Marketplace Studios

The latest occupant of this mock-tudor faced building is Marketplace Studios. It has been set up by the Manchester School of Art as an initiative providing start-up business support to creative graduates. It has two floors of incubation studio space for graduate practitioners, who receive business support tailored towards the Creative Industries to help them succeed in their new enterprises. On the ground floor are shop/gallery/exhibition space and project spaces to run courses for the general public.

More information can be found on their website.

The original photograph can be viewed on Geograph.

A contribution to The Weekend in Black and White.

A is for Aquinas College

Aquinas College on Nangreave Road is a Roman Catholic sixth form college. It was established in 1980 on the site of St Michael's Secondary School, and is owned by the Diocese of Shrewsbury.

A contribution to Our World Tuesday and ABC Wednesday.

S is for School Crossing Patrol

This school crossing patrol is on Bramhall Lane at Heaviley near St George's Church of England Primary School.

The patrol man, commonly known as a "lollipop man" stops the traffic to allow people (especially the children) to cross safely in the morning on their way to school and in the afternoon on their way home.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday.

Stockport College: Phase 1 building

Designed by architects Austin-Smith:Lord and completed in 2010, this new building on Wellington Road South is part of the Phase 1 development of the college.

"Phase 1 provides Stockport College with new, state of the art workshop accommodation as part of a multi-phase redevelopment strategy that encompassed the entire city centre campus. To maximise built accommodation on this relatively small site the buildings front the edges of the site around a central service yard, incorporating plant space, classroom accommodation, specialist workshops, cafeteria and changing facilities.

Bold cantilevered forms are used to maximise the floor space above ground floor and allow access into the adjacent street whilst opening up routes through the campus. The blocks are clad in a limited palette of robust materials to reflect their workshop use and create a commanding presence along a major route in to the centre of Stockport. Anthra zinc and precast concrete provide solidity, whilst long elevations of glass channels provide abundant, glare free natural light."

See the architect's website for more photographs.

A contribution to Skywatch Friday and Weekend Reflections.

T is for Terence Paul

The Terence-Paul Hair Academy at the end of Prince's Street offers training and apprenticeships in hair dressing.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday.

Stockport Sunday School Steps

These steps on Wellington Street are all that remain of what was the largest Sunday School in the world.

The Stockport Sunday school was founded in 1784. In 1805, £6000 pounds was raised from subscription, and a school large enough to accommodate 5000 scholars was built on London Square. The school belonged to the town rather than a particular church. The building, austere in design, was 132 feet in length and 57 feet in width. The ground floor and first story were each divided into 12 rooms; the second story was fitted up for assembling the whole of the children for public worship, or on other occasions; having two tiers of windows, and a gallery on each side extending about half the length of the building. In order to aid both the hearing and sight in this long room, the floor rose in an inclined plane about half way. There was also an orchestra with an organ behind the pulpit.

Despite the buildings being listed as a National Monument they were demolished around 1970.

Further information can be found on Wikipedia.

A contribution to Shadow Shot Sunday and Inspired Sundays.

Another view of the old workhouse

This view of the former St Thomas' Hospital is from Junction Street looking over the site of Hollands Mill, itself demolished in 2007, only its gateposts remain.

The new Stockport Union Workhouse was erected in 1841. It was designed by Henry Bowman who was also responsible for the Congleton workhouse. It was built at Shaw Heath and was intended to accommodate up to 690 inmates.

The workhouse comprised a two-storey entrance block facing the main road at the south-west. Assorted other buildings were subsequently added at each side. The main accommodation building stood to the rear. It was a substantial red-brick building, largely four storeys high. Males were accommodated at the north side and females at the south. Children's quarters and school rooms were located in cross wings at each end of the main block, with the area to the front containing enclosed boys' and girls' exercise yards. To the rear, the men's and women's sides were divided by the kitchens, dining-hall and bakery. A wash-house and drying ground for laundering linen and clothes were located at the women's side, while a smithy and pig-sties were placed at the men's side.

After 1912, the workhouse was officially known as Stockport Poor Law Institution. It later became Shaw Heath Hospital, then from 1954 was known as St Thomas' Hospital. The hospital finally closed in 2003 and the site acquired by Stockport College as part of their campus expansion plans. Although planned for completion in 2011, the buildings remain derelict.

A closer view of the weather vane can be found in our post of 21st February.

A contribution to Skywatch Friday.

F is for Flint Street

Flint Street is off Shaw Heath. On the left is Our Lady and the Apostles Social Club. On the right are buildings previously belonging to St Thomas' Hospital. In the background is part of Stockport College.

This view is looking into the grounds of the former hospital, originally a workhouse.

For more information about it see the post Shadows outside the workhouse which shows it from the other side.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday.

Hollands Mill Gatepost

All that is left of Hollands Mill which was demolished in 2007 is this gatepost on the corner of Shaw Heath.

To the left is the former St Thomas' Hospital. If you look up the road on the right you'll see a tree which is the same tree featured in yesterday's post Shadows outside the workhouse where you can read more about the former hospital.

This is the view across from the site of Hollands Mill looking up Shaw Heath.

I don't know what the figures actually represent but they may have something to do with the fact that the Armoury is at the other end of the road as shown in our post of 15th January.

A contribution to Monday Murals.

Signs on the old workhouse

"Welcome to edge hill Faculty of Health" says the sign on the left of the doorway of the former workhouse building once part of St Thomas' Hospital. "Press buzzer and wait for response" it says underneath but the building has been empty and derelict for some time - see earlier post Union Offices of Shaw Heath Workhouse for more details.

The sign on the door itself informs "Stockport Community Drugs Team is located around the corner of Flint Street".

A contribution to signs, signs.

Union Offices of Shaw Heath Workhouse

A workhouse was designed by Henry Bowman and built at Shaw Heath to accommodate up to 690 inmates. The workhouse later became Shaw Heath Hospital, then from 1954 was known as St Thomas' Hospital. The hospital finally closed in 2004 and the site acquired by Stockport College as part of their campus expansion. This building photographed here was built in 1905 as a new office and board-room block and was erected at the west of the workhouse site at the corner of Flint Street.

Information is scarce as to its exact function prior to closing in 2004. What is known is that it was used by Edge Hill University as a Faculty of Health comprising several functions including teaching. It was also used by Stockport Community Alcohol Team as a drop in centre and needle exchange. Additionally it was a drop in centre for victims of domestic violence.

Photographs of the derelict interior can be found on the Derelict Places website.

A contribution to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.

K is for Kiddi-Winks

A day nursery located on Bankfield Road, next to the Peak Forest Canal at Woodley.

More information can be found on their website.

A contribution to ABC Wednesday.

The Greek Street Annexe

Built in 1909 as a secondary school, it later became a Girls' Grammar School but now is an annexe of Stockport College.

The Grade II listing describes it as "Council secondary school, 1909-10 by Cheers & Smith of Blackburn and Twickenham. Red brick, stone dressings and banding, terracotta mouldings, Westmoorland graduated slate roofs, red terracotta ridge tiles. Tall brick stacks. Cast-iron railings."

In 1970 the school merged with the Technical School, situated to its immediate east, which subsequently became Stockport College of Further and Higher Education. The two buildings are linked by a modern corridor.

A contribution to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.

St George's Church of England Primary School

A late Gothic-style listed building dating from 1905.

A contribution to The Weekend in Black and White.