The Knowhere Guide

Local Heroes in Stockport, Greater Manchester*

Stockport, Greater Manchester Famous Residents

Cringing Cult of Celebrity (Famous residents and ex-residents.)

• Most 'celebs' now retreated to Wilmslow, or out in the Cheshire 'sticks'. Too many 'soap' watchers in Stockport makes it uncomfortable for them. Bramhall still cuts it though with the rich, famous, infamous, and wannabees.
• 1960's beat group "The Purple Gang" are from Stockport;their most famous song was "Granny takes a trip". They are currently gigging and are very big in Budapest,Hungary,for some reason.
• Just remembered. Jah Wobble, friend of the Sex Pistols and had a band called Invaders of the heart(I think),is currently living in Bramhall.
• Wimple Winch were, I believe, a Liverpool band, though gigged a lot in Stockport.Their famous song was "Rumble on Mersey Square South". Ex Man Utd footballer Alan Gowling was from High Lane, as was author Christopher Isherwood. Percy Sugden lived in a flat in High Lane.Notoriously ..er..careful with money, he used to frequent Trims barbers in Hazel Grove, turning up in a new BMW and requesting a pensioner's discount. Alan Clarke from the Hollies lived in Disley, as did Pat Phoenix. A couple of 10cc members lived in Disley, possibly on Red Lane,the road next to the Ram's Head.
• Hardly 'cringing', but famous Stopfordians include Fred Perry, John Ameachi (NBL player), Katie Derham, Judith Chalmers, Joan Bakewell, Ricky Hatton (City fan - natch...) and Frederic Clelland Williams (bloke who helped invent the bleedin' computer - beat that!). Unfortunately there's also David Dickinson, who is crimgeworthy.
• george best, rio ferdinand, sarah girls alound(!), jack duckworth, david dickinson
• shelly out of coranation street lives next to the crown pub on didsbury road heaton mersey
• Ray Preston.. god bless him. without him we would not know how silly our council really are.. miss reading instructions and painting out the zig-zag lines at our pedestrian crossings and replacing them with ZAG-ZIG LINES.... we are now the laughing stock of the country. with out this man the council would not have anyone to keep them in check. i think we should all be more like him.
• Take That were moved into their first shared house in Stockport after Mark first met Gary in Strawberry Studios due to bringing him tea and singing.
• The Zans : seminal punk band from Stockport http://mysite.freeserve.com/zans/index.html
• Genesis P-Orridge: co-founder of innovative noise/sound collage group Throbbing Gristle lived here when he was plain old Neil Megson. He was (alledgedly) present at the 'Mersey Square Riots' in the 1960s. 1960s Psyche-Punk Cult band Wimple Wynch lived here in their heyday, they also had a song called "Mersey Square Riots".
• Les Battersby lives near by and can be seen shopping in Debenhams in his City coat!
• Those girls who sang Ill bring you flowers went to St winnies in Heaton Mersey
• Apparently a load of Manchester United players live in Bramhall, the posh end of stockport.
• Mani (ex-Stone Roses, now in Primal Scream) & Madonna remixer Mr Scruff
• Mick Hucknall used to live on Didsbury road in Heaton Norris.
• The world famouse tennis player (and puveyer of cheap shirts to scally stopfordian teenagers used to live in Offerton, until he saw the light, that is, and moved to somwhere where having your tracksuit bottoms tucked into your socks, and wearing your baseball cap at a jaunty angle, arent prerequisits! But now hes pushing up daisys. Thats the influence of life on hall street for you!
• badly drawn boy nuff said
• Unfortunately, a lot of the Man Utd team lives in Bramhall in the south of the town.
• Joy Division, the great post-punk / industrial-goth band, recorded their debut album 'Unknown Pleasures' in Strawberry Recording Studio off Hillgate. 10cc also recorded there, but that's not something to brag about.
• Martin Edney (one of England's leader soccer referees currently resides in Stockport (1999).
• Some of the Hollies, 10cc, Martin Fry(ABC) we had a Brit pop band who's name escapes me. Smattering of Corenation Street actors including Percy Sugden. Lots of music has been recorded in Stockport due to Strawberry Studios
• Alex Higgins used to live here at one time, hence the drink problem.

Buskers, Street Entertainers

• Xmas performances from Stockport Schools Wind bands in the town centre, also regular outside broadcasts from Signal Cheshire (no, scratch that, it doesn't count as 'entertainment')
• only a couple of clowns in the school holidays in Merseyway. Not very good really, and only the little kids find them any good.

The Knowhere Guide started out as a list of places to skateboard in the UK. It is a compilation of (unedited) information and views supplied by users like yourself. It is not a conventional tourist guide!

In most cases, the information in each section has been submitted by more than one contributor (the credits at the bottom of the page list some, but not all, of the contributors) and some of it dates back to the 1970s.

We make no claims as to the accuracy of the information in the Guide - our only purpose is to provide a forum for users to share their knowledge and opinions. So please keep a large bag of salt handy and be prepared to read between the lines!

If you disagree with a comment, or information is out of date, please submit an update! The contributors come from all walks of life, and their opinions are bound to be subjective, so if your view isn't represented, please speak up and contribute to the balance of the Guide. See below in the 'Have Your Say' section for how to add your voice.

If we have helped you out or made you laugh you can buy us a pint.

Have Your Say...

You can tell us more about Stockport. This is also the method to use if you want to correct some of the information already here. (But please remember you're not mailing the person who actually wrote whatever-it-is.)

You can use the add an event form to tell us about events happening in Stockport.

Or, if you'd just like to leave a message for other users of this site, take a look at The Knowhere Board (handy if you're just trying to get in touch with someone).

Credits

Last updated: 2008-03-28