St Mary's Stockport's major Lottery grant

This vital investment will safeguard Stockport’s oldest town-centre building and ensure that it continues to flourish as a vibrant place of Christian worship and a welcoming hub of history, culture, and community life.

The funding will enable urgent repairs and essential improvements to the Grade I listed, pre-Reformation church – currently on Historic England’s at Risk Register – and make the building more accessible, sustainable and welcoming.  The project will also open up new opportunities for people to discover and enjoy St Mary’s through heritage activities, community events, and volunteering.

The project will bring new life to St Mary’s heritage and community role.  Stockport Heritage Trust will continue to be based at the church, while plans are developed for a dedicated St Mary’s heritage organisation.  This will lead activities such as tower tours, heritage escape rooms, and an expanded social cafe.  Self-guided tours will help visitors explore the building’s rich story.  St Mary’s will also build on its popular programme of gigs and food festivals, extending its reach with fresh cultural events and community initiatives. These plans will open St Mary’s door wider than ever before, making its history, stories, and spaces accessible to everyone in Stockport.

The project will also tackle the environmental challenges of maintaining a medieval building.  Significant improvements will be made to reduce energy use and cut the Church’s carbon footprint.  These steps are part of St Mary’s long-term commitment to reaching net zero. By investing in sustainability, the project shows that even the oldest buildings can lead the way towards a greener future.

Revd Chris Blunt, Rector of Stockport and Brinnington and the minister at St Mary’s, said: “For almost a thousand years, St Mary’s has been a place of Christian worship and service at the heart of Stockport. This generous grant secures the future of the building and helps us open it even more widely to our town today.  We pray it will remain a place where people encounter God’s presence, discover the richness of our shared history, and find a warm welcome in the heart of the town. We look forward to inviting local people to be part of this journey and to help shape St Mary’s future together”

Peter Breeden, Project Lead for St Mary’s development plans, said:

“This grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund enables us to safeguard one of Stockport’s most significant historic buildings and to invite more people to connect with its story. Through careful conservation, new interpretation, and creative heritage experiences, we want St Mary’s to remain accessible, relevant and inspiring for generations to come. ”

This project has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players.  St Mary’s is deeply grateful for their support, which has funded vital heritage projects across Stockport in recent years, including the ongoing regeneration of the Underbanks.