Things to Do in Stockport

A beautifully restored medieval townhouse with its famous 17th-century cage-newel staircase. Rooms are furnished to period, giving a real sense of domestic life across 400 years.

🕐 Tue–Sun 11:00–16:00, closed Mon

💡 Ask the stewards to point out the secret priest hole behind the panelling – it's easily missed and the story is good.

A mile-long network of underground tunnels built to shelter 6,500 people during WWII. You can walk through sections fitted with original bunks, a canteen and medical posts.

🕐 Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00), closed Mon

💡 Entry costs £4–£6 but it's run by the council and the ticket lasts the whole day – you can come back after lunch. The 1940s-style cafe at the exit sells proper tea in china cups.

Small but characterful local history museum inside the 19th-century town hall. Covers everything from prehistoric finds to Stockport's hat trade, with a solid collection of Roman and medieval artefacts.

🕐 Tue–Sat 10:00–17:00, closed Sun–Mon

💡 Look out for the display on the 1819 Stockport massacre – it's candid and well done. The museum shop has good local history booklets for under a fiver.

The only dedicated hatting museum in the UK, housed in a converted Victorian mill. Exhibits cover mechanised hat production, the town's hatting history and plenty of interactive displays.

🕐 Tue–Sat 10:00–17:00, Sun 11:00–16:00, closed Mon

💡 Go on a weekday morning when it's quiet and the volunteer guides are happy to run the 19th-century steam-powered hat-blocking machine for you.

A compact Victorian park with a restored bandstand, formal flower beds and a small aviary with budgies and finches. Good for a quiet stroll or picnic away from the town centre bustle.

🕐 Open daily dawn to dusk

💡 The park's wartime shelter and the original 1860s drinking fountain are worth a look – both are tucked near the southern gate.