Pear Mill Bredbury Stockport

Pear Mill, Bredbury, Stockport

Vintage Emporium & More at Pear Mill

Pear Mill in Bredbury, Stockport in the north west of England, south of Manchester is a former Edwardian cotton mill on the banks of the River Goyt. It is now a Grade II listed building. It was planned as a 'double mill' but the second mill was never built.

The tall chimney at Pear Mill. — The tall chimney at Pear Mill

History

The huge building opened in 1913 as one of the last cotton spinning mills to be constructed in England as overseas markets began to constrict from this time on. It remained in operation until closed in 1978. It was initially designed by Abraham Stott junior and finished by his brother Philip Sydney Stott.

At its height the mill had around 300 employees operating 137,312 mule spindles until the 1950s, when the mule spindles were replaced by 33,636 ring spindles.

Design

The mill has six concrete floors and a basement with a steel frame and cast iron columns in addition to some fine detailing. For example, the 'pear' motif appears in several places on the building including a prominent pear-shaped concrete cupola atop the water tower at the southeast corner, complemented by pear-shaped finials at each corner of the flat roof. The pear motif is echoed in the ornate terracotta friezes above the main entrances, which display bas-relief carvings of pear leaves and fruit.

Uses

Nowadays the mill has been converted to house a variety of small and medium-sized businesses. The most prominent is the Vintage Emporium which opened in 2015 and is now one of the largest if not the largest in the north west region with over 65 independent retailers in residence. Shoppers can find a variety of antique and vintage art, books, clothing, ceramics, fashion, furniture, ornaments, records, toys and other collectables.

As a side note there have been breeding pairs of Peregrine Falcons at Pear Mill for over 40 years.

Some of the varied tenants at Pear Mill include adidas, Awesome Walls Climbing Centre, Run Of The Mill children's playcentre, Magic Hatton Boxing and Fitness, Stockport Studios, Romiley Karate, Hot Lotus yoga school and more.

Vintage Emporium. — Some of the 1000s of items on sale at the Vintage Emporium

Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business. — Goods From Japan delivered to your home or business

Access - Getting to Pear Mill

Pear Mill Industrial Estate
Stockport Road West
Bredbury, Stockport, SK6 2BP
Tel: 0161 430 2216
www: pearmill.co.uk

Pear Mill is free to enter and the various tenants have their own opening hours. For example, the Vintage Emporium is open Monday to Saturday from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm; Sunday 10 am to 5 pm (closed Christmas Day). Pear Mill Beds & Furniture opens Monday to Saturday from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm; Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm.

Admission

Free plus free parking.

Transport Details

Pear Mill is in Bredbury about 2 miles east (40 minutes on foot) from Stockport Station, which has frequent connections to Manchester Piccadilly.

Coming from Hazel Grove or Manchester take a 192 bus and get off at Stockport Interchange, then take a 330 (to Ashton under Lyne) or a 384 bus (to Marple Bridge) and get off at the Welkin Road stop. From here it is about 5 minutes on foot to the entrance.

Nearby

Both Vernon Park and Woodbank Park can be reached on pleasant footpaths along the River Goyt. In the town center both Stockport Town Hall and the market area are worth a visit as is the Hat Museum, one of several interesting museums in Stockport.