Discover Stockport, Greater Manchester

Stockport, Greater Manchester, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bridge_Street_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1449148.jpg
Author: Gerald England


Stockport is a major town in Greater Manchester, England. It is located at the confluence of the River Goyt with the River Tame, continuing as the River Mersey. The town is about 10 km (6 mi) to the southeast of downtown Manchester. It has a population of 140,000 people (2012 estimate), and is the principal settlement within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, which has a population of 300,000 people.

The Stockport area has seen human activity going back to the Mesolithic period (8000-3500 BC). Remains of artifacts and stone tools have been found here from the Neolithic period (3500-200 BC), the Early Bronze Age (200-1200 BC) and the start of the Roman period, abour AD 70. However there is no evidence of a Roman military installation in the area.

Stockport was not mention in the Domesday Book of 1086, probably because the Norman surveyors did not properly cover this part of the Mersey. Mention of the town first appeared a century or so after the Domesday Book was compiled. It was mentioned as Stokeport in 1170, a name believed to be derived from Old English, roughly meaning "market hamlet".

Stockport Town Hall: Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Stockport_Town_Hall_(1).jpg
Author: Andrew Smith


There was already a motte-and-bailey castle in Stockport in the 12th century. Thisis believed to be Stockport Castle, which was fully demolished in 1775.

Stockport experienced industrialization based on the silk-spinning industry. The technology was secreted from Italy to England by John Lombe in 1717. He started his factory in Derby. When he tried to renew his patent in 1732, the silk spinners from other towns successfully petitioned parliament not to renew it. Instead Lombe was paid a lump sum of £14,000.

St Elisabeth's Church, Reddish, Stockport: Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:St_Elisabeths.JPG
Author: Mr Stephen


Today the silk-spinning industry has long died away. As with many developed towns in England, its economy is based on retail. The main shopping malls in town include Merseyway Shopping Centre and The Peel Centre. Grand Central Leisure is a multi-purpose leisure complex that includes a 50-m swimming pool, cineplex and bowling alley.

Visiting Stockport

From Manchester, take the A6 road heading southeast until you arrive in Stockport.

Stockport Viaduct: Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Stockportviaduct.jpg
Author: Paulbrock

Places of Interest in Stockport

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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