In this month’s edition of our series A Manc’s Guide To, we venture south of the city to Stockport.
It feels like there’s nowhere in Greater Manchester that wears its history on its sleeve quite as proudly as Stockport.
This is a town where higgledy-piggledy cobbled streets tumble past listed buildings and centuries-old monuments stick out in the skyline.
But Stockport has also carved out a more modern reputation as a launchpad for independent business and a hub of brilliant food and drink.
It was the birthplace of nationally-acclaimed restaurants like The Allotment and Where the Light Gets In, and champions smaller indies through its Foodie Friday events and smaller stalls inside the Market Hall.
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There’s a booming scene of independent shops here too, with plenty more already in the pipeline.
And it’s where some major global talent was born, including The Crown’s Claire Foy, Fred Perry, and all five members of Blossoms.
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Here’s our handy guide to all the things that make Stockport one of Greater Manchester’s brightest gems.
Food and drink
No guide to Stockport would be complete without mentioning its most prestigious restaurant, Where the Light Gets In.
Led by chef Sam Buckley, WTLGI is known for its ‘no menu’ approach where every visit is a surprise. Housed inside a former coffee warehouse, the restaurant In boasts a green Michelin star for its championing of sustainability.
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Foraging is big amongst its chefs, and WTLGI also has a kitchen garden, The Landing, on the roof of a Stockport carpark where they grow fresh produce throughout the year.
Elsewhere, Baekdu is a family-run Korean charcoal BBQ restaurant, named after a Korean mountain, which flies somewhat under the radar in Stockport thanks to its off-the-beaten-track location on Lord Street. Adding a bit of theatre, chefs cook right in front of you on fire pits at your table.
Stockport Market is the equivalent of Manchester city centre’s Mackie Mayor – a giant food hall filled with a range of different independent traders. There’s so much to discover here, but we highly recommend visiting Kambuja (formerly known as Angkor Soul).
Serving up everything from Tamarind ribs to fish sauce-laced noodle salads, this Cambodian eatery claims to be the only one of its kind in the UK.
Also in Stockport Market is newcomer Sticky Fingers, an artisanal Polish bakery that opened just this month with an array of traditional breads and indulgent sweet pastry treats. You’ll also find freshly-brewed coffee and cakes for sale over the counter here – after all, what is cake without coffee to wash it down?
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A popular choice at lunchtime, the deli at Tyros Lebanese serves up medium and large boxes filled with various flavoured rice, fresh flatbread, and a choice of different meat and vegetable dishes. Think huge portions, and some of the tastiest Lebanese food this side of Edgware Road.
Formerly known as the George & Dragon, Bakers Vaults is a brilliant little market boozer. Boasting ten different hand pulls, it’s somewhat of a local beer institution.
Sitting on top of the foundations of the old Stockport castle, the original 1775 building was demolished in the late 19th century then rebuilt in the ‘gin palace’ style you see today. It had a huge refurbishment in 2014, courtesy of the team behind Gullivers, The Castle and the Eagle Inn.
Opened by Britain’s Got Talent flair finalist Neil Garner, Cherry Jam celebrates the town of Stockport through and through with drinks like ‘192’ and ‘Queens of Cale Green’ nodding to the market town’s history. Find it on Mealhouse Brow inside a former software superstore, often frequented by Garner as a child.
At Rack’s, it’s all about the sandwiches. All handmade to order, find ingredients stacked between sourdough or squashed into shiny, buttery brioche.
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Grilled cheese is another speciality, the three-cheese classic served with red onion dipping gravy on the side. Breakfast boxes and salads are also available, with prices starting from £4.40.
Back on the subject of pubs, and The Wellington is a comfortable little joint created out of two former shop units. The walls, full of clocks, do not display the right time – but that’s part of its charm. There’s a good selection of guests beers, usually sourced from the Heineken list, alongside regular casks like Wainwright, and a lovely courtyard garden outside.
And finally, it’s the recent winners at this year’s British Pie Awards – Ate Days a Week is not long for Stockport – soon, it’s destined to relocate into Manchester city centre and become known as Come Together. When it departs, popular dive bar Notion will take over both floors with its quirky cocktails and chicken wings.
Shopping
You can happily lose hours of your life wandering around the Underbanks, a historic cluster of streets dubbed the Soho of the north thanks to its melting pot of independent retailers.
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It’s also one of the most unusual streets in the north west thanks to the way it weaves along way below street level – you can get a bird’s-eye view of it from Market Place before you descend the stone steps tunnelled into the ancient walls.
This lovely part of Stockport Old Town is home to the likes of SK1 Records and Rare Mags, where you can pick up collectibles and rarities from independent businesses.
On a mission to bring more green to our very grey city region is Plant Shop on Mealhouse Brow, selling houseplants of all shapes and sizes.
One of the newest openings in Stockport deliberately doesn’t look particularly new at all – influencer superstar Sophia Rosemary has opened her own vintage clothing shop, Top of the Town vintage, on Lower Hillgate.
It’s a haven of all things kitsch and retro, fitted out with patterned wallpaper and mid-century furniture.
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Soon to open its doors will be Still Life Story, which has shifted over into a lovely new premises on the corner of Mealhouse Brow and Market Place, where it can continue to sell its range of Nordic-inspired gifts and homeware.
Where The Light Gets In’s newest project, Yellowhammer, is also on the way, and will be a home to pottery extraordinaire Joe Hartley as well as a bakery.
There’s more shopping to be done inside the historic Market Hall too, which is worth a visit just to see inside the beautiful structure.
Nightlife and hotels
Image: Bakers Vaults
Honestly, there aren’t many nights out in Greater Manchester that are better than a Stockport pub crawl – and it still means you can hit the hay at a reasonable hour.
You can weave your way between acclaimed boozers like The Magnet, Bakers Vaults, and the Petersgate Tap.
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Things have moved on a little from real ale in recent years too, thanks in no small part to actor Joseph Patten.
He’s the man behind The Cracked Actor (cocktails and blues, The Glass Spider (a Victorian-style craft beer bar), and now Dr Feelgood’s (live music and American-style food).
Image: The Good Rebel
If you like classic cocktails done really well, The Good Rebel is a must. From on-point daiquiris to signature cocktails like chocolate espresso martinis, this Mealhouse Brow watering hole has it all. Wines, spirits and European beers abound and it’s dog friendly, too.
When it comes to resting your head at the end of your night out, there are all the usual faithfuls, including a Holiday Inn Express right by the train station.
You could also stay slightly further afield at the legendary Bredbury Hall Hotel.
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Culture
Hat Works in Stockport. Credit: Facebook, Hat Works Museum
History buffs can’t go wrong with a day out to Stockport.
The town is home to the Air Raid Shelters museum, a network of rooms and tunnels carved into the sandstone cliffs that give a taste of what life was like in wartime Britain.
There’s the Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery too, and you can wind the clock back even further in time at the Stockport Museum.
Stockport’s oldest house, known as Staircase House, has been turned into a visitor attraction, where you can learn about how people lived in the 15th to the 20th centuries.
Our guide to Stockport includes a tour of Robinson’s Brewery. Credit: Stockport
It’s currently closed for a refurb, but the Hat Works, housed in a listed mill building, takes visitors on a journey through the history of Stockport’s hatting industry.
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That’s right, it’s a museum dedicated to hats. There are more than 400 bits of headgear from across the plant and a recreation of a Victorian factory. It may sound weird, but we promise it’s wonderful.
Love beer? You can take a tour of the Robinsons Brewery, which is based right in the heart of Stockport, and learn more about how the liquid gold is made.
Music plays a major part of its cultural pedigree too, and in recent years the Etherow County Cricket Club has thrown open its doors to summer open-air concerts.
Property
It will surprise literally no one to learn that Stockport’s house prices are creeping ever-higher.
The average house price here now is £282,251, up 12% on the previous year, with the majority of homes sold being semi-detached.
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If you don’t want to share a wall with anyone else, you’ll be forking out around half a million pounds for a detached pad in Stockport. Eesh.
Stockport is notoriously tram-free, but the day is saved by almost alarmingly frequent trains back into Manchester city centre.
It’s usually included as a stop on the speedy trains up from London and practically acts as an extension fo Manchester Piccadilly.
You can get door-to-door in less than 15 minutes if you get the quick trains.
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Beyond that, you’re reliant on buses.
Featured image: Stockport Market Hall / Plant Shop Stockport
Stockport
10 of the best music videos you didn’t know were filmed in Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
Manchester is the (self-proclaimed) city of music and as much as us Mancs may be loud and proud about our colourful music scene, it’s also good to know these artists think so too, choosing our city for some of the world’s biggest music videos.
Whether acts have come to lipsync in front of a familiar hometown set, or jetted over here to make the most of our vast landscape and scenery, Greater Manchester is no stranger to music videos.
Some are set in Oldham mansions while others were filmed live in concert, some feature global pop megastars and others star the world’s biggest rappers.
So we’ve rounded up 10 music videos you might not know were filmed right here in Greater Manchester.
10 Manchester music videos
1. ‘Hair’ – Little Mix
Gotta get him out my hair and gotta get down to this Oldham mansion instead as the four girls used this location to film their 2016 smash hit ‘Hair’.
The video sees the X-Factor girl group hosting a sleepover to forget their exes and focus on friendships instead, as they dance and sing around the grand staircase and various rooms inside of Ashcroft House.
Little Mix can be seen tucking into some delicious pizza and they’re clearly big fans of the Italian delicacy, with the homeowner revealing she got to chat with them over a slice or two after filming at midnight.
Not too far from Uppermill, anyone with a spare £2.35 million can snap this property up in a heartbeat and find themselves living in a piece of pop music history.
2. ‘Desire’ – Calvin Harris and Sam Smith
Ever wanted to do donuts at The Brick Community Stadiumin Wigan? Well Scottish DJ and producer Calvin Harris has beat you to it and he’s brought along company in the form of pop recording artist Sam Smith.
The pair are racing round Wigan as well as a few more urban settings in a host of fast cars. A BMW E46 Coupe was the perfect choice for this shot matching the same kit as home team Wigan Athletic.
This car-meet music video was released in 2023 and in true 80s/90s style, much like the instrumental, Harris and Smith dropped a translucent orange vinyl to coincide with dropping the song.
‘Desire’ was the second collaboration for the duo coming five years after its predecessor ‘Promises’ which took the world by storm in 2018.
3. ‘BeFoUr’ – Zayn
It’s not everyday you see a member of One Direction strolling the streets of Manchester, but in 2016 Zayn paid a visit to Miles Platting to create a visual pairing for his latest single ‘BeFoUr’.
Not too far from Ancoats, Malik decided the surroundings of inner city Manchester would be used as a backdrop for the music video, which assisted his debut solo studio album ‘Mind Of Mine’.
There was even a mural of the album, which acted as the music video’s opening shot, painted at this spot to commemorate the filming of the video.
The musician even tried his hand at spray-painting, writing ‘Mind Of Mine’ in graffiti in the same area.
4. ‘Great Pyramids of Stockport’ – Antony Szmierek
This track sees Szmierek discussing the northern landmark while posing right in front of it in all its shining blue-glass glory.
From Stockport to the stunning desserts of Egypt, the spoken-word poet even got to visit the inspiration behind its British counterpart, the Pyramids of Giza.
5. ‘Perfect Me’ – Blossoms
Staying in Stockport, Manc favourites Blossoms have also shown lots of love to their hometown especially with their visuals.
The music video for ‘Perfect Me’ sees the band stopping off at multiple destinations around the Greater Manchester town including a school, a farm and even a care home.
The Gallagher brother can be seen peering over Manchester city centre from the roof of the Midland Hotel with an additional band arrangement keeping him company.
One of the speakers in the video receives a special feature too, denoting ‘MCFC Spezial’, a nod to his footwear collaboration with iconic brand Adidas.
Famous landmarks like Manchester Central and St. Peters Square can also be spotted in this 2022 video classic, as Liam professes wise words of wisdom followed by ‘Believe me, yeah’.
In his usual parka coat attire, this video is a fully-fledged homage to Manchester and the incredible thriving city it has become.
7. ‘Money Power Fame’ – Don Broco
South Midlands band Don Broco decided to travel north to shoot their video for 2019’s rock release ‘Money Power Fame’.
Utilising the gas holders as a backdrop right next to Etihad Stadium and Manchester’s newest live music entertainment venue, Co-op Live, it’s a video filled with money, power… and fame.
The boys silhouettes are displayed in front of the large gas holder which had dominated the skyline of the Bradford area of Manchester before demolition commenced this year.
Although they may not be resident Mancs, the band have played our music-filled city over 20 times since their first visit to Satan’s Hollow back in 2009.
8. ‘Lights Out’ – Rick Astley
The King of ‘Rick-rolling’ filmed the video for his 2010 single ‘Lights Out’ right here in Manchester’s AO Arena, directed by none other than comedy legend and British-legend Peter Kay.
This was a milestone song for Astley, not only thanks to the directorial credits but also due to the fact it was his first musical release in 17 years.
Obviously, the best place to record your comeback single is an iconic UK venue such as AO Arena’s standing section, main stage and rooftop.
The track welcomed its first play at the same venue, joining Peter Kay on his 2010 UK Tour to perform the new addition as well as his classic hits such as ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ (At least we didn’t rick-roll you).
9. ‘Fix You’ – Coldplay
Yes, believe it or not, Chris Martin paces the streets of London before making his way to the home of Bolton Wanderers football club, Toughsheet Community Stadium.
The filming of this video linked to their 2005 tour and two-day residency at the landmark stadium in Bolton, with Martin joining the rest of the band part-way through the video on stage enthralled by a crowd of over 28,000.
This song has reached untouchable levels of success and has become a staple to their touring setlist since its release much like many of their other smash-hit singles, their achievements are never-ending.
Not too long ago in 2023, they blessed the crowds of Manchester with four back-to-back nights of musical therapy and physical therapy with fans encouraged to use static bikes while watching the show to power the show run.
10. ‘The Way I Are’ – Timbaland and Keri Hilson
The year is 2007, Timbaland has the current music scene hooked and he’s perched up with fellow American singer Keri Hilson to promote their record ‘The Way I Are’ in a basement in… Salford!
It’s safe to say the record producer and performer had the early 2000s pop and R’n’B music scene in the palm of his hands and this track definitely didn’t break that record.
Filmed in a lock-up garage on Chapel Street in Salford, catches Timbaland and Hilson dancing in a spotlight-lit setting in some rather formal office clothing.
The three football players suited and booted doing keepy-uppys were apparently supposed to be stars from that year’s Manchester United lineup, but filming took place at the same time as the FA Cup.
Honourable Mention
‘Take Me Back To London’ (Sir Spyro Remix) – Ed Sheeran (ft. Stormzy, Jaykae and Aitch)
Ginger-haired pop sensation Ed Sheeran called upon Moston’s own Aitch to add a couple of bars to his Stormzy remix ‘Take Me Back To London’.
The video sees these cheeky chaps chopping it up in a New Moston sandwich shop, indulging in some good scran and cheers-ing their cuppas.
Sheeran started his life in the cosy Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge just an hour away from the site of this music video and is now one of the best-selling UK artists of all time.
Fans spotted the star mid-filming and although he may not have had a guitar on hand to serenade them, he did in fact stop to take selfies with passers-by.
Music is an integral part of Manchester’s history and it’s great to see our city and its surrounding boroughs being represented throughout time and many different genres.
Here’s to many more famous faces popping up in and around Manchester to promote their albums!
And to a certain Ms Swift, we’ve seen you filming in Liverpool… why not give this wonderful city a try?
Featured Images — Screenshots (via YouTube)
Stockport
You can spend an evening with Premier League legend Alan Shearer at Edgeley Park next month
Danny Jones
Events at Edgeley Park just keep getting more varied and exciting as football fans can now spend an evening with none other than Newcastle legend and former England striker Alan Shearer.
Stockport County‘s stadium has been developing a broad lineup of experiences outside of just the usual matchdays year upon year, having hosted everything from a headline Blossoms gig back in 2019 to an ABBA all-nighter last summer, and now they’ve just announced another ‘An Evening With’ date.
As part of the ever-expanding series under the Edgeley Park Presents banner, the next evening confirmed for the schedule is an exclusive interview, dinner and Q&A with the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer (260), Alan Shearer.
A sporting hero for so many growing up and an everlasting icon of the English game, the 54-year-old will be heading to the home of the Hatters next month and tickets are on sale now.
🙋♂️🎟️ There's just one month to go until one of England's greatest ever goalscorers joins us at Edgeley Park…
Standard tickets for An Evening With Alan Shearer are still available to buy online – with all VIP packages now sold out! Get yours today before they go ⤵️
One of the greatest strikers the game has ever seen, the beloved Geordie made his professional debut for Southampton back in 1988 before moving to Blackburn Rovers and helping lead them to their only Premier League title in the 1994/94 season.
As one of the most prized players in the country at that point, he then snubbed the likes of the Red Devils and many more to sign for his hometown club Newcastle United the following year for a then-world record fee of £15 million. The rest, as they say, is history.
Having already made his international debut in 1991, he went on to become England‘s captain at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000, before retiring from international football. Since his retirement, Shearer has been a key pundit and long-time favourite on BBC’s Match of the Day for years.
As for the night itself, admission to the event will include a two-course dinner, an in-person interview; a Q&A session with the crowd, an auction of highly sought-after sporting memorabilia as well as a host of live entertainment.
He’s not the only UK sports personality to have hosted a similar event here either as British boxing Hall-of-Famer Joe Calzaghe also held a charity Q&A evening this past September.
The event starts at 6:30pm on Friday, 22 November 2024 and tickets are available to purchase now from the Stockport County website starting at £95.
For those willing to spend more, VIP ticket holders will also have early access to the venue to even meet Alan Shearer himself beforehand, where they will be able to grab a photo and enjoy a signing opportunity before dinner is served.
If spending An Evening with Alan Shearer at one of the fastest-growing clubs in Greater Manchester sounds up your street, you can grab your Edgeley Park Presents tickets HERE.
The ground itself also undergoing some serious redevelopment as County continue to climb up the ranks of the footballing pyramid.