Exhibition of Bridgefield Dig Artifacts and Information

An exhibition about the Bridgefield dig that took place last year, was put on by Stockport Heritage Trust as part of the National 'Heritage Open Days' event. It ran from 8th to 11th September and had a good turn-out of over 250 visitors.  Photographs and artifacts from the dig were on display, as well as background information about the site's history and occupants. The exhibition was organised by Jill Trumble, with valued support being provided by other Trust members.

Roughley's Bike SHow - SHC stand

Centre volunteers all working together, just like these other well-oiled machines!

Classic Car Show

This is the second consecutive year that Stockport has held a Classic Car Show in the Market Place.
Combined with the Vintage Market, a good turnout was guaranteed and we were not disappointing.
With 75 classic and vintage cars plus motorbikes and scooters, there was plenty for the public to view and discuss.

There was food, music and plenty of 'Vintage' on offer.

Included in the attractions was the Stockport Dungeon, with Kieth, our resident tour guide and an exhibition of early waterpower.

Derek White became the towns new Town Crier and the Mayor seemed to enjoy the show as much as everyone else.

Proposed Tours Around Staircase House

 Members of Stockport Heritage Trust were given a private tour of Staircase House as a rehearsal for a new kind of photographic opportunity which will be offered to the public soon.

After a short guided tour, members with all shapes of camera equipment were let loos around the house to photograph wherever they pleased.

 The whole experiance took around 2 hours and was a great success.
Many rooms were open that would not normally be seen and this included access to the staircase itself.

Stockport Market Consultation results

Many thanks to one of our Trust members [RKB] for collating all the results below, and to other members as well,  who manually inputted all the data at very short notice. Please click on X-Large to view :-

St George's Day in Stockport

St. George tries his hand against the dragon as volunteers from the market traders and the Heritage Trust hand out roses to passers by.










A stall manned by Trust volunteers, in costume,
displayed old photographs of Stockport as well as black and white images from the Northwest Film Archive.

Old Rectory Ice House unveiled

Dr. Peter Arrowsmith unveiled the Old Rectory Ice House today, which has been recently cleared out by a small group of hard working Heritage Trust volunteers. Temporary lighting was provided by a Trust volunteer, and refreshments were provided.
A new Stockport Town Centre Heritage Trail plaque was also unveiled.
The Trust has a new free A2 Town Centre Trail leaflet, which was also launched.
It was Rev Scoones' penultimate service today as he's retiring in April, and he also attended and said a few kind words after the unveiling.

[It'll always be full of leaves in autumn...].

Edward Street Mill - Windmill Excavation

This morning a viewing of the recently unearthed remains of the Edward Street windmill took place, arranged by Paul Hartley of Stockport Council.  An archaeological excavation and documentation of the site was in progress, and we were guided by the archaeologist's team leader.

The windmill stood on the site of the former Hollingdrake's car showrooms on Edward Street, adjacent to the Town Hall, which as a building closed for the last time in 2015.  It was built in 1784-85 to provide power to the Edward Street Mill.  Wind power was superseded at the mill in 1795 when a steam engine was installed.  The mill had closed by 1842.  Local groups used the windmill as a meeting place, including the Independent Methodists (1817 - 1820), and from 1818 by the radical 'Stockport Union for the Promotion of Human Happiness'.  The windmill was demolished in 1857.  In 1922 the foundations of the windmill were discovered during construction of Hollingdrake's showrooms, and they were preserved under the first floor of the building.

The site was re-discovered in mid-January 2016, and is soon to be cleared to make way for a new build (Stockport Homes).  Archaeologists have performed a rapid documentation of what they have unearthed, and information panels illustrating the history of the site will be on display in the new building.