Town in Greater Manchester, England
Stockport
The River Mersey is born in Stockport, then promptly vanishes under a shopping centre. It's just one of the town's surprises, along with hats, a giant viaduct and a 13–0 football win.
Key information
- County
- Greater Manchester
- Nation
- England
- Known for
- Hat-making, its giant railway viaduct, Strawberry Studios and the birth of the River Mersey
- Famous people
- Fred Perry, Peter Butterworth
About Stockport
The town that hides a river
The River Mersey, which gives Merseyside its name, starts life in Stockport. The Goyt and the Tame meet here, and from that point the water is called the Mersey. The name is thought to mean 'boundary river'. For much of the way through the town centre you'd never know it was there. The river was covered over in the 1930s, and the Merseyway shopping centre was subsequently built above it, opening in 1965. Shoppers stroll across a major river without a glimpse of it. The town's name is just as down to earth. It comes from Old English: 'stoc' for an outlying settlement and 'port' for a market place. A market has been trading here since the 13th century, and Stockport Market Hall, a Victorian iron-and-glass building from 1861, is still going strong.
Eleven million bricks and a very long train
Stockport Viaduct is the town's great showpiece. It opened in 1840 to carry the Manchester and Birmingham Railway across the Mersey valley, and it took more than 11 million bricks to build. Twenty-seven arches stride across the valley, rising roughly 33 metres above the river. It was designed by George Watson Buck and was a marvel when new. It still carries trains today, and it dominates the skyline for anyone arriving by road or rail. Its Grade II* listing recognises its importance. A very different landmark sits beside the M60: the Pyramid, a glass pyramid-shaped former office building, now home to the Royal Nawaab restaurant, which opened in 2025.
Why a whole town wore the hat
Stockport was once one of England's great hat-making towns. Felt hats poured out of its mills, with firms such as Christy's and Battersby among the big names. Hats for workers and for toffs alike came from the valleys and mills around the Mersey. That is why Stockport County are the Hatters. The story lives on at Hat Works, a museum in Wellington Mill, a building dating from 1830. It is billed as Britain's only museum devoted to hatting, and it keeps the old machinery and techniques on show. Cotton and silk mills also shaped the town, and their chimneys and brick bulk are still part of the view.
Edgeley Park and the 13–0 hammering
Stockport County were founded in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers and took their current name in 1890. They play at Edgeley Park, a ground that also hosted Sale Sharks rugby union side between 2003 and 2012. In January 1934 County thrashed Halifax Town 13–0 in the Third Division North. That equalled the record winning margin in a Football League match. In 1997 County also reached the League Cup semi-final, a run that took in several top-flight scalps before Middlesbrough ended the fun.
Fred Perry, a laurel wreath and a studio on Waterloo Road
Fred Perry, born in Stockport in 1909, won Wimbledon three years running from 1934 to 1936. He was also a world table tennis champion in 1929. No British man won Wimbledon again until Andy Murray in 2013. The laurel-wreath logo of the clothing brand that bears his name is still seen on polo shirts everywhere. Stockport has a musical claim too. Strawberry Studios, where 10cc made their hit 'I'm Not in Love' in 1975, was here. Joy Division recorded their debut album Unknown Pleasures in the same studios in 1979, with Martin Hannett producing. The actor Peter Butterworth, a Carry On regular, was born in Bramhall, part of the Stockport area.
Tunnels under the town, and a pint of Old Tom
Beneath Stockport's streets are tunnels cut into the soft red sandstone. They were purpose-built as air-raid shelters from 1938, opened in 1939 and later extended to accommodate about 6,500 people. Visitors can still walk through them today. Above ground, the art deco Stockport Plaza, a super cinema opened in 1932, still sparkles inside. On the drinking side, the family-run Robinsons brewery has long been a Stockport institution, and its strong ale Old Tom is known well beyond the town.