just limited to the station concourse, platforms and roof. The café - which is nestled on Platform 4 just past the ticket barriers - also features wood panelling and mid century features.

Northern - which runs the grade II listed station - is calling for proposals from anyone who would like to restore and run the little café.

Historian Tim Dunn says it’s a great opportunity for a business to create an ‘astonishing’ food and beverage outlet. “MANCHESTER! Want to restore & run Britain’s coolest 1960s station café?” he tweeted, while sharing a link to the Rightmove advert.

“The lease at @northernassist Manc Oxford Rd is up! Am sure @RailwayHeritage wld welcome chat about giving grant aid to restore original postwar features. Don’t let this chance slip by.

“Passenger numbers are rising & their desire for quality is too. With Pumpkin gone, you could work with @northernassist to create an astonishing F&B outlet in this iconic transport location. Someone in Manchester must have the vision… maybe it’s you.”

Tim suggests that the Railway Heritage Trust (RHT) - an organisation which provides grants to restore listed buildings on the