Originally built for the prosperous Manchester upper-middle classes, by the 20th century it had become the preserve of the medical and legal professions.

In 1745, during the Jacobite invasion of England, Charles Edward Stuart set up an artillery battery in the St John area, which was then a patchwork of fields on the edge of the City of Manchester.

Resident at Byrom House, he established Manchester's first bank,[2] and funded the construction of St John's Church in 1769.

Originally designed as homes for the wealthier middle-classes, by the 20th century most of the buildings had been converted to offices, principally for the medical and legal professions.

[1] In the 21st century, some of the buildings are being re-converted to residential use; the high selling prices of these conversions have led to St John Street being dubbed Manchester's "Millionaires' Row".