Staircase House
Encyclopedia
Staircase House is a Grade II* listed medieval
building dating from around 1460 situated in Stockport
, historically in Cheshire
, now within Greater Manchester
, England
.
timber
building with its earliest known surviving timbers dating, on the basis of dendrochronology
, from 1459-1460.. Very little is known of the property’s early history, though it is thought that it was the home of William Dodge who, in 1483, was the Mayor of Stockport.
The first residents of whom we are certain were the Shallcross family who owned the House from 1605 to 1730. Members of the landed gentry, with their seat just across the county boundary, in Derbyshire, it was they who, in 1618, installed the Jacobean
cage newel
staircase, thought to be one of only three surviving examples of its particular type in Britain, and from which the house takes its modern name. The staircase has some unusual features, such as the carving covering much of the woodwork.
The distinctive feature of a cage newel staircase is that each newel post extends throughout the full height of the staircase, the four posts and the banisters thus forming a stairwell which is not fully enclosed, but, rather, contained within a cage-like structure. In fact, at Staircase House, at some date before the first surviving descriptions of the staircase in nineteenth century, the newel posts were each sawn through, just below the stringer board and just above the handrail. That may have been done as a response to changing tastes, or possibly to overcome the practical difficulties of moving large objects, such as furniture, about the house.
In its later years in private ownership, the House was used partly as the Staircase Café, until 1989, and, into the 1990's, as storage for Gardner's Green Gocery and Fruit stall which stood in the market, immediately in front of the House itself.
The House, including the Staircase, was painstaking restored, using traditional materials, tools and techniques, following a major fire in 1995, the second of two arson attacks on the semi-derelict building. The restoration was undertaken by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, after having compulsarily purchased the property, following a long and persistent campaign to save it by a local conservation group, the Stockport Heritage
Trust, beginning in 1987.
The Trust, local volunteers, argued that the House was a unique survival and should be preserved and, on that basis, it dissuaded the Council from demolishing the building as a dangerous structure as had been previously proposed. Stockport Heritage Trust financed tree-ring dating establishing the date of the earliest remaining parts of the House as 1460. They commissioned the first measured architectural survey of the building and were successful in pressing for it to be upgraded officially from a Grade 2 to a Grade 2* listed building.
Now open to the public, Staircase House offers a unique glimpse into the life of mediæval and renaissance Stockport, the origins of the town, its status as a borough
) and a market town
and the subsequent stages of the House's development until the 1940s, when it was last used as a private dwelling.
Medieval architecture
Medieval architecture is a term used to represent various forms of architecture common in Medieval Europe.-Characteristics:-Religious architecture:...
building dating from around 1460 situated in Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, historically in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, now within Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
Staircase House, , is, in its origins, a cruckCruck
A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which supports the roof of a building, used particularly in England. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally bent, timber beams that lean inwards and form the ridge of the roof. These posts are then generally secured by a...
timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
building with its earliest known surviving timbers dating, on the basis of dendrochronology
Dendrochronology
Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the scientific method of dating based on the analysis of patterns of tree-rings. Dendrochronology can date the time at which tree rings were formed, in many types of wood, to the exact calendar year...
, from 1459-1460.. Very little is known of the property’s early history, though it is thought that it was the home of William Dodge who, in 1483, was the Mayor of Stockport.
The first residents of whom we are certain were the Shallcross family who owned the House from 1605 to 1730. Members of the landed gentry, with their seat just across the county boundary, in Derbyshire, it was they who, in 1618, installed the Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
cage newel
Newel
A newel, also called a central pole, is an upright post that supports the handrail of a stair banister. In stairs having straight flights it is the principal post at the foot of the staircase, but it can also be used for the intermediate posts on landings and at the top of a staircase...
staircase, thought to be one of only three surviving examples of its particular type in Britain, and from which the house takes its modern name. The staircase has some unusual features, such as the carving covering much of the woodwork.
The distinctive feature of a cage newel staircase is that each newel post extends throughout the full height of the staircase, the four posts and the banisters thus forming a stairwell which is not fully enclosed, but, rather, contained within a cage-like structure. In fact, at Staircase House, at some date before the first surviving descriptions of the staircase in nineteenth century, the newel posts were each sawn through, just below the stringer board and just above the handrail. That may have been done as a response to changing tastes, or possibly to overcome the practical difficulties of moving large objects, such as furniture, about the house.
In its later years in private ownership, the House was used partly as the Staircase Café, until 1989, and, into the 1990's, as storage for Gardner's Green Gocery and Fruit stall which stood in the market, immediately in front of the House itself.
The House, including the Staircase, was painstaking restored, using traditional materials, tools and techniques, following a major fire in 1995, the second of two arson attacks on the semi-derelict building. The restoration was undertaken by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, after having compulsarily purchased the property, following a long and persistent campaign to save it by a local conservation group, the Stockport Heritage
Stockport Heritage
Stockport Heritage was formed by volunteers in 1987 as a campaigning conservation group to help preserve and regenerate historic and architecturally sensitive buildings in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England....
Trust, beginning in 1987.
The Trust, local volunteers, argued that the House was a unique survival and should be preserved and, on that basis, it dissuaded the Council from demolishing the building as a dangerous structure as had been previously proposed. Stockport Heritage Trust financed tree-ring dating establishing the date of the earliest remaining parts of the House as 1460. They commissioned the first measured architectural survey of the building and were successful in pressing for it to be upgraded officially from a Grade 2 to a Grade 2* listed building.
Now open to the public, Staircase House offers a unique glimpse into the life of mediæval and renaissance Stockport, the origins of the town, its status as a borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
) and a market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
and the subsequent stages of the House's development until the 1940s, when it was last used as a private dwelling.
External links
- www.staircasehouse.org.uk, official site.