Townhouse, solicitor's office, confectioners, restaurant - the history of The Three Shires

By Jill Trumble, Stockport Heritage Trust

The land on which the Three Shires was built in Great Underbank was granted to Robert de Legh of Adlington in 1438/39. The building is timber framed with two storeys and two gabled bays with the upper floor and gables being jettied. 

Inside, only a few original door lintels and original roof beams remain. A garden to the rear led down to the river and the occupants of the house had the right of turbary.

It was the Leghs' townhouse during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and can be seen on the Adlington Survey map of 1577.

However, early deeds of 1657, by which time it was owned by a William Dickenson, do not give a precise indication of its age. Edward Norris purchased this 'messuage, burgage and tenement' in 1705 and it was in his family's possession until the 1740s.

In 1723, during their tenure, houses were built on the land and garden that extended to the west side. Later that century it became the residence of a branch of the Tatton family.

When one part of the premises was converted to a shop in 1824, a portion of the ancient wall was removed.