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.
Hat Works Museum
Stockport, Greater Manchester
Stockport made hats for the world, and this is the country's only museum about it, inside the Wellington Mill tower on the A6. It reopened in March 2024 after four years of refurbishment and the main galleries are free: a Gallery of Hats running from Edwardian bonnets to punk, with stations where kids can try replica hats on, which is the part they remember.
The catch is the calendar. It opens Thursday, Friday and Saturday only, 10am to 4pm, with last admission at 3.15pm. The Victorian factory floor, full of original machinery, is seen by guided tour at £7.50 a head, booked ahead. A community cafe covers the drink and cake stop, and it is a short walk from Stockport station.
Be realistic about scale: this is an hour, maybe a bit more with a tour, so treat it as the free anchor of a Stockport morning rather than the whole day.
Know before you go
- It only opens Thursday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, last admission 3.15pm. Check before you set off.
- The restored factory floor with its original machinery is guided-tour only, so if that is the bit you want, book the £7.50 tour in advance.
Looking for more museums & science 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.
Bramall Hall & Park
A black and white Tudor manor house sitting in around 60 acres of parkland with woods, brooks and lakes. The park costs nothing, under 16s go into the hall free, and all-day parking is £3.