Heritage Centre in St. Mary's Church
Having suffered from a fire caused by vandals, the Choir Vestry had been redecorated and offered to Stockport Heritage Trust to house a temporary exhibition.
Choir Vestry after the Arsonists Struck After a swift begging run around local companies and searching our houses for items of interest, the first exhibition was put together, and the Heritage Centre opened to the public on 28th August 1999.
The Mayor cut the ribbon to officially open the Centre.
Rev. Roger Scoones, Rector of St. Mary's, showed off the newly refurbished Choir Vestry.
(Pictures by Phil Rowbotham) Interest was so great, that many new volunteers joined us, and the exhibition and collection expanded, bringing many new people into the church.
Locals and Tourists alike now call in for family tree research, local history information, or just a good look around the many different items we have on display.
We have the following copies of St. Mary's Church record summaries, compiled by the North Cheshire Family History Society, available for visitors to browse:
Baptisms: 1584 - 1849
Marriages: 1584 - 1754
Deaths: 1584 - 1913
We also have an index of all the gravestones in St. Mary's Churchyard, catalogued by Jill Trumble, one of our volunteers.
We are open on market days Tues, Fri & Sat 10.30 - 3.30pm. You can get to us through the beautiful church, along the aisle and left before the altar, or there is direct access by a small back door on the left hand side.