Stockport Heritage Trust is a charity set up in 1987 to promote and encourage the regeneration of Stockport's heritage. This blog is a forum for news, discussion, and information.
If you wish to know more contact us at stockportheritage@gmail.com
A Lancashire Bridge replacement blue plaque has been reinstated.
In 2000, we at Stockport Heritage Trust, funded 12 new blue plaques for Stockport for the Millennium. They were chosen by a public vote and were funded by a Heritage Fund lottery grant.
A Lancashire Bridge plaque, identical to the above one, was displayed on the pavement, above the centre of the River Mersey, which was below flowing under the old bridge. Unfortunately it was mounted on a flimsy SMBC stand, and predictably, was stolen within a couple of weeks.
The new Merseyway bridge is finally finished and is resplendent with a replacement plaque :
This is a photo from 1937 of the original Lancashire Bridge :
Ron Vincent Shallcross is a local man [72 years old {2015}], who may be related to the Shallcross family who had lived in Staircase House from 1605 to 1730.
There is an archaeological dig beginning on the Recreation Ground off Strines Road. Any one can join it, or just go along they will explain what they have found.
The streets were teaming with Vikings and there was plenty to see and do on the first day of Stockport's Viking Festival.
Longboats sailed down the mile, and strange dragons lurked in the dungeon.
St. Mary's Church was full of music and stalls sold the strangest clothes.
Even a Roman soldier got left behind after the legions had left.
The stocks have never been so well used and people queued to go down and see our medieval dungeon.
Tomorrow you can return to do it all again, except unfortunately the dungeon can not be opened as a film crew will be setting up to use it as part of their new TV drama.
We apologise for any inconvenience but it was out of our control.
A group of Trust members ventured into Manchester for a trip back in time.
Beginning in medieval times, the remains of the 'Hanging Bridge' were lost for centuries but can now be seen in the basement of the Cathedral's cafe.
It once stood across a drainage ditch which encircled the Roman fort.
The second stop was the 14th century Cathedral. Damaged in WWII as well as by the IRA bomb. A guide is esential to get the most out of the building and only £3 donation is asked.
Our last stop was at Rylands Library, where the the cafe is well worth a visit and the history of the building is explained as you go around.
On Saturday 10th of October 2015, a very special
aircraft flew for the last time over its place of birth, Woodford
Aerodrome.Sporting great delta wings
and dressed in camouflage livery, Avro Vulcan XH558 performed two flypasts. The
audience of thousands beneath were almost hypnotised by the menacing yet graceful flight,
and the famous howl it emitted as it accelerated.
The spectacle marked the end of an era for the fully
restored XH550, the only air-worthy Vulcan in the World, flying again since 2007.The aerodrome and runway, now almost
completely demolished, was opened by Manchester based Avro (A. V. Roe and
Company) shortly after the First World War, and was an intense centre of
production during the Second World War.The Avro Vulcan was first sketched by Avro’s Chief Designer Roy Chadwick
in 1946(!), who was also responsible for designing many other highly regarded
aircraft such as the Lancaster bomber, the Avro Anson and the Avro Shackleton.It was a tragedy when Roy died in an aircraft
accident the following year, but Stuart Davies fortunately was able to take Roy’s
idea to reality, and the first full scale prototype Vulcan flew for the first
time on 30th August 1952.Roy
Chadwick is buried in the graveyard of Christ Church, Woodford. Considering his
enormous contribution to Britain’s war time aviation effort, the grave is
somewhat humble.
Roy Chadwick's grave at Woodford Parish Church
The Vulcan bomber was created to be part of the V-force,
which was Britain’s (and part of NATO’s) strategic nuclear deterrent during the
cold war from the 50’s to the late 60’s. It continued in service and the first and only time a Vulcan flew
in anger was in 1982, when a Vulcan was used to perform the furthest bombing raids
in history (at that time). A complex mid-air
fuelling strategy was enacted to enable the Vulcan to bomb the runway at Port Stanley
Airport during the Falklands crisis.
The Woodford born Vulcan remains an icon of British
engineering, and has induced much emotion in those who have been fortunate enough to
witness it in flight. After the aircraft finally departed from view for the
last time at Woodford, a spontaneous round of applause came from the grateful spectators,
many of whom made no attempt to hide a tear or two.
On 1st October 2015 Raymond Harry Preston aged 83 years passed away peacefully.
Ray was an early member of Stockport Heritage Trust who actively supported our charity since around 1989, two years after it started.
He was known as "Mr. Offerton' as he was THE local expert and champion of Offerton.
He single-handedly was able to change the proposed line of a planned motorway route which had been planned to pass through Halliday Hill House in Offerton, which dates back to the 1300s, and is the ancestral home of the Dodge Family, which emigrated to Dodge City in Kansas, USA.
Ray's early detailed research on the Dodge connections enabled other Trust members In 2002 to visit Dodge City, to formally sign a Friendship Charter between Stockport and Dodge City in recognition of a common heritage. These parchment Friendship Charters are now on display in both Dodge City Town Hall and Stockport Town Hall.
Ray wrote several books on Offerton and was also a keen member of Stockport Operatic Society.
He joined the Friends of the Plaza when Stockport Council had plans to demolish it; after it had been saved, Ray continued to be an enthusiastic Front of House volunteer for many years.
The Trust will sadly miss him.
His funeral is next Wednesday 14th October at 3.15 in the Rowan Chapel, Stockport Crematorium.
Ray leading an Offerton walk at Foggart Mill, Offerton, showing the bearings he had recovered from the mill race
Saturday 22nd August was a children's fun day in Stockport's Medieval Dungeon.
With games for the children and displays to send the parents and grandparents reminiscing, the biggest challenge was to add the scores of the Roll-a-Penny game in old money.
There are still two open days left this year -
Sat 12th September will be part of the Heritage Open Days and the dungeon will be housing a display about Theatres, Cinemas and Music Halls.
And
17th / 18th Oct. The Viking Festival.
With lots of stories, letters and photographs concerning the Heritage of the borough of Stockport.
There are stories about -
Peterloo and freedom of speech.
Stockport's connection to the Spanish Civil War.
The Domestic Woollen Trade.
Reddish and the Great War.
Airport Link Road Impacts on Heritage.
Cheadle Village Hero
A Clay-kicker Tunneling under Hill 60.
Bramall Hall and Quarry Bank.
And find out what the Heritage Trust are up to.
Add to this list letters, photos and heritage updates.
If anyone was on this photograph in the 1950s, or can tell us anything about it please get in touch with the Heritage Trust www.stockportheritagetrust.co.uk
THERE ARE ANOTHER 10 PHOTOS BELOW :
Ex. Dodge City [Kansas, USA] Mayor Gerald Schmitt and his wife Dianna visited Stockport [and Manchester]over 12-15th June 2015. They were also guests of Lord Goddard of Stockport in London at the House of Lords on the 10th June 2015.
Gerald was heavily involved in the setting up of the 'Friendship Charter' between Stockport and Dodge City in 2002. Two Trust members, Stuart Peers and Phil Rowbotham, had originally proved the link between the the original the Dodge family of Halliday Hill House in Offerton, i.e. Stockport, and Dodge City.
Members of the Stockport Dodge family emigrated to Kansas and they were involved in the setting up of Fort Dodge, Dodge City and the Dodge Motor Company. William Dodge was the first Dodge to land in America, Grenville Mellon Dodge played a part in building the first USA transcontinental railway.
Hence it was a SHT initiate to 'twin' Stockport and Dodge City which is why the old SHT logo appears on these Friendship Charters, which are legal documents - they both have the official town seals on the Charters. The same two members arranged the process, legal aspects, visit itineraries, and financed both visits, which was fully supported by Stockport Council.
The Mayors of Stockport and Dodge City as well as the above two members all signed the Stockport Heritage Trust 'Friendship Charter' in the Boot Hill saloon bar of Dodge City in 2002; Cllr. David Goddard [now Lord Goddard of Stockport], Stuart and Phil were all sword in by the Town Marshall as Deputy Marshals and they now all have powers of arrest. These Charters, on parchment, were all hand drawn by a local calligrapher Vivienne Lunniss, and ours is on display in the Stockport Town Hall in the Silver Corridor and also in City Hall, Dodge City.
