Stockport Air Raid Shelters
A labyrinth of tunnels carved under the town centre that sheltered thousands in the Blitz, explored with a self-guided audio tour. Atmospheric in the best way for 7-and-ups.
Bramall Hall & Park
Stockport, Greater Manchester
The hall is the postcard: a timber-framed Tudor manor, black and white and genuinely old, and one of the best of its kind in the North West. But for most families the park does the heavy lifting. Around 60 acres of Victorian-designed parkland with woodland walks, brooks and lakes, all free, with a cafe and picnic areas when the circuit is done.
Going inside the hall costs adults about £7 and under 16s nothing, which is the right way round. It opens Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 4.30pm, with tickets sold on the day at the visitor centre. Parking is the only fixed cost, capped at £3 for the whole day, so a we-will-see-how-long-they-last visit risks very little.
The park absorbs scooters, dens and duck-spotting equally well, and the walk down to the lakes is short enough for small legs. Save the hall itself for a child old enough to enjoy creaky floors and stern portraits.
Know before you go
- The hall is closed Monday to Wednesday and occasionally for weddings - ring 0161 474 2020 before travelling if the house is the point of the trip.
- The car parks take coins or the RingGo app, nothing else.
Looking for more parks & outdoors near Stockport?
Also in Stockport
Lyme Park
A proper deer park on the edge of the Peaks: 1,400 acres, a herd of red deer, the Crow Wood adventure playground, and the house from the BBC's Pride and Prejudice.
Reddish Vale Farm
A proper small farm park tucked into the Tame valley on Stockport's edge: cows, goats, shire horses and alpacas, zip wires outside and a play area under cover for when it rains. Book online, the gate price is higher.
Etherow Country Park
A big lake crowded with waterfowl, a flat path alongside it and a cafe where you left the car: the easiest small-child walk in the Stockport area. Entry is free, the car park is not.
Hat Works Museum
The UK's only museum of hats and hatting, back open after a four-year refurbishment. The galleries are free and you can try hats on; the Victorian factory floor is a £7.50 guided tour. An hour well spent, not a full day.