Manchester Police Museum

Another day out for Trust Members this time took them to the Police Museum in Manchester.
Meeting at Piccadilly, 16 made their way to Newton Street where the old Police Station is now the biggest Police Museum in the country.

Tours have to be booked in advance and a maximum of 20 people at a time are shown around.
It was well worth the effort, fascinating facts and figures were on display as well as human stories, gruesome exhibits, weapons used in crimes and other artifacts showing the history of policing in the Greater Manchester area.

Altogether a great day out, the high light being the re-constructed Denton Magistrates court where we put Ann and Eric in the dock and Kevin sat on the bench. With Paula as a witness and the remainder of the party prosecuting the defendants didn't stand a chance.

Conservation & Heritage

It is now three years since the Council's Conservation and Heritage Strategy was launched, and in that time we have seen great changes in Stockport especially, around the Market Place and Underbanks.

Lottery and Heritage Funding has been used in conjunction with business partnerships to ensure that important areas of our Heritage have been developed or conserved in sensitive and appropriate ways.

Progress has also been made in creating more conservation areas around the borough and information about these can be be found on the Council web site, including maps.

The Council are now looking at a new strategy document and the Heritage Trust was invited along with other local groups to have a say in what kind of issues they would like to be included in it.

Many different facets of conservation and the environment were looked at including buildings that were at risk, such as Wybersley Hall, the home of John Bradshawe, which is now being carefully restored and an Archaeological data base for research purposes outlining the borough's 320 known sites.

Three other building that the Trust has a particular interest in are the Reddish Library/Baths/Fire Station, St. Thoams' Workhouse and the Old Dungeon on Mealhouse Brow.

The meeting was only one of two scheduled this week in order to make them accessible to as many groups as possible.

The Trust will be watching with interest as this document is formulated and hope to continue a good working relationship with the Council's Heritage Officers.

A Serious Side.

If you view the blog on a regular basis, it may appear the members of the Heritage Trust spend most of their time stood behind stalls dressed in period costume and having fun.

I assure you this is not the case.

Trust members are very much involved on a weekly basis in what is going on with our town's heritage.

We have representatives who are invited to Conservation Forums, sit on judging panels for Conservation & Design Awards, meet regularly with the Tourism Partnership, aid groups applying for Lottery funding for re-generation projects and give talks about our heritage as well as many other activities.

Our aim is also to make people aware of the borough's history and that is why, when offered another chance to show what we do to the public, a small band of willing volunteers (and St. George) could be seen once more dressed as medieval costume in a park, this time in Cheadle Heath.









Cheadle Heath Pavilion was the setting on Saturday 21st April, for a St. George's Day festival and car boot sale. Music was supplied by the Brinnington Bongo Band and animals and bouncy castle added to the entertainments.
The only one who lost his head was St. George, but with so many fair maidens who could blame him.

'150'

COUNT DOWN TO THE BIG '150'

June 9th 2007 Watch This Space!

'Easter Market Fun'

Hundreds of people visited Stockport Market Place on Easter Saturday determined to join in the FAMILY FUN.





The Market traders, St. Mary's Church, the Heritage Trust and the Fire Brigade joined together to offer visitors a selection of activities from an Easter Egg Hunt and bonnet making, to a rare opportunity of see inside Stockport's medieval Lock-up and Dungeon on Mealhouse Brow with a display of Crime & Punishment. There was a clown and Disco as well as face painting and a Coconut Shy.






The weather was kind to us and Trust members were out in force. With the usual enthusiasm, they dressed for the occasion.







New members Tony and Nick acted the parts of Constable Birch and his prisoner, while Jim offered youngsters the chance to try their hand at being a Town Crier.







Photographs from the Heritage Centre were on view and Rev. Roger Scoones had tomatoes thrown at him in the stocks beside the prisoner. People gave generously in appreciation of the efforts put in by everyone and the event was seen as a tremendous success.