Stockport Council has secured approximately £1.6 million in funding to help fix the roof of Bramall Hall, one of Stockport and Greater Manchester’s most historic buildings.
The iconic Tudor hall and old vestige of Stopfordian village’s Cheshire roots has been described as a national treasure and attracts over 36,000 visitors every year.
However, the condition of the Grade I-listed structure and its roof in particular has been gradually worsening over the years and the Council warned it would be left at “urgent risk” if repairs were not made soon.
With that in mind, local authorities have acquired sufficient funds through the Arts Council England’s Museum Estates and Development (MEND) fund, making it one of 70 museums and libraries across the country set to benefit from £33m through the government’s wider Cultural Investment project.
Dating as far back as the Middle Ages before being rebuilt in the 16th, the regular tourist destination for Bramhall locals is SK residents it’s just one of the oldest buildings you’ll find in the town but anywhere in Greater Manchester.
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Sitting as the crown jewel atop the picturesque Bramhall Park and having been used as a filming location for various TV shows and films over the years, not to mention hosting school trips and tours for decades, it has also played a key role in local culture.
All that being said, beyond maintenance and the money going directly towards fixing the roof, the MEND funding will also go towards “preserving invaluable historic objects and architectural features, such as internationally significant Tudor paintings, a rare surviving example of an Elizabethan pendant plaster ceiling and the work of arts and crafts architect George Faulkner Armitage.”
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As per an official statement from the council, work is slated to start this winter and is expected to take up to two years to complete, but the Hall will be kept open around renovation works as Stockport Museums look to build a new programme of special events and activities.
Councillor Mark Hunter, Leader of Stockport Council, said: “Stockport Council is proud to own, operate, and care for Bramall Hall. Not only is it a jewel in Stockport’s crown, but it’s also a national treasure, and we must preserve this first-class historic house and its enviable collections for generations to come.
“It is great news that we have been awarded this funding, which will support us in doing this.”
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He went on to add, “It’s fitting that this major renovation work is announced during Stockport’s year as Town of Culture, showcasing our amazing facility to people yet to visit or who want to re-discover it.
“The Hall and Stockport museums are keen to get people actively engaged with the renovation works, feeding into this year’s cultural programme celebrating Stockport’s people, places and stories.”
Featured Images — Gary Bealr (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Trailer released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed all across Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The first trailer for a new romcom that’s set and filmed all across Manchester has been released.
The film, titled Finding Emily, tells the story of a lovesick musician, played by Spike Fearn, who meets his dream girl on a night out, but ends up with the wrong phone number, and so teams up with a driven psychology student, played by Angourie Rice, in a bid to find her.
Together, the unlikely duo spark a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way.
The film – which is directed by Alicia MacDonald, and based on a screenplay written by Rachel Hirons – is produced by Working Title Films, is set in the fictional Manchester City University, and is due to be distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures across the UK and internationally this spring.
The talented ensemble cast groups together big names like Minnie Driver with rising stars like Ella Maisy Purvis, Yali Topal Margalith, and Kat Ronney, as well as other established actors including Timothy Innes and Nadia Parkes.
Filming took place in Manchester between August and September 2024.
The two and a half-minute trailer has been shared with the world today, and when we say it’s a Manc film, we mean it… we quite literally lost count of how many of our city’s famous locations can be spotted in just the trailer alone.
The trailer has been released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed in Manchester / Credit: Universal Pictures & Focus Features (via YouTube)
There’s everything from Manchester Central Library and Piccadilly Records, to Canal Street and the Gay Village, the Northern Quarter, the Crown & Kettle pub in Ancoats, and even the Emmeline Pankhurst statue in St Peter’s Square featured for all to see, alongside what’ll, presumably, be dozens of other famous locations.
Oh, and not to mention, if you keep your eyes peeled when watching the trailer, you can even see a small clip of Stockport band Blossoms playing a gig in there too.
Finding Emily is set to be released in cinemas across the UK on 22 May, before it debuts in the US on 28 August.
Featured Image – Matt Squire / Focus Features
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Man jailed following series of ‘violent’ knife attacks in Wigan town centre last summer
Emily Sergeant
A man has been sentenced this week following a series of ‘violent’ knife attacks in Wigan town centre last summer.
Charles McMurray, of Satchel Close in Wigan, appeared at Bolton Crown Court yesterday where he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of Section 18 wounding with intent, threatening a person with a bladed article, and threats to kill following a distressing incident in Wigan town centre last summer.
The court heard that McMurray arrived on Wallgate at around 6:33am on 9 August 2025 before entering a taxi office, where he stabbed two men without warning.
The victims fled, and McMurray pursued them towards the town centre.
McMurray then went on to threaten a passer‑by at Wigan bus station and held a knife to the man’s stomach. A short time later, he located the injured victims on Standishgate and assaulted one of them again. Following that assault, he chased after another member of the public with the knife shouting that he was going to kill him.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers arrived shortly after 6:50am and found McMurray in possession of the knife, before he was subsequently quickly arrested at the scene.
McMurray has now been sentenced to nine years and nine months behind bars, which police say is a ‘testament to the brave victims’ who gave their accounts.
Speaking following McMurray’s sentencing this week, Detective Constable Harris from Wigan CID, who led the investigation, said: “This was an entirely unprovoked attack which left multiple victims requiring hospital treatment. McMurray is a dangerous and violent offender who is now safely behind bars.
“Knives have no place on our streets, and we hope today’s sentence shows just how seriously we take knife crime. Our communities should feel safe where they live and work, and we are committed to tackling knife crime to ensure no family has to face their loved ones being harmed.
“It is a testament to the brave victims who not only endured this attack but had the courage to provide detailed accounts together with the impact this has had on them, that we have been able to ensure McMurray has been brought to justice.”
Danny Jones -
26th March 2024 
