Stockport, the town of hats

Stockport is the town of hats and of the great railway viaduct, a few kilometres south of Manchester, where the rivers Tame and Goyt meet and the Mersey begins. The town itself has about 136,000 people and the wider borough almost 300,000. Once in Cheshire and now part of Greater Manchester, Stockport has an old centre perched on a hill of red sandstone, crossed by steep lanes, tunnels cut into the rock and Victorian mills. Millions of hats a year were made here, so much so that the football team is still called The Hatters.

Trains from Manchester Piccadilly take under ten minutes, and from London Euston about two hours. Manchester Airport is a quarter of an hour away.

A town of mills and hats

Stockport grew up as a market town around a Norman castle, on the hill above the Mersey ford, and received its borough charter around 1220. In the 18th century it was one of the first English towns to build mills for silk and then cotton, and in the 19th century it became a leading textile centre. Alongside cotton grew the felt hat industry: by the end of the 19th century Stockport and nearby Denton were among the largest hat producers in the world, and the firm of Christy's made hats here that were sold across the British Empire. The last large factory closed in 1997.

What to see in Stockport

The viaduct

The Stockport Viaduct is the town's emblem: built between 1840 and 1842 for the railway between Manchester and Birmingham, it spans the Mersey valley with 27 red-brick arches. For a long time it was among the largest brick structures in the world, and trains on the London line still cross it today. The painter L. S. Lowry included it in his industrial landscapes. The best views are from the Merseyway shopping centre and from the riverside walks.

Hat Works

Hat Works, housed in the Victorian Wellington Mill, is the only museum in the United Kingdom devoted entirely to hats. You can see original machinery still in working order, the process that turns fur into felt, and a collection of hundreds of hats, from top hats and soldiers' caps to celebrities' headwear. The guides also explain the English expression mad as a hatter, linked to the mercury once used in making felt, which poisoned the hatters.

The air raid shelters

The Stockport Air Raid Shelters are a network of tunnels more than a mile and a half long, cut into the sandstone beneath the centre just before the Second World War. They could hold thousands of people during the bombing raids, with benches, bunk beds, a first-aid post, kitchens and toilets. They are the largest purpose-built civilian shelters in Britain and can now be visited with an audio guide, in a faithfully recreated atmosphere.

The historic centre

The old heart is the Market Place, with St Mary's church and the Market Hall of 1861, an elegant covered market of iron and glass. Next to it stands Staircase House, a medieval merchant's house with a rare 17th-century wooden staircase, restored after a fire and now the town museum. From here the Underbanks lead down, narrow sloping streets lined with timber-framed houses and independent shops, together with Rostron Brow and other lanes linking the upper town with the lower town. The area has been revived in recent years with cafés, bars and venues.

The Plaza and music

The Plaza, opened in 1932, is one of the best-preserved art deco cinemas in England: restored by volunteers, it hosts shows, classic films and concerts with a Compton organ that rises from the floor. Stockport also has a place in pop history: at Strawberry Studios, founded by members of 10cc, Joy Division recorded their first album, Unknown Pleasures.

Eating and drinking

Stockport is the home of Robinsons, a family brewery working in the town since the mid-19th century, with a visitor centre in the historic Unicorn Brewery. In the centre and the Underbanks you will find traditional pubs, craft breweries and the covered market with street-food stalls. Around the area you can try classic north-western dishes such as black pudding and Lancashire hotpot.

Around Stockport

• Bramall Hall, one of the finest timber-framed Tudor manor houses in England, with painted interiors and a large park.
• Lyme Park, a National Trust house on the edge of the Peak District, famous as Pemberley in the 1995 television series based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
• Marple and its canals, with a flight of sixteen locks and the aqueduct over the River Goyt.
• The Peak District, half an hour away by car, and Manchester a few minutes away by train.

Famous people and sport

Stockport is the birthplace of the tennis player Fred Perry, three-time Wimbledon champion and founder of the famous clothing brand, and of the television journalist Joan Bakewell. Stockport County, The Hatters, play at Edgeley Park, a short walk from the station, and have a passionate following.

Living in Stockport

Stockport is one of the most sought-after towns in the Manchester area: the residential districts of Bramhall, Cheadle and Heaton Moor are green and quiet, the schools have a good reputation and central Manchester is a few minutes away. The town centre is undergoing a major regeneration project, with new housing near the station, the new bus Interchange with a rooftop park and the restoration of the historic quarter.

Getting there

• By train: from Manchester Piccadilly in under ten minutes; from London Euston in about two hours on direct trains; there are also connections with Sheffield and the Peak District.
• By air: Manchester Airport is about 15 minutes away.
• By car: the town is on the M60, the Manchester ring road; near the junction you will notice the blue glass pyramid, an office building that has become a landmark.

For travel around the rest of the country see trains and transport, and for other cities British cities.

Tips for your visit

• How long: one day for the centre, Hat Works and the shelters; add half a day for Bramall Hall or Lyme Park.
• When to go: all year round; the shelters and museums are ideal on rainy days too.
• A tip: check the opening times of the air raid shelters and Staircase House, which are not open every day.

Stockport on the map

Nearby