STOCKPORT'S £1BN BUILDING BOOM | + Redrock, Meadow Mill, a ruin & A Taste of Honey
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ก.ย. 2022
- #Stockportarchitecture #Stockportconstruction
In this video I look at Stockport, my home base, and the one billion pound transformation currently in progress in the town. There are a number of new construction projects, biggest of all, the new transport interchange and next to it, the restoration of Weir Mill along with a controversial residential tower standing much taller than the viaduct and just a few metres away from it.
We also visit Redrock, the controversial cinema and leisure complex, Merseyway and the controversial Stockroom project as well as Meadow Mill and not far away, a ruin.
For more information on Stockport Exchange, go to www.stockportexchange.co.uk
To watch 'A Taste of Honey' go to www.bfi.org.uk
Stills from the film are included on a 'fair use' basis as this video is partly a review of the film.
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Please comment and let me know if you have watched A Taste of Honey. It gives us an extraordinary view of Stockport, Manchester and Salford in the early sixties. I can often reply straight away and enjoy receiving every comment!
No I never saw the film. I never saw Star Wars or Harry Potter either because I simply don't watch telly or film.
One of my favorite films as well. Dora Bryan is fantastic
I come from Stockport area and visited few years ago, I was shocked how run down it had become. So pleased money being given for improvements, especially round the Underbank area, which was a lovely place when I was a child. It needs to be considered that there is a rich history of Stockport and hopefully this will be reflected in its future , with care carefully consideration given to the design of buildings.
One of my favourite paintings was a scene from A TASTE of HONEY. that I painted a few years ago. Great film.
I remember that painting you did, it was really good!
I worked in Millennium House for the Dept For Work And Pensions when it first opened.
That's interesting, I always like to hear people who have worked or lived in the buildings I feature - or still do.
Nice to see Stockport's support of cycling. It will definitely improve the desirability of the area. I've been blown away by how good the cycling infrastructure is here in Austria. It's really been a pleasure exploring Austrian cities by bike.
Yes, both Austria and Germany have superb cycling infrastructure. The only place better is the Netherlands. The problem with cities over here 'on the island' as they say in German, the roads are narrower so there is often less space for cycle lanes. But more and more are being built here - even cycle crossings with dedicated cycle traffic lights. Stockport there are more and more of those, and at least a few kilometres of dedicated bike lanes so far! I use them every day!
A lot of people who don’t cycle in Dtockport don’t realise that Stockport has gone to great efforts to build cycle paths and most recently a new buke and pedestrian bridge over the railway.
I like stockport in fact I prefer to visit stockport to shop probably because its more laid back than the city centre in Manchester. The new bus station looks very modern and I like the very old buildings and hilly streets its got its own personality. Interesting changes happening
Yes I agree, the shops are good, and the cinemas - the ultra modern Light Cinema in Redrock and the 1930s Plaza on Mersey Square. The new bus interchange is going to make a big difference. The hilly streets are full of character. They haven’t always been valued or maintained well. Many thanks for your comment!
A Taste of Honey was shown at HOME in Manchester in 2011 and I had the great pleasure of meeting Murray Melvin who was interviewed by Chris (CP Lee) for a Q&A. What a wonderful guy who switched me onto chia seeds, irrelevant yes but memorable - I still have a teaspoon soaked in water every day, thanks MM!!
You mean The Cornerbouse in Screen One and I was there on the front row watching the interview with Chris and Murray sitting on stage. I asked Murray what it was like filming in Manchester and he said “Cold!” Although not physically tall, he is a towering figure in British drama and as far as I know, still going strong down in London today. Many thanks for your comment!
Chia seeds? Must try that!
@@AidanEyewitness Many thanks Aidan - the event was indeed at the Cornerhouse!
Maybe mentioning Stockport County Football Club in these videos would be an idea given the recent announcement of a new 20,000 capacity stadium planned built on the same site it currently occupies ie Edgeley Park.
Many thanks for mentioning that. I will definitely take a look! And with Everton’s new stadium in Bramley-Moore Dock, Stockport County will no longer be the closest one to the River Mersey!
@@AidanEyewitness Thank you Aidan Stockport County and our noisy fabulous fan base are known throughout the country..we have two juggernaut teams in Manchester City (probably the best team in world football) and Manchester United (known worldwide) literally down the road yet SCFC still get fabulous gates and the atmosphere at Edgeley Park is off the scale at times.
I love what's happening to the town, all the buildings are being done sympathetically, it's one of the few Northern towns that's improving, but why couldn't that block of flats be moved away from the viaduct and closer to the A6. Redrock looks great from street level and the motorway side is growing on me.
Thanks for your comments, very interesting. The tower can't be moved as it has to be built on the available land that's part of the Weir Mill site. The Weir Mill site existed before the viaduct and has a similar footprint today as it had 240 years ago. The architects don't seem to have taken the viaduct into account, even though it's been there for 180 years! All in all developments in Stockport are positive and will make it a much better place.
@@AidanEyewitnessI very much doubt that anything going on in Stockport at the moment will make it ‘a much better place’! Compared to what it was once in the past, it is basically a dump bereft of any decent shops, a shrunken market, and awful ‘modern’ (read cheap) looking buildings. Stockport of the past was a vibrant place, dirty and scruffy yes, but could have been cleaned up. But the Philistines of the 60s decided to demolish all the neo-classical buildings, and all those with any merit, like the fire station, tramway depot etc, and replace them with cheap concrete and tin structures that just look soulless. The Stockport of my youth has gone forever, and it has only been family commitments and nostalgia that has kept me here. Very sad!
Rita Tushingham has also appeared at the Plaza in the past on a Q &A..along with, I think, talking about cinema in general, it may have been a Talking Pictures tv channel event.
Ah yes, now you've reminded me, I think she has, though unfortuanately I didn't attend. I did however meet Dora Bryan personally when she came to the Oldham Coliseum to see a production of 'A Taste of Honey'. She liked it very much. And I was at an interview between CP Lee (very sadly missed) and Murray Melvin - still going strong, I understand. I recently watched the film with my 21 year old daughter. She thought it was... interesting! But enjoyable!
Great video, I enjoyed seeing my local town. I think the criticism of Redrock is a little unfair though. The 'carbuncle' side of the building is actually the back of the building facing the roads and motorway. The pedestrian front is much more appealing. It's a nice space to spend time. And i do agree that the Light is an excellent cinema
Wow, a positive comment about Redrock, the building people love to hate! Well if we compare it to what was there before, empty sites used as car parks, surely what’s there now is better! Many thanks for the positive feedback.
A very interesting video. I’ve lived in Stockport all my life but there were things I didn’t know. There does always seem to be some renovation or improvements going on which is a good thing. I wish they’d finish the work in the precinct thought they always seem to have those paving stones up lol!
The shopping precinct has been ‘work in progress for years’ but is still well used. I wish they would install the clock again, the tower looks pointless without it.
Very informative Aidan, you've gone to a lot of trouble here, thanks for sharing!👍
Well to be honest with you, I enjoy it. I knew a lot of the info already, I was interested to discover new information. I drive past the new bridge site most days but they closed it off a few weeks ago. Then through researching this video I found out it was for the new pedestrian and cycle bridge. Making these videos is fun but the editing can be frustrating and time consuming. I’ll looking for quicker ways to edit. I hope to build up the channel and have thousands of subscribers, but it takes time. Every like and comment helps, so many thanks!
This video was a visual feast. Love the time-lapse shots. It's surprising how forward-thinking someone was back in 1975 to preserve an industrial Victorian building. I'm usually quite critical of planners from the second half of the 20th Century but here's a good exception. The question you ask at the end is one everyone who's involved in a development should be asking though a lot of it depends on how well maintained these building are.
I'm glad to hear that. The time-lapse of the bus station is from 2021 and I did another of the construction work when I made the video. I love time-lapse. I can't place a camera permanently on the site, but I'm sure the construction company are documenting it. I will go back from time to time to monitor progress. I have made marks on the wall at the exact spot where I need to place my iPhone! The mid-seventies was the 'watershed' for awareness of traditional architecture. That's when they started to 'list' buildings or as they say in German place them under 'Denkmalschutz' - 'monument protection'.
@@AidanEyewitness You’re right the 70’s were a real turning point. I had read about the landmark exhibition at the V&A in 1974 about the destruction of the Country House which helped end that carnage.
I remember how attitudes changed when the misconceived ideas of the 1960s ruined towns and cities and caused the destruction of many precious buildings, including quite a few in Stockport. :(
Late to the party but wanted to say what a great you tube video. Stockport really is becoming a place to be super proud of. Keep up the good work Aiden
Many thanks for the positive feedback! It’s never too late to join the party. All I’d say is: we have waited years, decades for these developments. Hopefully you’ve watched my other video, Dawn to Dusk, it’s a tribute to Stockport. It’s in the Stockport playlist.
when i lived in stockport up to 1964 then to new zealand we played outside and our hands be dirty from all the open fires dust haha heaton moore area
Yes absolutely, I remember it. I played out on the street and watched steam locos at the local station, Cheadle Heath. The coal dust got under your collar. Once when I got back from school there was no one at home. I climbed in via the small door at the side of the house where they emptied the coal into the cellar. I slid down the pile of coal and made my way up into the house. Later, my dad was surprised to see me. I think I was covered in coal dust! My mum wasn’t too happy!
Thanks for a really well put together, informative update on Stockport. Making a first flying visit there tomorrow to support AFCW! Didn't realise that A Taste of Honey was filmed in Stockport. Great film, will have to re watch it. That red tower really is quite a staggering affront to the viaduct. Please keep up your interesting reports. Have you considered doing a video about the historic Underbank area? Thanks again!
Ah yes I see now AFC Wimbledon playing Stockport County. The ground is near the new bridge over the railway. Yes that would be a good subject. They have done a lot of restoration work around there, that would be good to highlight. Enjoy your brief visit to Stockport and be sure to watch A Taste of Honey. I once asked Murray Melvin how he found the filming in Manchester and he said “cold”. Many thanks!
That ‘Tower’ I believe is just part of a massive apartment complex which will obscure the view of the viaduct. The whole thing in my estimation is a massive mistake. The bus station should have been redeveloped at a low level, like it was before, and it would have cost a fraction of this massive construction. Stockport needs shops, not fancy bus stations. The precinct is dead as far as decent shops are concerned.
Trams to Stockport !!!!!!!
Yes, I agree absolutely, but the problem is the perfectly good alignment that existed between East Didsbury and the centre of Stockport was built on in Heaton Mersey and closer to Stockport, the M60 is a major barrier to overcome. Stockport had a perfectly good station not far from Merseyway , by Lancashire Hill. Shame it was abandoned. Many thanks.
I really like the mix of greenspace and attractive modern buildings at Stockport Exchange. It's quite incredible to see all that's going on in your city. You have reason to be proud.
I am old enough to remember what was there in days of old - a filthy, decaying coal yard I seem to remember the sound of the coal falling down a chute into coal trucks, or maybe into the backs of lorries. Today it's a place people enjoy walking through or spending time it. it has a civic function as well as providing access to the station. By the way, there is a question regarding the word 'city'. Stockport is a town, though it's part of the Manchester conurbation. But a city can also be a town with a cathedral, like St Asaph in North Wales. And in Ireland, a group of houses on the side of the road can be called a 'town'! This is of course all explained on a certain TH-cam channel I know... th-cam.com/video/X4X1uXJK3Pw/w-d-xo.html Many thanks for the comment!
Proud? It is a dump compared to the vibrant town it once was! All the really nice neo-classical buildings have been demolished, the impressive red brick arched Fire Station demolished, which would have made a wonderful entrance to the Precinct. No decent shops, poor market, glass roofed Tramway Depot demolished, which would have made another wonderful shopping area. All replaced by cheap looking boxes, some of which seem to be suffering from subsidence, like the Redrock!
@@petercollins7848 it's definitely a shame to have beautiful old buildings demolished but I'm guessing this was done in the mid-20th century when respect for the past and excellent Victorian architecture was at a low point. I would prefer to see today's modern buildings over the brutalist boxes built in the 60's and 70's.
@@ians3586
Yes, it was mainly done in the 60s. The Town was very dirty due to centuries of industrial pollution, but it could have been cleaned up, but the Philistines of the day thought otherwise and brought in the wrecking ball. The Town needs shops, not fancy bus stations. Every decent shop has closed down and we are just left with Primark for goodness sake - OK for some things, but really at the cheap end. The loss of M+S, Debenhams, Next etc, is due to bad management and high leasing costs. I am hoping that the Council who now own the Precinct charge less and that may attract some better shops back.
@@AidanEyewitness
Yes, I remember the old coal yard. But in hindsight it is a coal yard we could do with now, with this present energy crisis. We have circa 300 years of coal beneath our feet, which we abandoned during the Thatcher years to rely on gas to power our electric generation. Perhaps a mistake? With new technology the power stations could have been made cleaner, and we would not be relying on foreign supplies as we are now.
Thanks Aidan - not seen any of your work for a long time.
Well I have moved from still photos and text on website pages to video. I had wanted to make a successful TH-cam channel on simialar themes to Eyewitness in Manchester but it took me a very long time to get my act together. I've been doing it for two years now. It's going well and I'm always happy to receive comments, so many thanks for yours!
Can we talk about the mess that the stagecoach bus services have left surrounding towns in regards the the 358 bus service Hayfield to stockport and the petition in circulation to keep the service running...
A few years ago they shortened the 378 service between Stockport and Wilmslow. I took it regularly and over the years I’ve also taken the 358 to Marple New Mills and Hayfield. A major factor is the privatisation of bus services carried out by Mrs Thatcher’s Conservative government in 1986. I signed a petition against it, to no avail. Bus services are an amenity and should not be a profit-making enterprise. I’ve signed the 358 petition. Many thanks for flagging this up
I enjoyed this vid.
From Stockport but left and headed for the Welsh hills nearly 35 years ago and haven't been back to Stocky for over two years now because of lockdowns etc but hoping to get there soon to visit family.
Stay safe everyone yours Jack the lad
Thanks very much and very nice to hear from you. I always think that South Wales is an awful long way away, even though there is a direct hourly train service with Transport for Wales / Trafnidiaeth Cymru. Hope you can make it back here to see all the changes!
@@AidanEyewitness I'm in the north!
I'm an advocate of ripping out the Merseyway - definitely believe that it should be a focal point for the town and not be covered up. The precinct is unlikely to return to any former glory and there's plenty of other options for retail (is anything going to happen on the site of Sainsbury's?)
Removing Merseyway would be a major undertaking. Would people want it? Quite a bit of renovation has been done and is being done. Things have changed since 1965 when it opened but on recent visits there were plenty of people. That section of the Mersey has not seen daylight since the 1930s.
8:34 is amazing use of a Mill on this scale! Always see it on the motorway look amazing. Shame about all the mills in Oldham
Yes it’s one of the biggest mills to be converted to apartments. Victoria Mill in east Manchester was converted many years ago. Many thanks
I've been to the cinema it's lovely inside very comfy seats ❤
Yes, it’s luxurious! A far cry from the ‘fleapits’ of the old days!
I love looking down into that opening cutaway 'Lancashire Bridge' into a pissior of a river
Well I don't think the Mersey is really a pissoir today - it's much cleaner than in previous times. It would be interesting to go down the river in a kayak and see Merseyway - and the hole - from underneath!
Opening up the river at Lancashire Bridge was a complete waste of money. Who wants to look down on a dirty piece of river in the dark? That whole area around Lancashire Bridge had some wonderful properties like the Warren Buckley Inn and the Buck + Dog - all destroyed and replaced by soulless tatty shops! The planners should be ashamed! Stockport had so many attractive and interesting buildings, but the Philistines thought otherwise.
Meadow Mill looks stunning
Yes, it's a magnificent building and will look even better when the renovation is complete. Many thanks!
Stockport had an awesome array of Pubs and Clubs in the 1980s and 1990s. Sadly many of these have been lost to Stockport and one could argue it is the council to blame. Spending a billion pounds to rectify past mistakes sounds like a good idea but the heart of Stockport has been destroyed. These new building are little compensation for destroying Stockport's culture which was enjoyed by people from all over Stockport and Manchester.
That's very interesting, but sad. It's true, many pubs have closed. I don't go to pubs very often but the ones I've been to in Stockport are: The Baker's Vaults in the Market Place, still a favourite today, The Magnet, a very nice free house, much bigger inside than it seems; The Crown Inn, recently under new management and seems to be doing okay; The Hope, sadly it closed this year but whenever I was in it, it was always very quiet, The Blossoms - celebrated pub on the A6 - well frequented, there are plenty more. Recenty, near the Market Place, I bumped into a guy who used to learn German with me. I was suprised and gratified to hear his appraisal of the town. He said he recently moved to Stockport and loves living here. He says the town centre is full of character, there's lots going on and there are many nice places to go. To what extent the council has made bad decisions, that needs to be investigated. Many thanks for your comment.
The old ups and down building on the A6 empty for over 20 years now is a major eyesore for Stockport. When will it ever be re tasked or pulled down
I’m not sure which building you mean. Where is it exactly?
It's on the A6 on the bridge part very ugly building had a shop at its base, not derelict like the rest of the building. A real eyesore now
Now
@@peterford1279 Ah yes, I know the one. Just across Wellington Road South from where I have taken shots of the bus interchange site. Maybe it will be restored. It would make a good cafe, perhaps. I'll keep an eye out for information.
I am so happy and proud to see the old town of Stockport transformed in this way. From being described in the early 19th century as 'the most insurrectionary town in the land' to being the butt of uninformed music hall 'jokes', one of the UK's largest towns is quickly becoming a graceful swan. I both lived and worked there in the 70s and 80s and she now sits well as a borough in Greater Manchester's role as the UK's Second City. And all this has been done DESPITE the half hearted efforts of 'levelling up' which we Northerners know will never happen, with a disproportionate level of financial support still going to the pampered South East. And the Government still wonders why Brexit happened and why Westminster isn't trusted north of Oxford. Come on Britain - WAKE UP!! 🤬🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
That’s a very strong and positive sentiment. The current development work is the biggest for many years. Things are not perfect but they are improving. It’s mostly forgotten that pre-1974 Stockport was a lot smaller and covered mostly the more industrial inner part of the town. In 1974 the old borough joined up with neighbouring urban districts such as Cheadle and Gatley and Hazel Grove to form the new Stockport which covers quite a large area and has a population of not too far off a third of a million. Yes, “levelling up” “Northern Powerhouse” fine words but they have turned out to be just empty political slogans. Many thanks - I think I have great comments on my channel! :)
‘Improvements’ may or may not be OK. But what Stockport desperately needs is decent shops! It used to be a great shopping area - including the Market, but now, as far as I am concerned, there is nothing there and no reason to go. Fancy modern buildings can’t replace the vibrant bustling atmosphere that was once Stockport!
I suppose it would have been around 1987/88 when i had just got off a train onto one afternoon of the platforms at Stockport station. i could smell a very strong smell in the air like very strong bleach chemicals in the air. no one seemed at that moment too concerned about it even though it made them cough a lot and there wasn't many people around just after 2pm.
i walked down the steps leaving the platform to the underpass which leads out of the station toward the A6. at that point the strong smell was so bad my eyes where steaming and people where coughing alot because of the chemical smell that was like an extremely overwhelming strong bleach smell in the air. i walked up to the point to where i thought the source of the smell coming from to have a look. i was coughing alot so were some others all along the whole of the underpass. on the steps leading up to another platform someone had abandoned a large hard bodied suite case.
there was no station staff around to alert to the case leaking chemicals into the air. the case was in the open air on the steps next to the platform and the draft was blowing the chemical smell down the steps to the underpass below the platforms. i left the underpass thinking it will only be moments before the police get there and shut down the station. thinking the station was under an ira attack which was a thing people had to be weary of at the time either that or someone had been really stupid carrying some kind of dangerous chemical inside there suite case without thinking about it first.
it must have only just happened the moment i got off the train because no body was seemed overly concerned and there where no staff around. people where walking around normally thinking as i did. we where being fumed badly by a faulty locomotive engine pushing out tons of fumes that was parked in the station. so what was that thing that happened that day. it was not on tv or the local paper at the time. was it an ira chemical attack gone wrong that was meant for an InterCity train to London.
packed with passengers where the windows and doors don't open. just imagine if that thing went off inside a intercity train. everyone inside would have died for sure considering the bleach chemicals where making people choke in the open air in the underpass. i never heard more about it once since i left the station that day. never heard anymore about it since i was at the station that day at all. absolutely nothing which is strange to say the least. it remains a mystery to me to this day.
Well that sounds intriguing. I wasn't living in Stockport around that time, I was in Manchester so I have no memory of it. It could have been a leak from a truck containing chemicals that had stopped in the station. There's someone I know who knows a lot about the history of local railways. I'll ask him to see if he can shed any light on this. Many thanks for sharing.
Nice content. There's so much going on in Stockport.
Not been in the UK in a while now. I'm curious to see what's happening around Oldham, Rochdale and Bolton
Many thanks. I hope to feature some of the other boroughs some time, there is new construction and development going on in all of them.
@@AidanEyewitness certainly looking forward to see your contents
@@deu8894 Many thanks!
The old town hall in Oldham has been redeveloped nicely but the towns to the north of Manchester seem to have stagnated, I thought this might have changed with the tram route.
@@Paul-eb4jp Well, you've just highlighted a subject for one or more videos. Oldham, Rochdale, Bury, Bolton.
So much building work going on! I do think that the "nightlife" area of Wier Mill looks a lot like Deansgate Locks. I will be really disappointed if it is a load of exclusive nightclubs and a magnet for anti-social behaviour. The big cafe/ bar at Stockport Exchange which regularly has live music on the other hand is a real assett.
Yes, I have been to that cafe bar - it's called Bask - in the new buildings next to the station (on the site of the old railway yard for unloading coal scuttles!) and it's very nice. I'm sure the Weir Mill nightlife area will be okay. People won't have to go into Manchester to find a night spot. I think it's going to be okay. Time will tell.
Nice video 📹
Thanks very much for the positive feedback! Very much appreciated!
Great vid!! But still like the team to be in Stockport
Okay, many thanks for your comment! I can't comment on that!
@@AidanEyewitness sorry i misspelt i meant to say I still would like the Tram to be in Stockport eventually.
Hi, Aidan. Thank you for sharing.
I always learn something new through your video, especially since I am not familiar with the location.
I appreciate you giving me chance to study it.
There have been issues all over the world about how old architecture survives and welcomes new architecture, I believe.
I like you have an optimistic vision of it for the future.
There is a comparison photo of Royal Oak Brewery before...3:04 and after...3:04. May I ask whether it was completely demolished or somehow it was repurposed from an old building to the new one?
OMG...it looks really like a major project as you mentioned.....3:22...hope to complete it sooner than later considering noise pollution..
I had to research the movie of "Taste of Honey"...appreciate the photos provided.
More visualization will be problematic, indeed...4:47......also "STOCKROOM" will be a mistake...7:31
I agree with you that Modern Architecture, "Redrock" is acceptable...5:24
Wow...here there comes "eye sore".... 8:15
Yes, this iconic tree looks making a strong statement and stands still proudly... 8:48
Again thank you, Aidan, for raising awareness before it's too late. 🙋♀🙋♀🛶🛶
No, the Royal Oak brewery was not demolished - it was extended with new buildings. You can still see the roof of the old brewery building in the new development. Unfortunately the old building is not very visible. The big construction project is in the town centre. Not many people live here. The bus interchange will be very good when it's finished. It will be one of the biggest in the UK, I think. A Taste of Honey is a classic British film of the 1960s, a very good story with interesting characters. The idea of Stockroom is to bring a library into a shopping centre, where there are some vacant shop units. Will people go into the library while they are shopping? The books will be moved out of the old library - I've already done a video about this. th-cam.com/video/dv9xtmX8C4o/w-d-xo.html We'll have to wait and see. The tree is standing proud but it is getting in the way of my photograph! Many thanks for watching and commenting!
@@AidanEyewitness Ooops, please accept my apology. I looked at the photos back and forth, {before and after) and I had poor judgment about the brewery. I couldn't tell whether demolished or not. 😥I would love to see a video if you are interested to make it after the huge project is done.🤗
@@AidanEyewitness Thank you for the link of your recommendation. There was a conflict the city had to endure and came to the decision to the new video. Now the two dots connect...thank you. Hmm..Fascinating to learn that Carnegie was involved for that library...🤗🤗
@@ms.kayak7seas Yes I think you mean, there was a conflict the city had to resolve. Your English is extremely good but there are always improvements to be made! I am also an English teacher as well as a German teacher. Just over a hundred years ago, Scottish industrialist Andrew Carnegie paid for hundreds of magnificent libraries in the UK, France and the USA.
@@AidanEyewitnessAppreciate your kind words. I am glad that I watched the TV show about Carnegie on the "History Channel" here in the US in the past.
Stockport looked far better when I was a kid in the 50s and 60s! Yes the new stuff is clean and modern but has no soul and looks like just the cardboard models the architects used to design it! The biggest damage was done in the 60s, when many of the neo- classical building were demolished, along with the fire station - which would have made a wonderful frontage for the precinct.
Yes it was dirty and scruffy in the past, but it could have been cleaned up and made to look like somewhere. I fear that with all the new construction and the millions spent, Stockport will just look like anywhere, soulless and a poor copy of everywhere else.
I was in Stockport Library yesterday and I was looking at a book about the history of Stockport. There was an aerial photo of the town centre and I saw the old fire station, with its tower and the tramway depot with its ornate facade. The bus depot on the other side of Wellington Rd. The 60s planners ruined the town centre, particularly Mersey Square with their half-baked, destructive ideas. We are still living with the consequences. But in recent years, contemporary architects and planners have been trying to improve things. I think the new bus interchange is going to improve things. I can remember when buses used Mersey Square as the terminus, it was never satisfactory. The bus station will be a big improvement on that. Many thanks for sharing your thoughts!
@@AidanEyewitness
I suppose that ‘hope springs eternal’, but I wouldn’t bank on it. We haven’t seen the finished article yet with the bus station. Artist’s impressions always look good. That great big apartment building is a bit of a monstrosity as it blocks some of the view of the viaduct and will it seems cast a shadow over the apartment building behind it. We will have to wait and see.
@@petercollins7848 I agree the apartment building is over-sized and will cast a shadow. I am certain the new bus station will be better as the old one was not very warm or welcoming, with those bus shelters. The new interchanges in Rochdale, Altrincham and Wythenshawe are all good and with its enclosed heated concourse, facilities this one will be good too and better than waiting out in the cold in Mersey Square as I did in the 60s for the old North Western 71 to Altrincham, operated by the Bristol low roof bus - there’s one in the GM transport museum!
@@aorlanguages
Let’s hope it is successful. But I think we have grown a bit soft as time has gone on, personally I liked it when the buses ran from mersey square, and we had the old waiting room (remember). The Redrock area does not actually inspire me with confidence that these ‘ improvements’ are really that. I liked the old buses too, the ones you entered from the back with the pole to grab! Probably I am just a old nostalgic.
Will not be going to Stockport again for a long time after getting a £60 fine for going into Bus lane which was a road to get onto the A6 it is a shambles
I sympathise. I've had parking fines in Stockport and Manchester. I think local authorities forget that it makes people resentful against the town or city when this happens, though with a bus lane the fine is not the responsibility of the town.
I agree! Why should a private bus company be able to commandeer our roads? Those travelling by bus have no more right to the roads than cars. In some ways even less - drivers pay road tax!
@@petercollins7848 Well thanks for reply . Still not been to Stockport
@@cybershot123
Don’t blame you - it is a dump in spite of all the ‘improvements’. No decent shops!
@@petercollins7848agree
I have lived in Stockport for 70 years what the hell are the council doing destroying the area , some nice developments like meadow mill ect but I am sure 1 billion could be used for better developments than the bus depot and the 1960s tower block , I am convinced that primary school children could do a far better job of design and I really mean that I don't go to stockport
now also where is the tram line
Thanks - many people share your frustration and disappointment with the way Stockport has been altered by new development especially in the 60s and 70s. We'll just have to wait and see how the new bus interchange and the neighbouring Weir Mill project turn out. When I was a pupil at Our Lady's primary school, Edgeley, I built Lego buildings. Maybe some of my designs could have been used! There is one part of Stockport that has kept its character and that's the Market Place with its historic Market Hall and also the magnificent Plaza Cinema, a preserved piece of 1930s Stockport. I would say please don't stay away from Stockport town centre - the market traders deserve to be supported, the Plaza is run mostly by volunteers. By going there you are helping to preserve the best of Stockport. As for the tram, there was a perfectly good railway line direct from East Didsbury to Stockport town centre but at Heaton Mersey the line was obliterated by industrial buildings. In Stockport town centre the tunnel to Tiviot Dale Station became unusable when the motorway was built in the 1980s. The mistakes of the past cost millions to put right. Many thanks for your comment.
What is the source of the money? Very little clarity as to the source.
The money for constructions projects comes from a mixture of private and public sources. On the information board, I featured some of the organisations providing money, both developers, local and central government and the ERDF. Many thanks for your comment.
I think Sheila Delaney wrote a taste of honey when she was in her teens. There are some awful buildings being built in Stockport
Yes she did, when she was just 18. She never achieved the same success in her later career again. There are a few nice ones being built as well, I think!
How much of it’s beloved architecture will be destroyed by unaccountable greed?
That is a burning question and there is no easy answer to it!
its a mess all the character being lost forever,,the shopping centre is as dead as a doornail and the historical mkt non existent..as for a taste of honey i wrote to both the main characters and sent photos but only dora bryan and rita tushingham replied and signed my taste of honey photos ..cant complain 🙂🙂
Wow, I think you did well that they replied. I once met Dora Bryan when she came to the Oldham Coliseum to see a performance of A Taste of Honey. I'd love to meet Rita Tushingham.
Underbank is my favourite area of stockport, god forbid them renevating that. I dont like what the council are doing, its a very distiopian gray suit style, all by this, buy that. The high street discusts me. The council should be concentrating more on the surrounding areas and less on modern delusions of fluffy cloads and shops.
Thanks, I know what you mean. I am planning to do a video on the renovation of the Underbanks. Thanks for commenting
@@AidanEyewitness ...what.. they can't touch underbank its cobbled are grade 2 listed ffs. Its already a travesty that some millenial hispter bought the Winters pub n are turinging into a coffee bar, its a disgrace. Hate this cosmopolitanism, George Orwells predictions are fast coming to view. Im only 31, but i hate this capitalism bs.
This video is a good sell, but it fails to mention one glaring thing. No shops! We don’t need lots of fancy buildings that require ongoing maintenance (paid for by Stockport taxpayers)? But we need shops and stores that serve the Public’s need and generate an income for the Council by paying taxes.
I am not selling anything! I am just reporting about the construction that's in progress and passing on the message. I am sceptical of some aspects of the plans. I agree with you about shops, however shops are commercial enterprises, they can only exist if they make money. With the rise of online retailing, there are fewer shops on the high street these days. The bus station (interchange) is funded by GMPTE, the residential buildings are funded by people buying or renting the apartments. Many thanks for commenting.
@@AidanEyewitness
I used the word ‘selling’ in the sense of ‘presenting’. The fact that GM transport if funding the bus station means that you and me are paying for it, and the people in the flats, as you say, will be paying for them, so nothing free there. The rise of internet shopping, I believe, is a reaction against the lack of shops, not the reason for their demise as is often claimed. You only have to go to any of these big out of town outlets, or even the big supermarkets to see that most people prefer to see and handle what they wish to buy. It is the greedy private landlords who own most of the properties on the high street who have priced themselves out of the market and now own shuttered premises instead thriving businesses.
@@petercollins7848 That's an interesting perspective I'd not thought of - out-of-town places like the Trafford Centre have plenty of shops, so why are there fewer shops in town centre shopping centres, like Merseyway. Very good question, but I don't have the answer to it at the moment! I'll keep looking. Many thanks for your comment. Maybe if they abolished parking charges at Merseyway, that might bring in more shoppers?
@@AidanEyewitness
I agree about the parking charges, but there are few shops worth visiting in Stockport now! The properties that used to house good shops like M+S are being converted into expensive-to-maintain ‘hubs’ etc, which will just be a drain on the taxpayer. I believe that after a while properties that are empty should be commandeered by the Council and let out at cheap rates to anyone who can make a go of them. Private landlords should not be allowed to let our towns become a desert!
that red rock crap needs to be demolished, it is one of the reasons I stay away from Stockport.
There’s plenty more in Stockport. You shouldn’t allow yourself to be put off by one building, however hideous!