Parrs Wood is an area in the south of the city of Manchester. It is part of Didsbury. Parrs Wood is named after the stunning mansion which stands in the area. There are no defined boundaries for Parrs Wood. It is often used to refer to the land that was once owned by the mansion.
Parrs Wood has only recently been inhabited, at least en-mass. The main highlight of the area is the 18th Century Georgian mansion which stands in the area. It is not quite as luxurious as some of the other mansions that you will find throughout the United Kingdom, with many people liken it to a cheaper version of Heaton Hall, found in nearby Heaton Park (also in Manchester)
Parrs Wood House is a white stucco mansion. It is two floors high. Evidently, very few people cared about the building throughout history, mostly due to the fact that it is not that grand compared to other mansions. We still have no idea who the architect of the building is.
In 1825, the house was home to James Heald, a local Tory MP. When he had no children, the house was passed through his family. In the 1920s, with no desire to ensure that it continued to be maintained, it was sold on to Manchester Corporation. It became Parrs Wood High School. A lot of the land around the house has now been turned into an entertainment complex, although the school is still there. The mansion acts as the sixth form centre for the school. However, many of the buildings have disappeared. For example; the stable for the mansion was burned down during the redevelopment.
Up until recently, Parrs Wood was ignored by much of Manchester. This is because the bulk of the area was dominated by the school, and there was not much more to the area bar a few houses. However, since the construction of the entertainment complex, Parrs Wood has been attracting more and more people to this part of Manchester.
Parrs Wood currently plays host to Cineworld, a bowling complex, and Nuffield Health. However, the unit which seems to attract the most visitors is Grosvenor Casino. This is an important unit for the area. As you may recall; Manchester was originally going to be home to the first super casino in the United Kingdom, but this is a plan that fell through. There are not that many casinos within Manchester now, so Grosvenor Casino certainly stands out. You will also find a health club in the entertainment complex (this health club has a swimming pool), a casino, and a hotel. The hotel is mostly used by business visitors who want to stay in a slightly more affordable part of the city of Manchester.
At the entertainment complex in Parrs Wood, you will also find plenty of restaurants including Nandos, Frankie & Bennys, Pizza Hut and Starbucks. It is likely that the range of units will expand in the future as the project appears to have been quite successful, although it is unclear where the land will come from. It is fair to say that since the entertainment complex is on the land of the school, it is very popular among the youth of the area!
It is easy to get into central Manchester from Parrs Wood. One of the busiest transport routes in Manchester, known as the Wilmslow Road bus corridor, ends its services in Parrs Wood.
In addition to this, the terminus of the South Manchester Line tram is also in Parrs Wood. Close by, you will find the East Disbury Railway station which will take you to either Manchester Airport or Manchester Piccadilly.