Historic Buildings

St. Mary’s in the Marketplace, Stockport - Redevelopment Phase 7 (Heritage Centre)

For centuries, St Mary’s has stood at the heart of Stockport’s old town but time is running out - masonry has crashed to the ground. We aim to save its heritage as a Grade 1 Listed, Heritage at Risk, pre-Reformation church whose Georgian nave suffers from extensive stone-jacking. We aim to connect wider audiences with the building’s heritage by increasing our heritage-related activities from hosting Stockport Heritage Trust to include heritage escape rooms, tower tours, self-guided heritage tours, an improved cafe and extended use of the building for non-church-related events that allow varied audiences to appreciate the historic space. We will reduce our energy footprint by installing a new, efficient heating system and by remodelling both main entrances to radically improve draught-proofing. And we will put in place governance and operational structures such that our project activities become financially sustainable so St Mary’s is not just preserved but alive for generations.