Stockroom: The New Creative Heart of Stockport
- Billy Clements
- May 26
- 2 min read
Something new has opened in Stockport, but it’s not a shop, a bar, or another high street chain. It’s a space. For ideas, for community, for culture. It’s called Stockroom, and it might just be one of the most exciting things to happen to the town centre in years.
Housed on Merseyway, Stockroom is a creative, inclusive space designed by and for the people of Stockport. It’s bold, bright, and a bit beautiful... and it’s not finished yet. But that’s kind of the point.
This isn’t a one-off exhibition or a pop-up you’ll miss if you blink. It’s a long-term home for everything from live theatre and storytelling to digital learning, local history, performance, workshops, and more. A place to make, to meet, and to celebrate what makes Stockport… Stockport.
A Library, But Not As You Know It
At the heart of Stockroom is a reimagined Central Library. Not just books and shelves, but open spaces for events, digital access, meeting rooms, immersive experiences, and hands-on learning. Think of it as part-library, part-creative lab, part-community living room.
For those who remember the old Merseyway unit as a department store, the transformation is striking. What used to be racks of jumpers is now a stage. Where you once queued for tills, there’s now space to explore, learn, and create. It’s Stockport taking back the high street, not for profit, but for people.
What’s On
Stockroom is still growing, but the early programming already shows where it’s heading:
Live performances and theatre
Creative workshops for all ages
Exhibitions that explore local identity
Tech and digital learning spaces
Quiet areas to read, work, or reflect
Collaborations with schools, artists, and community groups
It’s not just about bringing art to the people... it’s about bringing people into the process.
Built With the Borough in Mind
What makes Stockroom special is how rooted it is in local collaboration. It’s been shaped through workshops, listening sessions, and ongoing partnerships with Stockport residents, schools, artists, and organisations.
This isn’t a project dropped in from above. It’s been built with the borough. And now it’s open, it belongs to us all.
Why It Matters
In a time where so many town centres are hollowing out, Stockport’s doing something different. It’s investing in culture, in creativity, and in community, not as an afterthought, but as a foundation.
Stockroom isn’t about nostalgia for what Merseyway used to be. It’s about possibility. It asks: What could a town centre become, if we gave it back to the people?
📍 Plan Your Visit
Stockroom, Merseyway, Stockport
Right in the heart of the town centre.
Free to explore, open to everyone.
Stockroom is just getting started. But already, it feels like a place full of life, hope, and imagination, the kind of space every borough deserves.
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