Stockport Air Raid Shelters facts for kids
The Stockport Air Raid Shelters are a huge network of tunnels dug underground in Stockport, a town about 6 miles south of Manchester. These tunnels were built during World War II to keep people safe from air raids, which were attacks by enemy planes dropping bombs.
This system of shelters is almost 1 mile long! They were dug into the red sandstone rock right under the town centre. Work on the shelters began in September 1938. The first shelters opened on 28 October 1939, even though Stockport wasn't bombed until 11 October 1940. The smallest tunnels could hold 2,000 people, while the largest could fit 3,850. Later, the biggest shelter was made even larger to hold up to 6,500 people.
After the war ended, in 1948, the shelters were closed off to the public. However, the largest of the Stockport Air Raid Shelters have been open again since 1996. Now, they are part of the town's museum service, where you can visit and learn about what life was like during the war.
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Exploring the Tunnels
The Stockport Air Raid Shelters are made up of four main sets of tunnels. Each one had a special purpose during the war.
Brinksway Shelter
The Brinksway shelter is located in an area called Edgeley. This shelter was designed to hold many people, with space for 1,085 bunks (beds) and seats for 1,735 people.
Interestingly, the digging for this shelter expanded on older tunnels. These were the 17th-century Brinksway Caves, which had been used before by navvies (workers who built canals and railways) when they were constructing the Stockport Viaduct.
Chestergate Shelter: The "Chestergate Hotel"
The Chestergate Shelter is a very large and well-known part of the tunnel system. It was first built to hold 3,850 people. Later, it was made even bigger, doubling its capacity to 6,500 people!
The Mayoress of Stockport officially opened the Stockport shelter on 28 October 1939. People who used this shelter during the war gave it a special nickname: the 'Chestergate Hotel'. This was because it had some "luxurious" features for the time, like 16-seater chemical toilets, electric lighting, and even a canteen where people could get food.
The Chestergate Shelter was opened to the public as a museum in 1996. It helps visitors understand what it was like to take shelter during an air raid. In recent years, there have been some changes to how the museum is run, including adjustments to opening hours and ticket prices.
Dodge Hill Shelter
The Dodge Hill shelter is located in Heaton Norris. This part of the tunnel system could hold about 2,000 people.
While the shelters are mostly safe now, there have been a few incidents over the years. For example, in 2013, two young people got stuck in the tunnels for over three hours, and firefighters had to rescue them.
