Staircase House

About the museum

Staircase House is a timber-framed townhouse in Stockport's Market Place. The oldest surviving timbers date from around 1460, which makes it the town's oldest house. It was enlarged and altered over the following centuries, and a family of local gentry owned it for more than a century from 1605. In 1618 they installed the carved Jacobean staircase that gives the house its name, one of very few of its type to survive in England.

By the twentieth century the building had become semi-derelict and was used as a cafe and later for storage. Arson attacks damaged it, the second of them a major fire in 1995. The local council bought the house and restored it with traditional materials and techniques, helped by a long local campaign to save it. The house is now Grade II* listed.

Today the house is run by Stockport Council as part of Stockport Museum. Rooms show how people lived from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries, and an audio guide tells the story of the building. The museum galleries cover the history of Stockport from the Palaeolithic period to the present day, including the Iron Age hilltop settlement at Mellor, medieval life, the textile industry, the First World War and the town's music and sport.

Highlights

• Rare Jacobean cage-newel staircase of 1618
• Rooms showing everyday life from the 15th to the 20th century
• Audio guide in five languages
• Stockport Museum galleries from the Palaeolithic to the present
• Family gallery with Museum Mouse trail

Permanent exhibitions

• Staircase House – Period rooms from the 15th to the 20th century and the Jacobean cage-newel staircase, with an audio guide.
• Stockport Museum – Galleries on the history of Stockport from the Palaeolithic period to today, including Mellor, the textile industry and the First World War.

Operated by

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

Admission & discounts

Free for holders of a Leisure Key pass and for Art Pass members with a valid Art Pass. Group and private tours are booked by phone.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum describes the house as fully accessible, with a lift to all floors and accessible toilets, although some floors are uneven because of the age of the building. A detailed access guide is published by AccessAble.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

The museum offers a family gallery with an illustrated Museum Mouse trail and describes the house visit as hands-on. Children's craft events appear on the council events pages.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

An online gift shop is run by the museum.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 44 guests.

Meeting rooms for up to 44 people with projector, screen and flipchart; refreshments can be arranged.

Plan your visit