UK Museums: Stockport Museums
Museums in Stockport, North West England
Stockport is in the north west of England, 7 miles south of Manchester. With a population of just over 136,000 people this post-industrial town has a surprising number of interesting museums.
See a listing of museums in and around Stockport.
Avro Heritage Museum
The Avro Heritage Museum is a fun aviation museum for children and adults alike. The site of the museum is the former Woodford Aerodrome, which opened after World War I.
The centerpiece of the museum is is a full scale replica of a Lancaster R5868 "S" Sugar. Visitors can actually enter the aircraft and experience what flying the plane must have been like.
Aircraft on display include the Avro Type F, the nose section and cockpit of an Anson G-AGPG, the nose section and cockpit of a Canberra WK118, the cockpit of a Vickers VC10, a replica of the Roe 1 Triplane and the Vulcan B.MK2 outside the museum. Inside the museum is the cockpit of another Vulcan B.MK2.
Original photographs, wall panels, model aircraft, uniforms and original aeronautical equipment help to explain the history of the company and the men and women who made and flew the aircraft.
Bramall Hall
Bramall Hall is a black and white timber-framed Tudor period Manor House first mentioned in the Domesday Book.
The manor of Bramhall passed to the Norman conquerors and the Massey (aka Masci) family from its original Saxon lords. Subsequent owners over the years were the Davenport, De Bromales and Nevill families.
Parts of the house, which is open as a museum, date from the 14th, 16th and 19th centuries. Noteworthy features of Bramall Hall include the impressive Great Hall, the oak-panelled Lesser Hall, a ballroom, chapel and a Banqueting Hall.
Chadkirk Chapel
Chadkirk Chapel in the Goyt Valley near Romiley, Stockport is a disused church that may date back to a very early part of England's history.
The chapel we see today is a Grade II Listed Building and the oldest parts of the restored building, the timber framed north and east walls, go back to the 16th century.
The church is located within a nature reserve and has a lovely walled garden with fruit trees and herb beds.
Hat Works Museum
Close to Stockport Station on Wellington Road (A6) heading in to Stockport Precinct is the interesting Hat Works Museum.
During the industrial period of the 19th and early 20th century, Stockport was famous for hat production with over 100 hat factories in the area.
The museum is housed in Grade II listed building that was once a Victorian mill producing hats. The museum has two floors: the Gallery Floor and Factory Floor. The gallery floor exhibits a collection of hats from around the world with a exhibition space dedicated to temporary exhibitions.
Lyme Hall
Lyme Hall in Disley is the largest building in Cheshire and a Grade I listed building. The house's heyday was in the Edwardian period and the restored buildings and delightful gardens attempt to remind visitors of those times.
The original house was extended by the Venetian architect Giacomo Leoni in the 1720's and underwent further work and restorations into the 20th century.
The surrounding Lyme Park has grounds of over 1300 acres and was owned by the Legh Family from the late 14th century before being acquired by the National Trust in 1946.
The extensive grounds are home to both red and fallow deer. A walk up to the Cage (overlooking the main house) gives the visitor a good chance to see the deer from this elevated spot.
Robinson's Brewery Visitors Centre
It is free to drop into the Robinson's Brewery Visitors Centre, which has various exhibits related to the long history of Robinson's brewery in Stockport and an attached bar and restaurant, but if you have longer take one of the interesting brewery tours of the state-of-art brew house that has been recently installed on the premises.
The tour starts with an interesting video of the history of Robinson's, which now has around 360 pubs in the north west of England, before touring the brewery to see historic sides of the brewing process, side-by-side with modern machinery imported from Germany.
Staircase House
Staircase House is a restored 15th century townhouse. The house is a Grade II-listed building and contains a Jacobean cage-newel staircase, which is one of only three in the UK.
The staircase was installed by the Shallcross family who owned the property from 1605 to 1730.
Staircase House has been restored since the mid 1990's when it was targeted in arson attacks by local vandals.
Stockport Dungeon
Stockport Dungeon and Court Leet is located in the market area directly across from St. Mary's Church.
The space has been lovingly restored by the Stockport Heritage Trust in partnership with the Guinness Partnership. If the building is open well worth a visit and you may be shown round by a knowledgeable and friendly volunteer. The Stockport Heritage Trust were also behind the restoration of the nearby Staircase House.
Stockport Air Raid Shelters
Stockport Air Raid Shelters are a series of subterranean tunnels in the soft, red sandstone below the town
Known locally as the "Chestergate Hotel" they provided nightly protection for thousands of people from as far away as Manchester during World War II.
The official capacity was just less than 4,000 but in an emergency up to 6,500 people would cram in.
Visitors can see the actual beds, toilets, a tool store and a collection of war-time posters along with a laser and sound show demonstrating an air raid with the noise of sirens and falling bombs.
The tunnels are a popular place to bring school groups to learn about local history.
Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery
Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery is a classically-designed building that serves as both a war memorial to the town's fallen in World War I and World War II and also as an art gallery.
The building was opened by HRH Prince Henry on October 15, 1925.
The marble interior includes a list of names of local men and women who died during World War I and World War II.
The art gallery does not now have a permanent collection. Instead frequent exhibitions are held featuring both local, national and international artists. There is also an emphasis on art produced in local schools.
Macclesfield Silk Museum
South of Stockport in Macclesfield, the Macclesfield Silk Museum is dedicated to the silk industry in the town.
The museum traces the development of silk production from its earliest beginnings in China and charts the growth of the silk industry in Macclesfield, which at one time was the world’s leading producer of finished silk from its over 70 working silk mills.
On display are silk costumes, machinery for making silk thread, and even a silk parachute.
Buxton Museum & Art Gallery
The interesting Buxton Museum & Art Gallery on Terrace Road in Buxton has over 1,200 objects on display. These include exhibits of the archaeology, art, geology, and history of the Peak District.
Anson Engine Museum
The award-winning Anson Engine Museum in Poynton houses some of the world's rarest engines of various types - steam, oil, gas, diesel and petrol. The site of the museum is the former Anson colliery in Poynton. The museum is the lifelong labor of love of Les Cawley and Geoff Challinor and their many years of hard work collecting and restoring engines from all over the country and from other museums. The Anson Engine Museum is a registered charity run by a group of enthusiastic volunteers.
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