Walk Around Reddish

Paul Rand's Guided Walk around Reddish on Wednesday last was a great success.

Twenty four people turned out for a very interesting and informative walk around the history of the area.

We were told about the Saxon, Roman, as well as Georgian and Victorian times, the people and the places.

Thank you to Paula for a very enjoyable evening.

Chadkirk Medieval Festival

It was glorious weather and the crowds turned out to enjoy it.
In spite of the fact that the adjoining field was too wet for the 'Knight's in Battle' to camp there this year, there were still plenty of things to entertain the visitors.

Dancers in costume, a chain-saw sculpture of an owl, Circus Skills for the more adventurous and many stalls including our own Heritage Trust stall.

This year adding to the fun was a Bran Tub and a 'Shoot the Knight' game, where boys and girls alike tried their hand at shooting arrows at our brave knight.

The Trust was out in force as usual and many costumes could be seen around the field.
All in all a very successful weekend.

Summer BBQ

The summer BBQ, hosted by Angie and Ken Kenrick at St. Thomas rectory, was a splendid success.

The weather was fine for most of the afternoon and there was plenty of food and drink for all.

Croquet and Quoits on the lawn added to the fun.

A big thank you to the Kenricks for a super day.

A Busy Weekend

What a busy weekend Trust members had on June 30th and July 1st.
With a stall at Staircase House, as part of their first Medieval Fair and the following day at the Marple Locks Festival, dodging the rain.
We were just glad that people turned out and all seemed to be enjoying it.
Kevin did two guided walks for the Trust, from the Lime Kilns down to the Aqueduct.
Anyone wishing to buy a copy of this Heritage Walk, they are on sale in the Heritage Centre St. Mary's Church for £2 each.

150th Anniversery

Saturday 9th June was exactly 150 to the day that the Stockport to Whaley Bridge railway line opened.



The sun shone on a smiling group of Trust members who dressed for the occasion.









joined by the British Transport Police and the Hazel Grove model Railway Society

A Wet Walk

Not to be daunted, the more hardy members of the Trust set off on Sunday for a wet walk in the hills.
The scenery was well worth the effort, and a stop in the Anglers Arms a must for drying out.

Thank you Steve for an interesting look at the area around Wormhill and Millers Dale.

The meaning of the name Wormhill for those as ignorant as myself is 'Dragon Hill' luckily for us dragon's don't like rain, so we passed it's lair unmolested.

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.

'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.

The Trust's Christmas party

On Tuesday, Trust members and volunteers enjoyed a Christmas meal at the Old Rectory. A fitting location given the Trust's support for it's renovation from the original rectory and a timely reminder of it having one of the first blue plaques in Stockport, organised by the Trust and Boddingtons.

I hope other members will add a few more photo's to this posting.

Voting has started for the new Blue Plaque scheme

Voting has started to decide which 10 sites will feature a blue plaque.

To vote, either purchase a Stockport Express for a voting form or go online at: http://interactive.stockport.gov.uk/blueplaque/.

Heritage Centre exhibition changes

The main exhibition area is going through a process change. The Wedding display is being replaced by a display on Babies and Children's Clothes From Victorian to Wartime. Visitors are still welcome during this change, in fact its the best time to discuss the exhibits with the organiser, Angela Kenrick.





In the second room, the collection of photos continue to expand and a special Christmas display has been created for the children, the Teddy Bears' picnic meets Goldilocks and the three bears. It's an interactive, visual and audio display.

As well as the Heritage Centre, there is the St Mary's repair and restoration display in the porch. Perhaps even more illustrative of the problems the building faces is the continuing growth in fences and protection, to shield the public from falling masonry. By the end of this month the church must raise £42,000 or else it loses promise of HLF funds. This is a very difficult target to reach and the church continues to look for generous benefactors, large or small.