By Maureen Fahey - Stockport Heritage Trust

On 29 September 1860, a great many Stopfordians attended a lavish ceremony at Vernon Park. 

They were celebrating the second anniversary of the park, as well as the laying of the foundation stone of a proposed Gothic-style observation tower. It was to be some 150 feet high, affording splendid views across the area. 

That afternoon, there was a balloon ascent from the Castle Yard in the Market Place, followed in the evening by a magnificent firework display outside St Mary's Parish Church, drawing an immense crowd that was said to be some 20,000 strong. 

When the spectacle in the Market Place was finished, the crowd surged down Mealhouse Brow, eager to see a second display on Hillgate. This ancient thoroughfare was only fifteen feet wide at the top and extremely steep, with a gradient of one in thirty five, curving sharply to the left on the descent. 

Today, Mealhouse Brow leads from Market Place, near the Amp bar, down to the Underbanks (Image - Stockport Heritage Trust)

Peter and Sarah Brown, with their young daughter Sophia and eight-month-old baby George Worthington, had climbed to near the top of the brow as the crowd began to rush down it. All four were knocked over and carried back down the hill under the weight of the mass. 

Those at the front fell as they were pushed forward by the surging crowd behind them, who in turn fell over, attempted to jump over, or trampled those on the ground.

Sarah Brown was eventually found, still holding baby George Worthington; she was thought to be alive at that point and was taken first to the Albion Inn, then to her own home, when it became clear that she was dead. 

Baby George had died in Sarah's arms and was taken to the police office, along with the bodies of eight-year-old Sabrina Ford and 13-year-old John Gosling. A Mrs Wilkinson and a George Linney were carried to the Albion Inn, where surgeons Medd, Massey and Derbyshire attended to them, but both later passed away. Bridget Fleming, Walter Ford, Sophia Brown, John Nixon, James Bath and Letitia Dean were taken straight to Stockport Infirmary.

An onlooker likened the scene to

A coroner's inquest was held at the Vernon Arms, by which time fifteen-year-old Letitia Dean had died from her extensive injuries. 

Witness James Gosling likened the swell of humanity down Mealhouse Brow to 'the bursting of a reservoir'. James Bryan, a watchmaker whose premises were on the brow, recounted seeing some twenty or thirty people on the ground, while police officer Jacob Marshall described being carried off his feet by a crowd about five yards deep. 

Having considered all the evidence given by the numerous witnesses, the Coroner concluded that no one was to blame for the tragic incident and the jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

The proposed observation tower, the prospect of which had been the cause of such celebration, was never built, as the funds could not be raised, and the foundation stone was covered over by a shrubbery.

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Those interested in learning more about Stockport's heritage can visit the heritage centre Tuesday 11am – 2pm and Saturday 10.30 – 2pm. The centre is situated inside St. Mary's Parish Church, Market Place, on the left hand side past the cafe. 

The heritage trust also opens the former courthouse and dungeon to the public on the second Saturday of every month, from 10.30am until 3.30pm, or when the last visitor leaves.

The trust's website can be found HERE

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