90-547: Heaton Mersey is a suburb of Stockport , Greater Manchester , England. It is situated on the north-western border of Stockport, adjacent to Didsbury and Burnage which are in the City of Manchester . The suburb is an affluent residential area and commuter zone of Manchester ; part of it has been designated a conservation area to protect its heritage. Heaton Mersey, together with its neighbouring suburbs, Heaton Norris , Heaton Chapel and Heaton Moor , are collectively known as
180-663: A Sea Life Centre aquarium. As of 2011 , 10 percent of the UK population lived within a 45-minute drive of the Trafford Centre. There is a bus station at the west end of the Trafford Centre, with services to most towns in Greater Manchester. The Trafford Centre has 12,500 car spaces and 350 coach spaces; it is sited off the M60 , at junctions 9 and 10. Its popularity has resulted in traffic congestion on
270-620: A number plate can then be passed to Stretford Police station. The centre is served by two stops on the Trafford Park Line of the Manchester Metrolink network. The terminus, The Trafford Centre tram stop , serves the west of the centre, while the Barton Dock Road tram stop serves the east of the centre and Trafford Palazzo. From 1998 to 2020, a shuttle bus had connected Stretford tram stop and
360-563: A planning application to Trafford Council for development of approximately 300 acres (120 ha) of land in 1986. The application was called in by the Secretary of State for the Environment and legal disputes ensued requiring two public inquiries before planning permission was granted. Objections included congestion fears on the M60 motorway , and adverse consequences for retailers across Greater Manchester. Planning permission
450-574: A 1784 demonstration against taxation, avoided William Pitt the Younger 's saddle tax on horses by riding to market at Stockport on an ox. The incident is also celebrated in 'The Glass Umbrella' in St Petersgate Gardens, one of the works on Stockport's Arts Trail. "At this place poverty is not much felt except by those who are idle, for all persons capable of tying knots may find work in the silk mills ... children of six years earn
540-404: A Stockport township covering the central part of the parish including the town itself. The townships were all made separate civil parishes in 1866. The Stockport township was an ancient borough , having been made a borough during the reign of Henry III (reigned 1216–1272). A Stockport parliamentary borough (constituency) was created in 1832, covering the old borough of Stockport, part of
630-689: A ballroom described by John Betjeman as "magnificent" which contains the Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ formerly installed in the Paramount and later Odeon Theatre in Manchester. The war memorial and art gallery are on Greek Street, opposite the town hall. Underbank Hall is a Grade II* listed late 16th-century timber-framed building which was the townhouse of the Arderne family from Bredbury who occupied it until 1823. Since 1824, it has been used as
720-474: A bank and its main banking hall lies behind the 16th-century structure and dates from 1915. Stockport Viaduct is 111 feet (34 m) high, and carries four railway tracks over the River Mersey on the line to Manchester Piccadilly . The viaduct built of 11,000,000 bricks, a major feat of Victorian engineering, was completed in 21 months at a cost of £70,000. The structure is Grade II* listed. Beside
810-438: A business and industrial estate. Mersey Vale nature reserve and two ponds are also found here, one being a club-owned fishing pond. Just off Didsbury Road, opposite Heaton Mersey village, lies Heaton Mersey Bowl which is a large depression in the ground used as open green space. Heaton Mersey Common, which is another local nature reserve with fields and woodland, is situated next to the former Cranford Golf range. It, too, contains
900-506: A cost of £26 million and incorporates a sweeping staircase with marble balustrades . The centre claims its Great Hall has the largest chandelier in the world at 11 metres (36 ft) wide and 15 metres (49 ft) high. The feature incorporates three internal maintenance walkways and weighs five ton. The 19,000 square metres (200,000 sq ft), covered Trafford Palazzo opened in 2008 and cost £70 million. The former name referenced nearby Barton-upon-Irwell . Trafford Palazzo
990-402: A former mill building in the town centre, St Thomas Place. The company plan to transform the mill into 51 residential apartments as part of the regeneration of Stockport. There is one main tier of local government covering Stockport, at metropolitan borough level: Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council , which meets at Stockport Town Hall on Wellington Road South and has its main offices in
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#17327942028051080-410: A good water power site (described by Rodgers as "by far the finest of any site within the lowland" [of the Manchester region] ) and a workforce used to textile factory work meant Stockport was well placed to take advantage of the phenomenal expansion in cotton processing in the late 18th century. Warren's mill in the market place was the first. Power came from an undershot water wheel in a deep pit, fed by
1170-542: A large pond. Out of the four Heatons, Heaton Mersey has the most green space by area and is the only to be situated on a river or contain any substantial water body. The settlement of Heaton Mersey is rooted in the local industry which developed in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Prior to this, the area was agricultural, with small hamlets along the route between Stockport and Didsbury. Three of these hamlets, Grundy Hill, Top O' Th' Bank, and Parrs Fold eventually formed modern Heaton Mersey. The main industrial change for
1260-492: A market place at a hamlet. Older derivations include stock , a stockaded place or castle, with port , a wood, hence a castle in a wood. The castle probably refers to Stockport Castle , a 12th-century motte-and-bailey first mentioned in 1173. Other derivations are based on early variants such as Stopford and Stockford. There is evidence that a ford across the Mersey existed at the foot of Bridge Street Brow. Stopford retains
1350-509: A reminder of the power stations formerly on the site. The Orient is Europe's largest food court with 1,600 seats and 35 retail outlets. It is decorated in the style of a 1930s ocean liner, incorporating detail representing China, New Orleans , Egypt, Italy, americana and Morocco. The two floors incorporate restaurants, bars and fast food outlets in sight of a giant screen . The Great Hall opened 2007, its glazed structure housing five restaurants and cafes. Construction took 18 months at
1440-651: A retaining wall. Two other sections can be seen either side of the River Mersey upstream of the weir and opposite the nearby farm. From January 1889 until 4 May 1968, there was a steam locomotive depot named Heaton Mersey TMD , coded 9F . It lay on the north bank of the Mersey and was reached by a footbridge, still extant, leading from Gorsey Bank Road. Schools include the primary schools: Tithe Barn, Didsbury Road, Mersey Vale and Saint Winifred's RC Primary School, famous for St Winifred's School Choir and chart hits in
1530-605: A shilling a week and more as they grow capable of deserving it." Anon, 1769. Hatmaking was established in north Cheshire and south-east Lancashire by the 16th century. From the 17th century Stockport became a centre for the hatting industry and later the silk industry. Stockport expanded rapidly during the Industrial Revolution , helped particularly by the growth of the cotton manufacturing industries. However, economic growth took its toll, and 19th century philosopher Friedrich Engels wrote in 1844 that Stockport
1620-633: A tunnel from the River Goyt. The positioning on high ground, unusual for a water-powered mill, contributed to an early demise, but the concept of moving water around in tunnels proved successful, and several tunnels were driven under the town from the Goyt to power mills. In 1796, James Harrisson drove a wide cut from the Tame which fed several mills in the Park, Portwood . Other water-powered mills were built on
1710-425: A use in the adjectival form, Stopfordian, for Stockport-related items, and pupils of Stockport Grammar School style themselves Stopfordians. Stopfordian is used as the general term, or demonym used for people from Stockport, much as someone from London would be a Londoner. Stockport has never been a sea or river port as the Mersey is not navigable here; in the centre of Stockport the river has been culverted and
1800-603: Is currently the home of Heaton Mersey Village Cricket Club.( https://hmvillage.play-cricket.com/home ) The Stockport-based band Blossoms used Heaton Mersey Bowl and the adjacent Vale Close to film sections of the music video for the song "Honey Sweet". Stockport Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester , England, 8 miles (13 km) south-east of Manchester , 9 miles (14 km) south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and 12 miles (19 km) north of Macclesfield . The Rivers Goyt and Tame merge to create
1890-459: Is linked to the main Trafford Centre by a glazed bridge and incorporates a mock Italian Renaissance square with fountain and campanile tower. A £75 million renovation commenced in mid 2018 for Primark to open as an anchor tenant in 2020. The first floor extension created 110,000 sq ft of new retail floor space. Leisure facilities include a 20-screen Odeon cinema; Laser Quest arena; miniature golf ; dodgems ; bowling ; arcade games and
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#17327942028051980-420: Is nicknamed The Hatters. Dominating the western approaches to the town is Stockport Viaduct . Built in 1840, its 27 brick arches carry the mainline railway passing through the town over the River Mersey. Stockport was recorded as "Stokeport" in 1170. The currently accepted etymology is Old English port , a market place, with stoc , a hamlet (but more accurately a minor settlement within an estate); hence,
2070-399: Is on elevated ground, 6.1 miles (9.8 km) south-east of Manchester city centre , at the confluence of the rivers Goyt and Tame , creating the River Mersey. It shares a common boundary with the City of Manchester . Stockport stands on Permian sandstones and red Triassic sandstones and mudstones, mantled by thick deposits of till and pockets of sand and gravel deposited by glaciers at
2160-582: Is the statuary , fountains and other sculpture. There are over 100 figures, mainly in a classical Greek / Roman , or Art Nouveau style. Altrincham sculptor Colin Spofforth created bronze figures of a jazz band for the New Orleans theme, and the crest, above the main entrance. The latter assembles a griffin , unicorn and Roman centurion , once more referencing the arms of the de Trafford family. The centurion holds two lightning bolts ,
2250-406: Is to bring more than 3,000 residents into the centre of the town, and revitalise its residential property and retail markets in a similar fashion to the nearby city of Manchester. Many ex-industrial areas around the town's core will be brought back into productive use as mixed-use residential and commercial developments. Property development company FreshStart Living has been involved in redeveloping
2340-604: The English Civil War the town was supportive of Parliament and was garrisoned by local militias of around 3,000 men commanded by Majors Mainwaring and Duckenfield. Prince Rupert advanced on the town on 25 May 1644, with 8–10,000 men and 50 guns, with a brief skirmish at the site of the bridge, in which Colonel Washington's Dragoons led the Royalist attack. Rupert continued his march via Manchester and Bolton to meet defeat at Marston Moor near York. Stockport bridge
2430-553: The Four Heatons of Stockport. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire , Heaton Mersey lies on the north bank of the River Mersey , just a few miles downstream from its source in Stockport town centre. The river acts as a boundary between Heaton Mersey and the areas of Cheadle Heath and Cheadle Village . Heaton Mersey is also bordered by the City of Manchester , by the following areas; East Didsbury to
2520-578: The Luton area. In 1966, the largest of the region's remaining felt hat manufacturers, Battersby & Co, T & W Lees, J. Moores & Sons, and Joseph Wilson & Sons, merged with Christy & Co to form Associated British Hat Manufacturers , leaving Christy's and Wilson's (at Denton) as the last two factories in production. The Wilson's factory closed in 1980, followed by the Christy's factory in 1997, bringing to an end over 400 years of hatting in
2610-760: The Peak District . At the 2001 UK census , Stockport had a population of 136,082. The 2001 population density was 11,937 per mi (4,613 per km ), with a 100 to 94.0 female-to-male ratio. Of those over 16 years old, 32% were single (never married) and 50.2% married. Stockport's 58,687 households included 33.1% one-person, 33.7% married couples living together, 9.7% were co-habiting couples, and 10.4% single parents with their children, these figures were similar to those of Stockport Metropolitan Borough and England. Of those aged 16–74, 29.2% had no academic qualifications , significantly higher than that of 25.7% in all of Stockport Metropolitan Borough but similar to
2700-453: The River Mersey here. It is the main settlement of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Stockport . In 2011 it had a population of 137,130. Most of the town is within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire , with the area north of the Mersey in the historic county of Lancashire . Stockport in the 16th century was a small town entirely on the south bank of the Mersey, known for the cultivation of hemp and manufacture of rope . In
2790-615: The Trafford Centre , Altrincham and Piccadilly Gardens . Road connections are available via the A5145 to the A34 at Parrs Wood and the A6 at Stockport. The M60 Manchester orbital motorway is also accessible at junctions 1, 2 and 3. Local buses allow for connections to Manchester Metrolink at nearby East Didsbury tram stop , which is the southern terminus of a route to Rochdale , via
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2880-625: The hundred of Salford, which was poorly surveyed. The area south of the Mersey was part of the Hamestan hundred. Cheadle , Bramhall , Bredbury , and Romiley are mentioned, but these all lay just outside the town limits. The survey includes valuations of the Salford hundred as a whole and Cheadle for the times of Edward the Confessor , just before the Norman invasion of 1066 , and the time of
2970-402: The metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. In 1986, Greater Manchester County Council was abolished and Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council assumed its functions, with some services being provided by joint committees. In 2011, Stockport bid for city status as part of the 2012 Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations but was unsuccessful. There are four parliamentary constituencies in
3060-586: The model village are parts of a mill community designed in the main by Alfred Waterhouse for workers of Houldsworth Mill . Trafford Centre The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre and entertainment complex in Urmston, Greater Manchester , England. It opened in 1998 and is third largest in the United Kingdom by retail space. Originally developed by the Peel Group ,
3150-624: The urban districts of Reddish in 1901 and Heaton Norris in 1913. It continued to straddle the geographical counties of Cheshire and Lancashire until 1974, although it was placed entirely in Lancashire for judicial purposes in 1956. In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972 , the old County Borough of Stockport was amalgamated with neighbouring districts to form the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in
3240-465: The 18th century, it had one of the first mechanised silk factories in the British Isles . Stockport's predominant industries of the 19th century were the cotton and allied industries. It was also at the centre of the country's hatting industry, which by 1884 was exporting more than six million hats a year; the last hat works in Stockport closed in 1997. The town's football club, Stockport County ,
3330-488: The 18th century. A cache of coins dating from 375 to 378 AD may have come from the banks of the Mersey at Daw Bank; these were possibly buried for safekeeping at the side of a road. Six coins from the reigns of the Anglo-Saxon English Kings Edmund (reigned 939–946) and Eadred (reigned 946–955) were found during ploughing at Reddish Green in 1789. There are contrasting views about
3420-619: The 1980s, all rated outstanding; other schools include Stella Maris School , an independent primary school, and St. John's Church of England , which are both rated good. The local comprehensive is Priestnall School , formerly rated outstanding, however dropping to a requires improvement rating in 2019. Pre-schools are Freshfield (rated good), Didsbury Road and Mersey Vale. The area has a Sea Scout base on Didsbury Road, with beaver scouts , cub scouts and sea scouts currently active. It also hosts regular harvest farmer's markets , car boot sales and family fun days. The Moorfest music festival
3510-471: The Barracks Square dwellings, where many young apprentices inhabited. Much of the housing has however since been demolished. A number of villas were built beyond the main industrial village, and by the 1830s, Heaton Mersey was becoming a fashionable suburb among the industrial elite. Local churches opened in the 1840s and 1850s, the population grew significantly between the 1850s and 1880s, and
3600-561: The Dome area on the third floor, with the infrastructure for an additional fourth floor built ready during the initial construction. There was a originally a market-style area at the end of Peel Avenue called Festival Village, playing host to a range of children's entertainment, independent retailers and restaurants. It was eventually closed in late 2003 to make way for a John Lewis store, which opened in May 2005. There are three domed atria along
3690-632: The Heaton Mersey area was the development of the Upper and Lower Bleachworks. The first works were built by the industrialist Samuel Oldknow , and his brother, on the north bank of the River Mersey in 1785. Oldknow's influence had already been felt in other areas of Stockport, best known for industrial and canal building activities in Marple and Mellor . Activities at the Bleachworks included
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3780-529: The M60 motorway is the Stockport Pyramid , a distinctive structure designed by Christopher Denny from Michael Hyde and Associates. It has a steel frame covered with mostly blue glass and clear glass paneling at the apex and was intended to be the signature building for a much larger development planned in 1987. Construction began in the early 1990s and it was completed in 1992 but an economic downturn caused
3870-491: The M60's Barton High-Level Bridge, requiring a link road adjacent to the M60 crossing the ship canal on a new lift bridge. All vehicles entering the centre have number plate details recorded via automatic number plate recognition . Since its introduction in 2003 at a cost of £220,000, the system has reduced the number of thefts of and from vehicles to a level described as "negligible". The ANPR tracks cars which have been used for serious offences and details of any car with such
3960-530: The Mersey. The town was connected to the national canal network by the 5 miles (8.0 km) of the Stockport branch of the Ashton Canal opened in 1797 which continued in use until the 1930s. Much of it is now filled in, but there is an active campaign to re-open it for leisure uses. In the early 19th century, the number of hatters in the area began to increase, and a reputation for high quality work
4050-774: The Stockport Metropolitan Borough: Stockport , Reddish and denton , Cheadle and Hazel Grove . Stockport has been represented by the Labour MP Navendu Mishra since 2019 . Tom Morrison has been the Liberal Democrat MP for Cheadle since 2024 and Lisa Smart has been the Lib Dem MP for Hazel Grove since 2024 . At 53°24′30″N 2°8′58″W / 53.40833°N 2.14944°W / 53.40833; -2.14944 (53.408°, −2.149°) Stockport
4140-558: The Trafford Centre as a building which "will not appeal to purists" and the range of interior architecture as "bewildering". Portraits around the walls of the mall depict members of the Whittaker family. A Mercedes car formerly belonging to John Whittaker's mother was initially displayed on the first floor mall outside F. Hinds but is now in Trafford Palazzo. A feature of the centre, and particularly Trafford Palazzo,
4230-490: The Trafford Centre was sold to Capital Shopping Centres, later to become Intu , in 2011 for £1.65 billion; it set a record as the costliest single property sale in British history. The battle to obtain permission to build the centre was amongst the longest and most expensive in United Kingdom planning history. As of 2011 , the Trafford Centre had Europe's largest food court and the UK's busiest cinema . The site
4320-660: The adjoining Stopford House and Fred Perry House. The council is a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority , led by the directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester . Stockport was an ancient parish in the Macclesfield Hundred of Cheshire . The parish was large, being sub-divided into fourteen townships : Bramhall , Bredbury , Brinnington , Disley , Dukinfield , Hyde , Marple , Norbury , Offerton , Romiley , Stockport Etchells , Torkington , Werneth , and
4410-448: The area were dispossessed and the land divided amongst the new Norman rulers. The first borough charter was granted in about 1220 and was the only basis for local government for six hundred years. A castle held by Geoffrey de Costentin is recorded as a rebel stronghold against Henry II in 1173–1174 when his sons revolted . There is an incorrect local tradition that Geoffrey was the king's son, Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany , who
4500-409: The area. The industry is commemorated by the UK's only dedicated hatting museum, Hat Works . Since the start of the 20th century Stockport has moved away from being a town dependent on cotton and its allied industries to one with a varied base. It makes the most of its varied heritage attractions, including a national museum of hatting, a unique system of World War II air raid tunnel shelters in
4590-401: The bleaching, dyeing and printing of cloth. The lower works had a five-storey spinning mill and extensive weaving shed, in addition to the bleachcroft and reservoirs to the east of the site. The upper works were built soon after the textile recession of 1793. The sites passed into the hands of several further owners after Oldknow. Some housing was built as a consequence of the industry, such as
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#17327942028054680-619: The building's columns. The marble floors and handrails are polished nightly to maintain the centre's opulence. The Trafford Centre has decorative features such as red roses of Lancaster which pay homage to the local area and North West England . Griffin statues adorn the exterior, the heraldic symbol of the de Trafford baronets who historically owned much of the land in modern-day Trafford . Elsewhere, fake palm trees and neo-classical decorative pillars made of painted, medium-density fibreboard have received criticism. Manchester architecture critic John Parkinson-Bailey described
4770-413: The centre for over £2 billion if he had been prepared to accept just cash. Nevertheless the £1.6 billion deal remained the largest property transaction in British history, and the biggest European property deal of 2011. Capital Shopping Centres was renamed Intu in 2013 and spent £7 million rebranding the "Intu Trafford Centre". As of 2017 , Intu claimed a fair market value of £2.312 billion for
4860-716: The centre. However, the firm entered administration in June 2020 and the centre was placed into receivership by its creditors in November 2020. In 2020, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board , who had loaned Intu £250 million in 2017, exercised their rights as creditors to take ownership of the complex. Construction of the Manchester Metrolink 's Trafford Park tram line began construction in January 2017. Test trams began in November 2019, and
4950-554: The city centre. The nearest National Rail stations are at: The suburb was once served by its own station; Heaton Mersey railway station was open between 1 January 1880 until 3 July 1961. It was built by the Midland Railway and was situated on the line from Cheadle Heath to Manchester Central . The station was situated in a cutting at the southern end of Station Road; it was demolished and filled-in shortly after its closure. The extension to Station Road, connecting it to
5040-500: The company. Accordingly, in 1986 it surrendered the right to appoint all but one of the Manchester Ship Canal's directors , and sold its shares to Whittaker for £10 million. Manchester City Council opposed Whittaker's proposal for retail development, stating it would impact negatively on the city centre economy, but accepted it was "obviously in the interests of the shareholders ". The Peel Group submitted
5130-477: The country. As part of that reform, the borough boundaries were enlarged to match the recently created constituency. The borough of Stockport therefore straddled Cheshire and Lancashire from 1836 onwards. Under the terms of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 , Stockport Poor Law Union was established on 3 February 1837 and was responsible for an area covering 16 parishes or townships (mostly from
5220-462: The design of the machinery. On his return he obtained a patent on the design, and went into production in Derby . When Lombe tried to renew his patent in 1732, silk spinners from towns including Manchester , Macclesfield , Leek , and Stockport successfully petitioned parliament to not renew the patent. Lombe was paid off, and in 1732 Stockport's first silk mill (the first water-powered textile mill in
5310-673: The end of the Last Glacial Period , some 15,000 years ago. To the extreme east is the Red Rock fault , and the older rocks from the Upper Carboniferous period surface. An outcrop of coal measures extends southwards through Tameside and into Hazel Grove . The Pennines lie to the east of the town, consisting of the upland moors and Millstone Grit outcrops of sandstones and shales in the Dark Peak area of
5400-519: The length of the mall , and the developers claim its £5 million middle dome is bigger than St Paul's Cathedral . The Trafford Centre also contains eclectic Art Deco and Egyptian Revival elements. It is decorated primarily in shades of white, pink and gold with ivory, jade and caramel coloured marble throughout. As of 1996 there were 45,000 square metres (480,000 sq ft) or £5.8 million of Tuscan marble and granite flooring from Montignoso and Quarrata , and gold leaf adorns
5490-461: The line opened from Pomona tram stop to intu Trafford Centre on 22 March 2020. intu Trafford Centre tram stop had to be renamed to The Trafford Centre in late 2020 after intu ceased ownership. John Whittaker , chose a lavish, unorthodox style seeking to avoid the centre rapidly appearing dated and stale, a problem many shopping centres were susceptible to. Although the extravagant Rococo and Baroque design may be viewed as gaudy, he argued
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#17327942028055580-748: The main shopping street, Merseyway, built above it. The earliest evidence of human occupation in the wider area are microliths from the hunter-gatherers of the Mesolithic period (the Middle Stone Age, about 8000–3500 BC) and weapons and stone tools from the Neolithic period (the New Stone Age, 3500–2000 BC). Early Bronze Age (2000–1200 BC) remains include stone hammers, flint knives, palstaves (bronze axe heads), and funerary urns ; all finds were chance discoveries, not
5670-403: The north-west of England) was opened on a bend in the Mersey. Further mills were opened on local brooks. Silk weaving expanded until in 1769 two thousand people were employed in the industry. By 1772 the boom had turned to bust, possibly due to cheaper foreign imports; by the late 1770s trade had recovered. The cycle of boom and bust would continue throughout the textile era. The combination of
5760-450: The old parish of Stockport) with a total population of 68,906. Stockport Union built a workhouse at Shaw Heath in 1841. When elected county councils were established in 1889, Stockport was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services, and so it was made a county borough , independent from both Cheshire County Council and Lancashire County Council . The borough boundaries were enlarged several times, notably absorbing
5850-495: The parish of Stockport, baptised in the parish church and attended Stockport Free School . A lawyer, he was appointed lord president of the high court of justice for the trial of King Charles I in 1649. Although he was dead by the time of the Restoration in 1660, his body was brought up from Westminster Abbey and hanged in its coffin at Tyburn . Stockport bridge has been documented as existing since at least 1282. During
5940-602: The project to be abandoned as the developers went into administration. The building lay empty until 1995 when The Co-operative Bank repossessed it and opened it as a call centre . Vernon Park, to the east towards Bredbury , was opened on 20 September 1858 on the anniversary of the Battle of the Alma in the Crimean War . It was named after Lord Vernon who presented the land to the town. St Elisabeth's Church, Reddish , and
6030-406: The prospect of the shopping centre rapidly ageing was mitigated and long-term less renovation work would be required. When we first started the architects said, "you shouldn’t be doing all this and giving it all the razzmatazz and showbiz, leave that to the retailers. Make it plain, make it clinical, make it white and hospitalised and let them do the work". So then we put in the paintings, we put in
6120-479: The railway line from Tiviot Dale in Stockport extended out to Heaton Mersey and beyond into other southern Manchester suburbs (see below). The railway station was demolished, as well as the Bleachworks themselves. Bus services in Heaton Mersey are operated primarily by Stagecoach Manchester along the main thoroughfare, the A5145 Didsbury Road. Routes connect the suburb with Didsbury, Chorlton ,
6210-452: The real gold leaf , we put artefacts everywhere, paintings. It is the people’s palace. It is something to attract shoppers ... to give them the Dallas effect. The design was a collaboration between the architectural practices of Chapman Taylor and Manchester-based Leach Rhodes Walker. Main contractor was Bovis , with structural engineering services provided by WSP Group . Such was
6300-503: The results of systematic searches of a known site. There is a gap in the age of finds between about 1200 BC and the start of the Roman period in about 70 AD, which may indicate depopulation, possibly due to a poorer climate. Despite a strong local tradition, there is little evidence of a Roman military station at Stockport. It is assumed that roads from Cheadle to Ardotalia (Melandra) and Manchester to Buxton crossed close to
6390-470: The significance of this; Arrowsmith takes this as evidence for the existence of a settlement at that time, but Morris states the find could be "an isolated incident". The small cache is the only Anglo-Saxon find in the area. However, the etymology Stoc-port suggests inhabitation during this period. No part of Stockport appears in the Domesday Book of 1086. The area north of the Mersey was part of
6480-455: The size and detailing of the building, architects ended up producing over 3,000 separate shop drawings and the construction process required 24 chartered architects to work on the project full-time to monitor progress. Peel Avenue, Regent Crescent, the Dome, and The Orient , comprising the original centre were designed so that visitor flows split equally between their two floors. The 20-screen Odeon Cinema and other leisure facilities are in
6570-524: The so-called Four Heatons . Stockport's principal commercial district is the town centre, with branches of most high-street stores to be found in the Merseyway Shopping Centre or The Peel Centre . Redrock Stockport has a twelve-screen cinema, bars and several restaurants. Stockport is six miles (9.7 km) from Manchester, making it convenient for commuters and shoppers. In 2008, the council's £500 million plans to redevelop
6660-643: The survey. The reduction in value is taken as evidence of destruction by William the Conqueror 's men in the campaigns generally known as the Harrying of the North . The omission of Stockport was once taken as evidence that destruction was so complete that a survey was not needed. Arrowsmith argues from the etymology that Stockport may have still been a market place associated with a larger estate, and so would not be surveyed separately. The Anglo-Saxon landholders in
6750-440: The town centre were cancelled after construction company Lendlease pulled out of the project, blaming the credit crunch. More recently work has begun with talks of a Metrolink route to Manchester, redevelopment of the old bus station amongst many old buildings becoming luxury apartments. Also many roadworks to deal with the intended growth from the development. Stockport Town Hall , designed by Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas , has
6840-612: The town centre, and a late medieval merchants' house on the 700-year-old Market Place. In 1967, the Stockport air disaster occurred, when a British Midland Airways C-4 Argonaut aeroplane crashed in the Hopes Carr area of the town, resulting in 72 deaths among the passengers and crew. On 23 November 1981, an F1/T2 tornado formed over Cheadle Hulme . It subsequently passed over Stockport town centre. In 2011, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council embarked on an ambitious regeneration scheme, known as Future Stockport. The plan
6930-518: The town centre. The preferred site is at a ford over the Mersey, known to be paved in the 18th century, but it has never been proved that this or any roads in the area are Roman. Hegginbotham reported (in 1892) the discovery of Roman mosaics at Castle Hill (around Stockport market) in the late 18th century, during the construction of a mill, but noted it was "founded on tradition only"; substantial stonework has never been dated by modern methods. However, Roman coins and pottery were probably found there during
7020-572: The township of Brinnington, the hamlets of Brinksway and Edgeley from the parish of Cheadle , and part of the township of Heaton Norris , the latter being on the north side of the River Mersey and forming part of the ancient parish of Manchester in Lancashire . Stockport was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , which standardised how most boroughs operated across
7110-488: The west, Burnage to the north-west. Within the direct vicinity the other areas within Stockport are; Heaton Moor to the north/north-east and Heaton Norris to the east. Heaton Mersey overlooks the Cheshire Plain , which can be clearly seen from the top part of Heaton Mersey park off Didsbury Road. At the bottom lies the valley of the River Mersey, where Heaton Mersey Bleachworks was situated (now demolished) as well as
7200-485: The western end of Craig Road so as to create access for residential development, ran parallel to the old track bed of the Midland line from Stockport Tiviot Dale ; this part of the route is now a footpath. Whilst nearly all of the original railway structure has long been removed, small sections of previous railway bridges remain. One structure exists where Vale Road and Craig Road meet and the former bridge section acts as
7290-421: The whole of England average at 28.9%. Although suburbs such as Woodford , Bramhall and Cheadle Hulme are relatively wealthy and 45% of the borough is green space, districts such as Edgeley , Adswood , Shaw Heath and Brinnington are among the poorer areas. In the north-west of the borough are the areas of Heaton Moor and Heaton Mersey , which together with Heaton Chapel and Heaton Norris comprise
7380-432: Was "renowned as one of the duskiest, smokiest holes" in the whole of the industrial area. Stockport was one of the prototype textile towns . In the early 18th century, England was not capable of producing silk of sufficient quality to be used as the warp in woven fabrics. Suitable thread had to be imported from Italy , where it was spun on water-powered machinery. In about 1717 John Lombe travelled to Italy and copied
7470-451: Was completed in 1862. World War I cut off overseas markets, which established local industries and eroded Stockport's eminence. Even so, in 1932 more than 3,000 people worked in the hatting industry, making it the third biggest employer after textiles and engineering. The depression of the 1930s and changes in fashion greatly reduced the demand for hats, and the demand that existed was met by cheaper wool products made elsewhere, for example
7560-439: Was created. The London firm of Miller Christy bought out a local firm in 1826, a move described by Arrowsmith as a "watershed". By the latter part of the century hatting had changed from a manual to a mechanised process, and was one of Stockport's primary employers; the area, with nearby Denton, was the leading national centre. Support industries, such as blockmaking, trimmings, and leatherware, became established. Stockport Armoury
7650-714: Was granted in 1993 before being blocked by the Court of Appeal , then reinstated in 1995 by the House of Lords . Twelve years after being proposed, the Trafford Centre opened on 10 September 1998. Construction had taken 27 months at a cost of £600 million. The Barton Square and Great Hall extensions opened in 2008, at a combined cost of over £100 million. Peel Group sold the centre to Capital Shopping Centres (CSC) in January 2011 for £1.6 billion, in cash and shares, and John Whittaker , chairman of Peel Group, became deputy chairman of CSC. He later claimed he could have sold
7740-545: Was held at the Heaton Mersey Bowl in 2005, which included appearances from Badly Drawn Boy and Howard Marks . Local attractions include the River Mersey , around which there is a nature park and trail. Heaton Mersey Common with its several pubs, delis, restaurants and shops supply the local amenities to the area. Heaton Mersey Park has a local fishing pond and further down station road is day-ticket fishing pond. Heaton Mersey Sports and Social Club, on Harwood Road,
7830-453: Was one of the rebels. Dent gives the size of the castle as about 31 by 60 m (102 by 197 ft), and suggests it was similar in pattern to those at Pontefract and Launceston . A branch of the Arden family (to which Shakespeare is related on his mother's side) were prominent in Stockport in 1500s at Underbank Hall , and Arden Hall (also known as Harden or Hawarden). The castle
7920-552: Was owned by the Manchester Ship Canal Company which John Whittaker 's Peel Holdings had been acquiring shares in since 1971. Manchester City Council also had a stake, but by the mid 1980s Whittaker had a majority control and proposed building an out-of-town shopping centre, and other schemes. The council faced a conflict of interest as both a local planning authority and shareholder. Its minority shareholding also no longer gave it any real control over
8010-423: Was probably ruinous by the middle of the 16th century, and in 1642 it was agreed to demolish it. Castle Hill, possibly the motte, was levelled in 1775 to make space for Warren's mill, see below. Nearby walls, once thought to be either part of the castle or of the town walls, are now thought to be revetments to protect the cliff face from erosion. The regicide John Bradshaw (1602–1659) was born at Wibersley, in
8100-488: Was pulled down in 1745 and trenches were additionally dug in the fords to try to stop the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart as they marched through the town on the way to Derby. The vanguard was shot at by the town guard and a horse was killed. The army also passed through Stockport on their retreat back from Derby to Scotland . One of the legends of the town is that of Cheshire farmer, Jonathan Thatcher, who, in
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