Stockport is experiencing a meteoric rise. Greater Manchester’s newest Town of Culture is experiencing a regeneration on a whole new level. The former hatting industry hub has become home to a fantastic assortment of artist studios, music venues and boutique shops. Faye Price spoke to Stockport residents from shop owners, to artists, to music legend Graham Gouldman of 10cc, about the change in the town’s fortunes.
It’s a meandering walk from Great Egerton Street onto Little Egerton Street, round the corner onto Prince’s Street, then through a gap in a row of shops onto the main drag of Merseyway Shopping Centre.
Even when you get within spitting distance of the place, it’s overshadowed by a large kiosk directly in front which can make the sunny yellow shop front easy to miss.
Not ideal when you’ve just opened an independent business.
Sat behind the counter and warming her hands on a sorely needed heater, Audrey said: “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but next to no-one has walked past.”
Indeed, very few had.
Audrey’s store has opened in the midst of Stockport’s regenerative period, one which champions the past as much as it casts its gaze to the future. Music and the arts are thriving, so much so that in May this year the town became only the third area in Greater Manchester to be awarded Town of Culture status.
This was launched at the end of May at the Hatworks with celebrated local band Blossoms, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, and Leader of Stockport Council Mark Hunter all in attendance.
The town’s cultural prosperity, though uneven, is steadily building. Independent shops are popping up around the Underbanks and Merseyway areas, and the town hasn’t seen such a musical presence since before Strawberry Studios closed down.
Audrey said: “For years I’ve been banging on about how Stockport should be better, because you saw the Underbanks, all those brilliant shops which once had so much character and they were all empty and abandoned.
“It’s just brilliant to see it all coming back to life now.”
Her sentiments are echoed by portrait photographer and socially engaged practitioner Gwen Riley Jones. Having been heavily involved in Stockport Extraordinary, a ‘Town of Culture’ photography exhibition in which Jones collaborated with 25 community groups across the town to notice the extraordinary in their ordinary lives, the artist praised the town’s cultural revival.
“What was really nice about Stockport Extraordinary was that people who weren’t involved in the exhibition got to see it and they said ‘Wow, it’s made me really excited about Stockport,” or, “Don’t we live in a brilliant place?’” Jones said.
She referred to the delicate balance the town maintains, as it builds towards an exciting future without losing sight of the rich history that gives Stockport its intrinsic spark.
She said: “Stockport inspires me because it is up for exploring what it could be rather than being stuck in the past.”
The town’s history is well worth looking back on.
Originally a small village, Stockport found its feet during the industrialisation period. It established itself as a hive for the textile industry, becoming only second to Manchester in cotton production in the 1830s. The town also found an unexpected niche in the production of hats in the late 19th century. At its industry peak, over six million hats were produced in a year.
The 20th century saw the building of such cultural sites as The Plaza and Strawberry Studios, both of which remain standing and fully operational today.
The former first opened its doors on the 7th October 1932 and remains one of Stockport’s most visible landmarks. It can be seen when entering or leaving the town via train on the 27-arch viaduct that remains a key feature of the town’s skyline. It also happens to be the largest brick built structure in western Europe.
Painter Eric Jackson has lived in Stockport for 35 years. His Stockport-Berlin poster, which unironically calls Stockport ‘das neue Berlin’ was created several years ago and is now common currency. Climb the hill past the indoor market and pop into art and gift shop The Warren, the image can be found printed on tote bags, postcards, and the odd poster on the shop wall.
The image has also found resonance with local politicians. In Councillor Mark Hunter’s office, it hangs in pride of place behind his desk, always a background feature whenever the Leader of Stockport Council has his photo taken there.
Jackson believes that Stockport’s cultural revival has served as a source of inspiration for his art, adding: “I think my work is a celebration of it many ways.”
Meanwhile, the town’s own Strawberry Studios remains a staple of its music heritage, being the home studio of 10cc. It has also hosted bands such as Joy Division, The Smiths, The Ramones, and the Stone Roses. One of the best known recorded songs there was Joy Division’s debut album Unknown Pleasures which sold over 5,000 copies in just two weeks – almost unheard of for an independent record label.
Co-lead singer of 10cc, one of the most innovative bands in popular music, and renowned songwriter Graham Gouldman was heavily involved with the running of Strawberry Studios before it closed its doors in 1993.
Prior to its opening, there was a desire from Gouldman and musicians in the North of England for a proper recording studio in the North as an alternative to forever darting to and from London.
He said: “Me and lots of other musicians in the North of England wanted a proper recording studio in the North rather than having to go down to London all the time.
“If you look at the roster of people who have recorded in there, you see how great it’s been generally for music that came out of the north and beyond.”
Gouldman hadn’t returned to Stockport since his Strawberry Studio days, but made a reappearance last month to perform at Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery for a Town of Culture event. He also sat down with Dr Peter Wandsworth to discuss his time at the studio and Stockport’s musical heritage.
Gouldman said of the event: “I was very happy to come up and talk about Strawberry in particular, and the impact that it had on the north, I never really had the opportunity to do that.
“Not only was it an integral part of 10cc, it was the reason that we existed I think.”
He added: “I have a lot to be grateful for to the studio and to Stockport.”
The town continues to facilitate the development of musicians both new and seasoned. Self-proclaimed Stockport band Blossoms put the town back on the map with their explosive single ‘Charlemagne.’ Released in 2015, the EP shot to BBC Radio 1’s track of the day.
Since then they have released three studio albums and nearly 20 singles. Several of their music videos, including ‘Honey Sweet’ and ‘How Long Will This Last?’ demonstrate their fierce pride for their hometown, being filmed across various locations in Stockport.
The town is fast becoming a reputed place for new and seasoned artists to develop their sound and perform to ever-growing audiences.
Local singer-songwriter Matty James Cassidy moved to Stockport in 2020. Originally from Northern Ireland, the artist expressed a keen appreciation for the town’s unwavering community spirit.
“Stockport seems to be a place that a lot of people are talking about and that has a lot more going for it than people originally thought.”
On what we can expect from the town’s future, Cassidy said: “I’d love it to keep growing but stay grounded in a way that makes it approachable for artists to live and create here.”
Like the rest of the town, Stockport’s music scene is expected to expand rapidly over the next few years.
Throwing themselves ahead of this curve is Dan Preston, who began running their weekly event at The Spinning Top, an event which they aptly named Jam Soup, in September 2023.
Jam Soup is what it says on the tin – a weekly jam session in which artists are encouraged to get up on stage and experiment with musicians they may not have encountered before.
Preston, who is a music teacher, wanted the event to be distinct from the traditional gig, with its set lists and pre-performance rehearsals.
“It’s more like you come in, you find a way into what’s going on, maybe you collaborate with people,” he said.
For him, meeting people in this way and jamming together is a much more natural way for musicians to start collaborating.
“I think music should bring people together,” he added.
Though having only resided in Stockport for a short period, he has already been won over by the town’s character and personality, and hopes that both the town and his event will continue to grow.
Of the many groups and individuals who have a promising vision for the town, none are arguably more invested in its development as a cultural hub than Stockport Council itself.
Councillor Frankie Singleton, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Sport, said: “Stockport has always had a thriving creative and cultural scene but our time as Town of Culture is allowing us to explore this in more depth and collaborate with different groups and people, bringing our cultural gems and artists to people’s attention on a larger scale.”
She added: ““We have been able to stage some fantastic events under the Town of Culture banner, such as our Spectacular Sunday, Krazy Races and La Boca to La Stocka which have really drawn the crowds.
“We will definitely keep the momentum going in the future and build on what we have achieved so far.”
Since Stockport became the Town of Culture nine months ago the council have funded over 100 organisations to kickstart a variety of projects, from cooking classes in community centres, Bhangracise in the local park, art work on shopfronts and writing workshops for young people.
Their Spectacular Sunday event took place on 19th November and proved itself a stellar early Christmas event, drawing in crowds of thousands.
For some, the idea that a de-industrialised, once struggling northern town situated so close to Manchester’s all-consuming brilliance could shine so brightly might be hard to believe.
But with Stockport poised to skyrocket into the Greater Manchester consciousness and beyond, and artists hailing from all over the country demonstrating a pride in the town arguably not seen since the mid-late 20th century, one thing is clear:
People had better start believing.
Images used courtesy of Stockport Local Heritage Library, Stockport Council, and Eric Jackson.
