crafted futures
At GRIT Studios, we’re committed to opening doors into creative and craft-based careers for people across Greater Manchester. This map celebrates Stockport's rich heritage, past and present. We hope it encourages you to learn, explore, and get involved.
The Story of Heritage Skills – Made in Stockport
Stockport has a long history of making—from early cottage industries and medieval textiles to the rise of mills, engineering works, and the famous hatting trade. Its streets, mills, and workshops tell the story of how craft shaped the town’s growth. Today, makers continue this tradition in studios, heritage spaces, and restored industrial buildings.
Heritage Buildings Tour
Stockport’s historic buildings are a great place to see craft in action—from the Market Hall’s iron-and-glass roof to Staircase House’s Jacobean staircase. Sites like Winter’s Jeweller’s Building, Wellington Mill, and the War Memorial Art Gallery show the skills of past carpenters, stonemasons, millwrights, and metalworkers. Each landmark tells part of Stockport’s story.
Historic Makers and Workshops
Stockport has been home to remarkable makers, from the traditional brewing of Robinson’s to the precision skills of the British School of Watchmaking. Entrepreneurs like Sarah Ward shaped the hatting industry, while local tradespeople built many of the civic buildings we recognise today. Their work forms the foundations of the town’s creative heritage.
Stockport’s craft scene is thriving, with skilled makers working in stained glass, joinery, ceramics, furniture restoration, and more. Studios such as GRIT house many creative businesses, while independent shops showcase local work. These makers keep traditional skills alive and contribute to the town’s vibrant creative economy.
He's a small section of makers and places of interest in the town - there are many, many more to find and support!
Heritage Tour Locations
1. GRIT Studios (GRIT Stockport) — SK1 3BZ and SK3 0EA - Creative/makers’ studios at Granville Works / Canal Street (central Stockport studio location).
2. Sleepy Parrot Studios — SK1 1LA (Little Underbank). Independent studio/hub in the Underbanks area. Specialising in sign writing and gold leafing.
3. Stockport Plaza (Plaza Super Cinema & Variety Theatre) — SK1 1SP (Mersey Square). Restored 1930s super-cinema and theatre — major heritage venue.
4. Staircase House (30–31 Market Place) — SK1 1ES. Tudor/medieval timber-framed house and museum in Market Place.
5. Stockport Market / Market Hall (Market Place) — SK1 1EW / SK1 1ES (market complex around Market Place — check specific stall/unit). Historic Victorian market building (listed).
6. Hat Works (Wellington Mill) — SK3 0EU (Wellington Road South). The UK’s only museum dedicated to hatting / hat industry — in a restored mill.
7. Underbank Hall (16th-century / Tudor building) — (Great Underbank) — commonly referenced as SK1 1LL / within SK1 area (currently houses a bank branch). Important timber-framed historic townhouse in the Underbanks.
8. Stockport Viaduct (historic railway viaduct) — SK3 9HZ (viaduct/nearby streets). Major Victorian engineering landmark visible from central Stockport.
9. St Mary’s Church / Stockport Heritage Centre (Market Place area) — SK1 1YG (St Mary’s / Market Place). Historic parish church and heritage resources.
10. Luke Lister (blacksmith / maker) — SK4 1AQ (173 Heaton Lane). Local metalworker / fabricator used on civic and private commissions (included at your request).
11. Bobbin Lace - St Peters Church – SK1 1NZ - Home to the Stockport Bobbin Winders. One of the last bobbin lace groups in the country.
12. Big mosaic - The concrete panels on the Deanery Row elevation in Stockport are a 1978 art installation by Joyce Pallot and Henry Collins, depicting local people, events, and symbols. Originally commissioned by BHS, the panels have an uncertain future, as attempts to have them listed were unsuccessful.
13. Stockport Jewellery School
14. Runaway Brewery