Film crew hire/Manchester/Props and wardrobe
Props and wardrobe for Manchester shoots. Who has what, and who runs it on the day.
The North’s biggest prop house is in Trafford Park, and one of Manchester’s largest costume collections sits behind a theatre on Swan Street. Here’s where to go, how prop hire is charged, and who you need on set.
Biggest prop house
70,000 sq ft
Prop hire · first week
10% of value
Stylist · APA card
£519–647 a day
Costume hire
Royal Exchange
On this page
01 The people
Who runs props and wardrobe on a shoot
On a corporate interview, often nobody: the contributor wears their own clothes and the set is their office. On a brand film, these are the roles, at the APA/Bectu card rates for September 2026.
| Role | What they do | Card day rate |
|---|---|---|
| Art director | Designs the look of the set and runs the art department | £675–878 |
| Props buyer | Finds, buys or hires everything on screen | £493–585 |
| Props | Looks after props on set between takes | £341–398 |
| Stylist | Chooses and fits the wardrobe for talent and contributors | £519–647 |
| Costume designer | Designs and sources costume for period or character work | £562–694 |
| Wardrobe | Fits, maintains and checks continuity on the day | £341–398 |
| Hair and make-up | Gets people camera-ready, and keeps them that way | £341–398 |
| Home economist | Prepares and styles food for camera | £541–668 |
02 Props
Prop hire and set dressing
Manchester has one of the biggest prop houses outside London, and the rest of the North is a van ride away.
Trafford Park · M17 1JL
Stockyard North
70,000 sq ft of props, dressing and furniture: medical, office, retail, signage (airports included), post office, army, catering, church and road works. Its Klart Art Hire arm rents 180+ copyright-free artworks, which saves a clearance headache.
Allostock, Knutsford · WA16
Wainwright Film & TV
Greens, greenery props, ground cover and set dressing, supplied and installed with its own crew, nationwide. House of Guinness and Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Elland, West Yorkshire
Interweave Healthcare
Genuine NHS gowns, scrubs and bedding for hospital scenes, to buy rather than hire, dispatched in one to two days.
Aylesbury, Hoddesdon and London
House of Props, Keeley Hire and Trading Post
When the North doesn’t have it. House of Props delivers nationwide and quotes £175–400 for a standard three-day hire; Keeley Hire holds 12,000+ items; Trading Post has hired props since 1938.
Space Studios, West Gorton
DESIGN 108
Printing, graphics and signage for art departments: shop fronts, posters, packaging, paperwork in shot.
03 Wardrobe
Costume and wardrobe
Swan Street · M4 5JY
Royal Exchange Theatre costume hire
One of Manchester’s largest costume collections, across many decades and periods, hired to TV, film and events.
Space Studios, West Gorton
Northern Threads
Costume, based alongside the stages at Space Studios.
Church Street and Oldham Street
Afflecks and the Northern Quarter
Where stylists buy: 70+ independent traders at Afflecks, and Cow, Pop Boutique and Oxfam Originals for vintage, a few streets apart.
MediaCityUK
Hair and make-up
Media Make-up Management supplies hair and make-up artists across the North from MediaCityUK. We also book HMU from our own crew list.
Northern Ballet and Opera North
Leeds, for the record
Worth knowing what isn’t on offer: Northern Ballet hires whole productions only, and Opera North sells costume off occasionally rather than hiring it.
04 Specialist
Replica weapons, uniforms, vehicles and art
Weapons
UK law lets people taking part in a film production handle a firearm without a certificate during the production (Firearms Act 1968, section 12). Manchester adds its own rule: Screen Manchester prohibits firearms of any kind, real or replica, without prior agreement, and Greater Manchester Police are told. Use an armourer; Bapty supplies on-set armourers to film and TV.
Police uniforms and vehicles
Need Screen Manchester’s guidance before the shoot. Keep them covered between takes so nobody mistakes the set for the real thing.
Picture vehicles
Stars on Wheels lists more than 50 classic, prestige and camper vehicles in Greater Manchester.
Art and graphics
Anything on a wall in shot needs clearing. Stockyard North’s Klart hires copyright-free art, and DESIGN 108 prints signage and graphics.
05 Costs
How prop hire is charged
By the week
A one-day hire is usually charged as a week. Propaganda charges one to seven days as a week; Stockyard North charges 10% of an item’s risk value for the first week.
Risk value
Every item has one. Lose or break it and that’s the bill, so the hirer insures to it from collection to return.
You collect
Most houses expect the production to collect and return, and charge late returns at the weekly rate.
Cancellation
Stockyard North charges 10% of the hire, or £40, if you cancel within 24 hours of collection; Propaganda charges 50%.
Lead time
No house we checked publishes one. For a dressed set, allow a prep day to collect and a day to return.
Need props or wardrobe?
Tell us what’s in the frame. We’ll book the stylist, buyer or art director, source it, and put each item on the quote. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Quick contact form
06 Questions
Props and wardrobe in Manchester: questions
Where can I hire props in Manchester?
Stockyard North in Trafford Park is the biggest: 70,000 sq ft of props, dressing and furniture, plus copyright-free art through Klart. Propaganda in Ardwick does contemporary and period props, and Wainwright near Knutsford does greens and dressing.
How much does prop hire cost?
It’s priced by the week, as a share of each item’s value. Stockyard North charges 10% of the risk value for the first week; Propaganda charges one to seven days as a full week, and 75% for each week after.
Can I hire costumes in Manchester?
Yes. The Royal Exchange Theatre on Swan Street hires from one of the city’s largest costume collections, by appointment on weekdays. For contemporary wardrobe, stylists buy from Afflecks and the Northern Quarter’s vintage shops.
Can I use a replica gun on a shoot in Manchester?
Only with Screen Manchester’s prior agreement: it prohibits firearms of any kind, real or replica, without it, and the police are told. Use an armourer, and keep the prop out of sight between takes.
Do you supply stylists and hair and make-up?
Yes, from our crew list, at APA/Bectu card rates: £519–647 a day for a stylist and £341–398 for hair and make-up on the September 2026 card.
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