Mellor Nook

Stockport Air Raid Shelters

Stockport · 6.2 miles

A network of underground air-raid shelters runs for almost a mile beneath Stockport, about six miles south of Manchester, and was excavated in red sandstone to provide refuge for civilians during the Second World War. Work began in September 1938 and the first tunnel opened on 28 October 1939, although the town did not experience bombing until 11 October 1940. Four separate shelter systems were created, the smallest designed for roughly 2 000 occupants and the largest originally for 3 850, later expanded to accommodate up to 6 500 people. After the war the tunnels were sealed in 1948, but the largest section has been accessible to visitors as part of the town’s museum service since 1996. Among the individual sites, the Brinksway shelter in Edgeley was built over the 17th-century Brinksway Caves and could hold 1 085 bunks and seats for 1 735 people. The Chestergate shelter, often referred to as the “Chestergate Hotel” because of its chemical toilets, electric lighting and a canteen, originally housed 3 850 users before an expansion doubled its capacity. It was formally opened by the Mayoress on 28 October 1939 and now operates as a museum, with admission charges applied and opening times listed on the venue’s information page. The Dodge Hill shelter in Heaton Norris was sized for around 2 000 people and has been the focus of a few emergency incidents in recent years. Visitors can reach the site from Stockport town centre; the museum is managed by the local council’s museum service. Admission is not free, and the current opening schedule is published online, allowing planning of a visit to explore the historic tunnels and their wartime fittings.

Hat Works

Stockport · 6.2 miles

Visitors to Stockport can explore the story of the town’s former hat-making heyday at a museum housed in a nineteenth-century mill. Set on Wellington Road South, the site lies between the town centre and Stockport railway station and is listed at Grade II. The museum, which opened in 2000, occupies Wellington Mill, an early fire-proof cotton-spinning mill erected in 1830–31 before being converted to a hat works in the 1890s. Exhibits trace the development of local hat production, from manual craft to mechanised industry, and include examples of the equipment once used in the trade. The mill’s origins lie with Thomas Marsland, whose family built a large calico-printing operation in the early nineteenth century. After a series of partnerships and leases, the building passed to the Ward Brothers, a hatting firm, in 1895 and remained part of the hat industry into the 1930s. The structure retains its 200-foot chimney added in 1860 and reflects the broader industrial growth that made Stockport a centre for silk, cotton and later headwear. Earlier, smaller displays of hatting artefacts were shown in Stockport Museum and the former Battersby hat factory before the dedicated venue opened. Admission to the museum is free, and the site is reachable on foot or by public transport from the town’s main station. No on-site parking is mentioned, but the location on the A6 provides easy road access. As a local museum, it offers insight into the region’s textile heritage without charge.

Christ Church

Heaton Norris · 6.8 miles

Ruined church of which only the steeple survives. Gutted by fire in the 1970s.

Gorton Upper Reservoir

Reddish Bridge · 7.5 miles

Gorton Reservoirs are two reservoirs on the boundary of Tameside and Manchester in the North West of England. They are Gorton Upper Reservoir and Gorton Lower Reservoir. The upper and lower sections are separated by a road supported by a stone bridge consisting of a series of arches. They are owned and maintained by United Utilities.

Philips Park

Bradford · 9.9 miles

Set within the River Medlock valley, Philips Park occupies almost 31 acres of woodland, grassland, water and rolling hills two miles east of Manchester city centre. Opened on 22 August 1846, it ranks among the world’s first municipal parks, created through public subscription and the advocacy of local MP Mark Philips. The original carriage drive, serpentine paths, amphitheatre and Head Gardener’s house survive, while archaeological finds such as a Roman coin and a 16th-century halberd testify to the site’s long history. In 2001 the park received Grade II listed status on the National Register of Parks and Gardens, and a Green Flag was awarded in 2005. Facilities include a visitor centre housed in an 1868 lodge by architect Alfred Darbyshire, a park-warden service, toilets, a children’s play area, a hard-standing ball court, a junior football pitch, allotments, a community orchard, a bowling green with pavilion, a show-field for events, picnic spots, seating, quiet zones, a pond and a dipping platform. A friends group works with the wardens to run environmental and educational programmes, health walks and annual gatherings such as the summer Party in the Park and one of Manchester’s larger free fireworks displays in November. Access is straightforward from the city centre, with the park bounded to the north by the River Medlock, to the west by Alan Turing Way, and adjacent to the City of Manchester Stadium, the Velodrome and Philips Park Cemetery. The nearest town listed on OpenStreetMap is Bradford. Admission is free, and the range of amenities makes the park suitable for casual visits, organised events and community activities.

Mayfield Park

Brunswick · 11 miles

Mayfield Park is a park in Manchester city centre, England, covering an area of 6.5 acres (2.6 ha). The city centre's first new park in more than 100 years, it was officially opened on 22 September 2022.