mclaurie

A friend of the family will be teaching at Stockport Grammar and has asked for info about the area. Anyone familiar with either the school or the area?

johhj_au

and what about Marple and the high peak.

Dave_

I know a small bit about the school (although I didn't go there, the school I went to was probably a main competitor school). As your friend probably knows, it's a fee paying school where pupils are selected based on exam success (generally at age 11 although I think they have younger children now as well).

As such, the school is good and achieves excellent results. It draws its pupils from quite a wide range of areas, generally the more affluent areas of south Manchester and extending out towards Cheshire. Stockport used to be considered as in Cheshire until the authorities moved the county boundaries. It's now part of Greater Manchester.

I would say the biggest decision would be for where your friend lives. Have they made any progress in this? Stockport is a large town and only a few miles south of Manchester. The school is situated about a mile south of the centre of Stockport on the main road out of Manchester A6).

I would say your friend probably wants to avoid staying in the centre of Stockport. The nicest area very close to the school is Davenport. A little bit further and there are much better residential areas (such as Bramhall and other Manchester's other leafy suburbs). Anyway, I won't go into more detail know but if you have any other specific questions, I'm happy to help further although I no longer live in that area.

Nigello

I would second living in Davenport or Bramhall or Hazel Grove. A little further out would be Marple, which is very pretty in parts. Near to Stockport are the Pennines - the backbone of hills from north Derbyshire up to North Yorkshire. Transport around Stockport is generally good, but a car is useful. Trains will take you from Davenport or Bramhall to Manchester in about 20 mins or so. Manchester has got lots to offer in terms of culture, history, food and drink, as well as sport. (Ever heard of Manchester United and Old Trafford cricket ground?) NW England is less expensive than the SE, but if your friend is coming from USA or Canada or Australia, he or she might find it more expensive.
The school is very old, having been founded in the 15th century, and is very rich, as it charges high fees. Hardly a surprise, then, that it gets good exam results. (Some local comprehensive schools, such as Bramhall and Marple Ridge, gett very good ones too.)

Dave_

I meant to add you may want to check out Stockport Council's website: www.stockport.gov.uk

There are maps and resources on there which will help identify the places people are talking about.

Obviously the Council website may not paint a true picture of the town itself.

Nigello is right that NW England is generally cheaper than the SE in terms of housing costs but there are now pockets in the NW where house prices can nearly match those of the most expensive SE areas. Some of these are not that far from the school (5 miles say).

caroline_edinburgh

I'd say where your friend should live depends on what his/her interests are. As a committed city-dweller with no kids and into theatre, opera, music, restaurants, etc, I'd want to live in a groovy loft apartment in the centre of Manchester.