The BRIK-Down
So, the full story of the Underbanks stretches further back than its role in local retail. Great and Little Underbank began as a route between the sandstone cliff edge and a Roman road. But by the 19th century, it had secured its place as Stockport's commercial heart, lined with merchants from milliners to hosiers. The architectural imprint of this heritage holds strong in the remaining 16th-century timber-framed Underbank Hall and ornate Three Shires Hall, built 1580.
Despite such an enduring legacy, decline couldn't be kept at bay post-1965. The shiny new Merseyway Centre pulled trade away, and for decades, shuttered shops defined the once lively area.
The Underbanks restored
It may feel like the Underbanks star has risen again swiftly, but the revival has actually been a long game. It all started with recognition of the street's heritage back in 1974, when it was designated a conservation area. But the next real breakthrough came in 2017 with a £1.8m National Lottery Heritage Fund grant that began seeing cobblestones relaid and façades revived. The Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation has since injected millions as part of its £1bn regeneration of Stockport town centre - bringing the original history back to its best and vacant buildings back to life.
The Cool Corner
Beyond its indie-led cafés, bars, stores and cultural spots filling once-abandoned units, milestone housing projects have also been affirming the emergent community dubbed "one of the coolest little corners of the country" by The Sunday Times.
For example, developers, Hall & Co are completing on their St Mary's Gate scheme, bringing 50 design-led apartments to the quarter. With this and other addresses, like the project underway at 11-13 Lower Hillgate, reinforcing the neighbourhood, the boom unfolding at Underbank can flow effortlessly into evenings and weekends. There's nowhere better representative of this cultural pivot than the likes of Yellowhammer, Little Scarfs, Cantaloupe and Yon Orange.
Cultural Shift
At the heart of the Underbank's cultural shift is Sam from Where The Light Gets In (WTLGI), whose influence extends far beyond the kitchen.
As one of the pioneers who first saw the potential in Stockport's overlooked backstreets, Sam helped spark a creative movement that redefined how the area could be experienced. His commitment to craft, sustainability, and community has inspired a new generation of independents to set up shop nearby, turning the Underbank into a living eco-system of food, art, and ideas.
Our Take
The Underbank is proof neighbourhoods once on the brink of being entirely forgotten can come back stronger - when reinvented through the right kind of regeneration.
While the Underbanks itself feels like its own distinct district, its growing success has been interwoven with the resurgence of Stockport as a whole. And with incoming wins for connectivity through Stockport Interchange, Viaduct Park and the Bee Network rollout, the success of Great Underbank and Little Underbank is only set to soar to greater heights.
