Congleton

Hat Works

Stockport · 17 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.

Stockport Air Raid Shelters

Stockport · 17 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.

Roman Lakes

Hawk Green · 17 miles

Deep Hayes Country Park

Wall Grange · 8.7 miles

Large, attractive country park with a mixture of woodland, pasture and pools. Many paths of varying difficulty. Ample free parking and toilets on site.

The Roaches

Goldsitch Moss · 8.7 miles

I believe The Roaches is technically the name of one of the crags, rather than the actual summit.

Beech Vista

Wall Grange · 8.7 miles

These trees were probably planted shortly after the reservoir was built around 1849. From here there are good views across the park and the surrounding countryside.