The Stockport Heritage Trust have very kindly produced this local history feature for readers. Stay tuned for more!

CASTLE HILL - By Maureen Fahey

Stockport's castle stood on Castle Hill, a triangular sandstone promontory in the north-west corner of the marketplace, overlooking what is now Lancashire Bridge. Just to the north was a fording point across the River Mersey, which continued to be used long after the bridge was built. The bridge, dating to the late 13th century, had a chapel at one end, known as The Hermitage, which was occupied by a succession of priests who would, in exchange for a small payment, pray for the safe passage of travellers crossing the bridge.

It is most likely that the castle, in common with many others in England, was built during the reign of King Stephen, i.e. between 1135 and 1154. The earliest mention of it was in a chronicle dated 1173, in reference to the revolt against King Henry II, when the castle was held against the king by Geoffrey de Costentin, lord of Stockport.

The fate of the castle following the suppression of the rebellion is not recorded but in 1336, reference was made to Castle Hill, rather than the castle itself, suggesting that it was no longer in existence by then.

It is generally believed that the castle was of motte and bailey construction, the motte being the earthen mound upon which it stood and the bailey being the surrounding courtyard. This courtyard was originally enclosed by a wooden palisade, sometimes referred to as a stakewall, which by the early 13th century was replaced by a stone wall.

Circa 1540, the antiquarian John Leland reported that the lord of the manor, Edward Warren, was living in Prestbury because 'Stoppord maner place is decayid'. This 'decayid' residence may well have been a manor house on the site of the castle, the dwelling having been enclosed by the stone walls referred to in the 17th and 18th centuries.

If such a house had indeed existed, it had been demolished by the late 1600s, when a map of the town shows an empty plot within the walled area. Eventually, some of the land within the bailey was leased for houses to be built and over time, the whole area became enclosed by buildings, forming what is now the market place.

In the 1770s, Sir George Warren, lord of the manor of Stockport, demolished the stone walls and had the ground on Castle Hill lowered in order to build the town's first water-powered cotton mill.

In keeping with the site's heritage, Castle Mill was oval in shape and sported a central courtyard, embattled walls and a dwelling house, complete with its own brew house, on the side facing the market. Three storeys high, this imposing edifice was described by the local rector as a beautiful building, while the noted traveller John Byng disparaged it as resembling 'one of the grandest prisons in the world'.

The mill's design led to its being underpowered and it closed in 1800, the dwelling house becoming the Castle Inn and the mill itself being used for the sale of muslin, a venture which came to an end in 1810. In 1841, the mill and the inn were demolished to facilitate development of the market and the site was used as a potato market. In 1853, the area was levelled and became a cattle market.

Today, what is now known as Castle Yard is home to a sportswear shop, public toilets and numerous refuse bins – a somewhat ignominious end for a site of such historical significance.

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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.