Everything about Stockport totally explained
Stockport is a large
town in
Greater Manchester,
England. Situated south east of the city of
Manchester, it's the largest settlement of the
Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, and has a
population of 136,083 (
2001 Census), with the
borough as a whole having 281,000. This makes the borough 23rd most populous district in England. There have been several bids by the council for
city status.
Historically a part of
Cheshire, in the
16th century Stockport was known for the cultivation of
hemp and
rope manufacture and in the
18th century the town had one of the first mechanised silk factories in the
United Kingdom. However, Stockport's predominant industries of the
19th century were the
cotton and allied industries. Stockport was also at the centre of the country's hatting industry which by 1884 was exporting more than six million hats a year. In December 1997 the last Stockport hat works closed. The town's hatting heritage is preserved at 'Hat Works - the Museum of Hatting'.
Dominating the western approaches to the town is the
Stockport Viaduct. Built in
1840, the
viaduct's 27 brick arches over the River Mersey carry the mainline railways from Manchester to
Birmingham and
London. This structure featured as the background in many paintings by
L.S. Lowry.
The
River Mersey begins in Stockport, at the
confluence of the Rivers
Goyt and
Tame.
History
Toponymy
Stockport was first recorded as "Stokeport" in 1170. The currently accepted etymology is
Old English stoc, a market place, with
port, a hamlet (but more accurately a minor settlement within an estate); hence, a market place at a hamlet. The castle part of the name probably refers to
Stockport Castle, a
12th century motte-and-bailey first mentioned in 1173. Other derivations have been formed, based on early variants of the name such as Stopford and Stockford. There is evidence that a ford across the Mersey existed at the foot of the town centre street now known as Bridge Street Brow. Stopford retains a use in the adjectival form, Stopfordian, used for Stockport-related items, and pupils at
Stockport Grammar School style themselves as Stopfordians. By contrast, former pupils of nearby Stockport School are known as Old Stoconians, perhaps from the Old English name for the town.
Stockport has never been a sea or river port. The Mersey isn't navigable to anything much above canoe size, and in the centre of Stockport has been
culverted and the main shopping street,
Merseyway, is built above it.
Early history
There is sufficient evidence that a fortified stronghold existed in the vicinity in the time of the
Ancient Britons, and that
Agricola in AD 79 recognised its strategical advantages and fortified Stockport to guard the passage of the Mersey.
Recent history
Since the start of the
20th century Stockport has moved away from being a town dependent on cotton and its allied industries to one with a varied base.
In 1967 the
Stockport air disaster occurred, when a
British Midland Airways C-4 Argonaut
aeroplane crashed in the Hopes Carr area of the town, resulting in the deaths of 72 passengers.
In recent years,
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council has embarked on an ambitious regeneration scheme, known as
Future Stockport. The plan is to bring over 3,000 residents into the centre of the town, and revitalise its residential property and retail markets, in a similar fashion to the nearby city of Manchester. Many ex-industrial areas around the town's core will be brought back into productive use as
mixed-use residential and commercial developments.
Governance
Most of the town is within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire (south of the Mersey), although
Reddish and the
Four Heatons lay within the historic boundaries of
Lancashire (north of the Mersey).
Civic history
The
1835 Municipal Corporations Act made Stockport a
municipal borough divided into six wards with a council consisting of 14 Aldermen and 42 Councillors. In 1888, its status was raised to
County Borough, becoming the
County Borough of Stockport. Since 1972, Stockport has been twinned with in
Béziers in
France. In 1974, under the
Local Government Act 1972 Stockport amalgamated with neighbouring districts to form the Unitary Authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in the now ceremonial
metropolitan county of Greater Manchester.
Parliamentary representation
There are four parliamentary constituencies in the Stockport Metropolitan Borough:
Stockport,
Cheadle,
Hazel Grove, and
Denton and Reddish.
Stockport has been represented by
Labour MP
Ann Coffey since
1992.
Mark Hunter has been the Liberal Democrat MP for Cheadle since a 2005
by-election.
Andrew Stunell has been the Liberal Democrat MP for Hazel Grove since
1997.
The constituency of Denton and Reddish bridges Stockport and
Tameside; the current member is
Andrew Gwynne.
Local Council
Stopfordians are governed by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, which consists of 63 Councillors representing 21 wards. The Council operates an Executive System, with a ruling group of 10 Executive Councillors, each in charge of a specific area, for example Communities, Transport or Children and Young People.
The Council is currently controlled by the Liberal Democrat group, who have 36 Local Councillors (a majority of 5). The current Council Leader is Cllr Dave Goddard, who took over from Cllr Brian Millard in 2007. The next largest party is the Labour party with 14 seats, followed by the Conservative Party with 10 seats. The small, independent local issues party, the Heald Green Independent Rate Payers also hold three seats in the Heald Green Ward.
The current Mayor of Stockport is Liberal Democrat Councillor Pam King.
Demography
The town had a population of 136,082 according to the 2001
Census, with the wider borough having a population of 284,528. Although suburbs such as
Woodford, Greater Manchester,
Bramhall and
Hazel Grove rank amongst the wealthiest areas of the United Kingdom and 45% of the borough is green space, districts such as
Adswood and
Brinnington suffer from widespread poverty and post-industrial decay. In the north-west of the borough are the relatively prosperous areas of
Heaton Moor and
Heaton Mersey, which together with
Heaton Chapel and
Heaton Norris comprise the so-called
Four Heatons.
Opinions on the general quality of life in Stockport greatly differ. In its favour, some highlight its proximity to Manchester, and its abundance of amenities; but its perceived grittiness and loutish youth culture earned it 12th place in the internet-based 2004 guide
Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places To Live In The UK (however, given that its fellows on this list were places such as
Oxford,
Winchester,
Liverpool (European Capital of Culture 2008), and tiny London commuter belt villages, the relevance of the list is disputed).
Economy
Stockport's principal commercial district is located in the town centre, with branches of most high-street stores to be found in the
Merseyway Shopping Centre or
The Peel Centre.
Grand Central Leisure boasts an Olympic sized swimming pool, a ten-screen cinema, bars, a
bowling alley, health complex, and several restaurants. Stockport is located seven miles (10 km) from
Manchester city centre, making it convenient for commuters and shoppers.
Places of interest
Stockport is home to the following:
