Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery — Attraction in Stockport

This is a pretty radical design for 1925 to build an internal war memorial and encorporate into it 3 art gallery rooms to enlighten the hearts and minds of those in grief! The building alone is a masterpiece. And grade 2* listed. Standing farely elevated above the rest of Stockport a top of a good flight of 20 plus steps, is this neo classical Greek temple of Apollo. Entering into a marble floored foyer with 1 wee gallery either side of it. To the right of the foyer are 2 flights of stairs with a lovely tall arched window leading to a landing with small circular ceiling window. To the right is a balcony overlooking the backroom alter room lit naturally with a much larger domed glass ceiling window, with white marble statue to the dead, with the walls flanking it covered with thousands of names of the fallen from both world wars. On the other side of the landing is the biggest gallery. Each gallery has a different artist's work on display. Which apparently changes every season. Apparently the building was also designed for a shaft of sunshine to strike the statue on the 11th of the 11th at 11am which must look farely awesome flanked by the 2 bright green marble pillars. The curator was lovely, welcoming friendly and informative. A good...

Super gallery! The Helen Clapcott Retrospective exhibition is stunning. If you haven’t seen her work, she documents the changing face of Stockport in her delicate egg tempera works. This is a beautifully curated and extensive exhibition.

A new book about Clapcott is available to buy at the gallery and there’s a lovely film which lasts about 20 minutes being shown there. Here’s the official blurb:

HELEN CLAPCOTT A Portrait of Stockport 28th September 2024 - 25th January 2025

Stockport Council is proud to host this retrospective exhibition of Helen's work showcasing an impressive career spanning several decades which depict the post-industrial landscape of Stockport.

A result of meticulous sketches, her paintings record an evolution of a once great industrial town with its mills and renowned viaduct into a modern town fit for the 21st century.

The exhibition will feature a 20 minute video on Helen and her work made by Tony Halton films. Accompanying the exhibition is the first major monograph on the artist 'In the Light of Buildings' authored by Andrew Lambirth and published by Lund Humpries. I Opening times Closed Mon to Wed | Thurs and Fri: 1pm-5pm Sat: 10am-5pm | Sun:...

This combined War Memorial and Art Gallery is an impressive building. The memorial is very peaceful and a fitting way to remember fallen heroes (on the opposite side of the road is a very attractive modern statue to an oarsman to died in World War II, which is definitely worth seeing). The art is a bit hit and miss, as it displays a mixture of professional and amateur work on a six-weekly cycle. There are two rooms with perhaps a hundred pieces to look at.The staff member who greeted us and told us the history of the building and places of interest in Stockport is to be commended for her courtesy, hospitality and helpfulness.This is not a "must see" destination, but it is worth popping...