Reclaiming Stockport’s Cattle Market ………… with lots of help from Bill Sumner

Now yesterday I explored the story of Stockport’s Cattle Market, which I found quite by chance on the 1906 OS map of Cheshire.*

1906

It stood in a pocket of land bordered on one side by Great Portwood Street, and the River Goyt and backed on to the Gas Works.

Today it is the retail park, which includes Matalan, Boots, Next and plenty of other High Street names.

But as for the cattle market I found nothing to tell me when it was opened, and when it closed.

Leaving me just to make the appeal, and within hours Bill Sumner came up with the deal.

The area according to one source had been a reservoir with the original cattle market had been sited on Castle Yard which had attracted the interest of the both the Romans and the Normans, both of whom added fortifications to the site.

In the 18th century Sir George Warren as lord of the manor levelled the land and built a circular brick turret, which was later demolished when the land was lowered in 1853 for the cattle market.**

This when it became unfit for purpose led to the move in 1879 to the Portwood site.

Bill also sent over four aerial pictures dating from the 1920s, into the 1940s, which add to the story.

And never one to lift other people’s research, here are the images along with what Bill wrote.***

1927

"This first one shows a mill to the right of St Mary's Church with its chimney hiding Millgate Bridge, the Cattle Market is the open ground on the other side of the river marked with a pink flag, there is a suggestion of some low buildings but the photo fades out. 

This is a blow up from Britain from Above -1927 St Mary's Church and the Unicorn Brewery Stockport 1927 EPW 019110.  

1931

This one shows St Mary's Church with the Stockport Electric Works (four chimneys) and the now enlarged Mill (1931) looking over the Cattle Market (flagged Pink) to the Gas Works. 

Image the Stockport Viaduct and the Town Stockport 1931 EPW036820 England(1931).  

I know this area now as the multi-unit shopping area next to Stockport's Asda.

1946

It is now 1946 and the Portwood Gas Works has spread over the entire site with a cooling tower where the Cattle Market used to be and a much-enlarged power station with huge single chimney obscuring St Mary's Church.

 Image EAW002109 England(1946) Portwood Gas Works and Environs Stockport 1946.

1946

This view shows St Mary's bottom right with the famous steps (Lowry?) leading down to the Power Station which has taken over that mill completely. 

The black objects next to the grey concrete cooling tower are wooden cooling towers with the gas works behind.  

Image EAW 002115 ENGLAND (1946) Portwood Gas Works and environs Stockport 1946".

To which, Dave from Marple has added, "I worked for Northwest Gas at the Portwood site from 1975 till the late 80s when the new development took place. 

The site of the cattle market had up until the early 80s been occupied by Norweb, the electricity supply company. I have always known it was the site of an earlier cattle market as I recall there being a sign on one of the gates into the site identifying that it had been the site of a cattle market".

Research; Bill Sumner, with a contribution from Dave from Marple.

Pictures; The Cattle Market site, 1927,-1946, 1927 EPW 019110, 1931 EPW036820. 1946 EAW002109, 1946, EAW 002115, and in 1906, from the OS map of Cheshire, 1906, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://digitalarchives.co.uk/

*On discovering Stockport’s own Cattle Market, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2020/06/on-discovering-stockports-own-cattle.html

**Stockport A Pictorial History, Roy West, 2009, & 2013

***Britain From Above, https://britainfromabove.org.uk/

The Stockport by-election 1920 by Graham Gill

One of the nice things about the blog is when someone offers to write a story and today I have the pleasure in posting one on the Stockport by-election of 1920 by Graham Gill

Graham has a wonderful collection of memorabilia some of which he has kindly allowed me to use, and so I jumped at his offer to tell the story of this 1920 Parliamentary election along with some of material which was published at the time.

On Friday 27 February 1920 the Stockport Advertiser reported the death of the Liberal Stockport Coalition MP ''Its with deep regret we announce the death of Spencer Leigh Huges MP age 40 ''

To understand the 1920 Stockport By-election we need to know that there was a coalition government and that the Labour Party withdrew from the coalition in 1918.

The key question for the Unionist, Liberals, Labour and Co-operative Parties was how do you split one seat between two candidates?

The Labour Party unveiled Sir Leo Cheozza Money and was given full support by the Labour and Co-operatives.

We should recall the Unionist stood down in 1918 General Election in favour of Huges (Liberal) and Wardle (Labour) who were coalition candidates. Wardle decision to remain in government evoked a great deal of hostility.

The Liberal Party, it was their MP who died so they expected to have the candidate for the coalition.

Stockport Liberals recommended T.B. Leigh as a coalition candidate.

The Unionist had a problem do they support T.B. Leigh or nominate their candidate but they were determined to fight for the seat and put forward Mr A.A.G. Kindle. The two parties were on a collision course.

The newspapers headlines proclaimed ''Deadlock in Stockport'' followed by ''Deadlock, coalition divided against itself''

Then a significant development happened on 8 March Sir George Younger Chairman of the Conservatives and Unionist Whip a central figure in Government visited Stockport.

Event moved quickly, first T.B. Leigh resigned his nomination then the sitting MP Wardle resigned his seat claiming ill health. Was Wardle persuaded to go by Lloyd George government?

The Co-operatives were in no doubt two hours after Sir George Younger returns Wardle resigns.

After the events of Wednesday Mr William Greenwood was adopted as a Unionist/coalition candidate, Mr Henry Flides as a Liberal candidate.

The Co-operative Party turned to S.P. Perry secretary of the National Co-operative with the full support of Sir Leo Chiazza Money.

Stockport voters had two votes and the result was declared on 11 April with William Greenwood and Mr Henry Flides voted to Parliament,

By 1922 the coalition had collapsed and in the General Election H. Flidles and William Greenwood were re-elected as Liberal and Unionist MPs. W Greenwood died in 1925 and in a subsequent by-election A.E. Townend won the seat for Labour winning 36.5% of the vote.


Labour had now arrived in Stockport.

© Graham Gill

Pictures; the candidates in the 1920 election  from the collection of Graham Gill, graph by Andrew Simpson