Stockport Market & Foodie Friday

Stockport Market, Stockport, Greater Manchester

The very old market at Stockport was at the heart of the original medieval town at the foot of St. Mary’s Church. The name Stockport itself reflects this. In Old English “port” is “market” at the “hamlet” or “stock.”

Market Hall, Stockport

History

Stockport Market place dates back to the 15th century and Stockport Market itself received its charter way back in 1260. The Earl of Chester presented the charter to the lord of the manor, Robert de Stokeport.

The charter allowed Stockport to hold a weekly market on Thursday (later moved to Friday and also held on the Saturday from 1810) and an 8-day yearly fair.

Traders sold cheese, meat, milk, vegetables and other goods.

The Market Hall dates from 1860 and was a cutting-edge design when it opened. It was the work of architect James Heywood from Derby and was originally open at the sides, thus earning the nickname the “glass umbrella.”

The Market Hall dates from the 1860’s

Saved from Destruction

Threatened with redevelopment at the turn of the twentieth century, the market was saved by a citizens’ petition and a regeneration project with National Lottery money restored the Covered Market Hall to its former Victorian glory in 2008.

Market stalls are now housed in the Victorian Covered Market Hall and on the streets around it.

The Grade II Listed Produce Hall (pictured below) is now unfortunately closed but will be redeveloped into a food hall with seating for 150 people. Nearby Blackshaw’s Cafe which dates back to the 1860’s has been transformed into a cafe/bar as part of the same development.

The street market is open on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday with the Covered Market also open on Thursdays in addition to Tuesday, Friday and Saturday as well.

Produce Market (now unfortunately closed but to be redeveloped)

Produce Market (before redevelopment)

The Produce Hall after redevelopment on a busy Friday night in August

Sadly the market’s popularity is threatened once again by the preponderance of huge drive-in supermarkets in the suburbs of the town that keep many people away.

Stockport expanded during the industrial revolution to become a centre of hat manufacturing and grim industrial landscapes pictured by Friedrich Engels in his classic “The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844” but the market place has survived as a reminder of Stockport’s earlier history.

Though Stockport is well-known for the excellence of its locally-brewed Robinson’s beer and many good pubs including the nearby Arden Arms, there is always room for more in the hearts of the locals. Next door to the Covered Market is Remedy Bar with a range of craft ales and lagers to try.

Oak Tree Cafe in the covered market

Foodie Friday

The last Friday of the month is the popular Foodie Friday with a range of international food options on offer as well as live music.

Also just round the corner from the market at 7, Rostron Brow is the acclaimed Where The Light Gets In restaurant. The restaurant has no menu but serves a set meal that changes frequently. Where the Light Gets In is open for dinner Wednesday to Saturday.

Fading advertisement painted on to a brick wall near the market in Stockport

History of the market in Stockport

The Market Hall

Craft beer at the Remedy Bar opposite the Market Hall

Access – Getting There

The market is at the top of the town near St Mary’s Church. It is up from Merseyway Shopping Centre and Little Underbank. Also in the market at the top of Mealhouse Brow is the Stockport Dungeon & Court Leet.

The Metro Shuttle free bus runs past the market.

Locate Stockport on a map of the North West of England