St George’s Church, Cocker Hill
I have grouped together here old photos of the area. The majority of the old photos below are available to view and buy from The Tameside Image Archive.
St Georges Church, Cocker Hill
Above is either the first or second St Georges Church, Cocker Hill. The first church was built in 1776, the second sometime after 1778. The Bridge in the foreground was built 1707 and replaced in 1824. Which dates the scene as between 1778 and 1824. I suspect the photo is the first Church as a photo I have of the second seems to show a slightly different roof.
The second St Georges Church in close up.
Above is the second St Georges Church in detail.
Second Old St Georges, with surrounding buildings
The above shows the same Church and the surrounding buildings. Wakefield Road Baptist Church is on the top left which means that the picture is was taken after 1848 when it was built.
St Georges, Stalybridge
This picture shows the Third St Georges Church, Stalybridge. This dates the picture as some time between 1888 and 1968 when the Church was demolished. Also note the viaduct in the background. The picture below shows the demolition of the viaduct.
Demolition of the viaduct
St Georges, Stalybridge coloured
This picture of Cocker Hill caught my attention it is in colour but not a colour photo though. The colours must have been added later as the Weavers Cottages in the middle ground are shown as red brick when they are actually all local stone.
Bohemia Cottages
The above shows Bohemia Cottages at the foot of Cocker Hill. The people on the photo interest me; did they know the would be in the picture? I guess they would not have believed that people would still look at the photo today. 25/03/13 – I have found out more about the photo since I put it on here. I was posed and part of a series showing workers of the area. There was no such thing as a quick snapshot when it was taken!
Bohemia Cottages April 2010
Whit Walks, Cocker Hill/Stamford Street
The picture above is taken from Stamford Street and shows the Whit Walkers walking down Cocker Hill.
The building on the left is now Thompson and Cook solicitors as you can see on the up to date picture below. The pub in the centre was the Star Inn. In between the two were a set of steps. A friend remembers the steps from her youth “We had to go up these steps when we came out of Stalybridge to get to our house on Hall St. When we were kids they were always known as the Starrin steps” The Star Inn has since been demolished.
Below are two pictures taken in 2013, the whit walkers in this case are coming down Stamford Street rather that Cocker Hill and are from New St Georges Church.
Whit walkers 2013 – St Georges Church
Whit Walkers 2013 – St Georges Church
Cocker Hill/Stamford Street
The picture above was taken looking down Cocker Hill towards Stalybridge Town Hall. The cobbles on Cocker Hill are still there but the majority of the Town Hall has now been demolished.
Cocker Hill, Stalybridge 
brought back many memories looking at those phot’os of cocker hill I lived on the hill at no4 back in 1950 to 1960
Thanks for your comment Ian, great to hear from you. Steph
I use to live at 39 Cocker Hill 1954 to 1956. It was directly above the Tunnel. The house had a strange History. We found metal ducts under the floors that housed bell pull cables that went to the cellar, in total there was 8 bells.
At some time the house was just a 2 reception, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a small attic bedroom. At some stage an extension with a bay window was built at the rear and a seperate extension in the basement with a bedroom above. Opposite 39 Cocker Hill was asteep cobbled path that led to Clive House home of the Faricy Familly, and its backdoor was at the bottom of Carter Street.
Over the road from 39 and to the left was Old St Georges Church and Cemetry. The local children use to have hours of fun hiding amongst the stones. To the top left of the graveyard was an abandoned tomb that became a local Den, until that is the Vicar put a stop to it .
In the Basement of 39 we found that it was a kitchen at one stage for the house, and the built on side extension had about 8 steps leading up. My father was curious to know what was on the other side of the Brick wall in the corner of that room, and broke through into it. It turned out that a Horse had been buried in it (was quickly sealed again lol…..
We was told that the house once was linked to Clive House, before being seperated by the cobbled path, and was once a Military Officers Mess. I suspected that at one stage 39 or Clive house was the Vicarage, and had never been one house. Clive House was demolished along with most of the Houses on Carter Street . Today has been modernised, and no longer looks the sorry state it was.
Both 39 and Clive House belonged to the Railways.
Thanks for leaving a message Ron, great to hear from you. I love your story about the dead horse. I plan to do a post in the future all about number 39. I’ll make sure I include it in the post. I have a few photos of the house before it was all done up which I can contrast with newer ones. I also have copies of old census returns . It was a fabulous house wasn’t it? I went for a look round it when it was for sale, amazing. Loved the attic and cellar. Do you know if there was any truth in the story that it was the undertakers house with mortuary slabs in the cellar? Steph
Hi Steph
I was looking on the Map that is in your e-Mail and remembered the landlord that owned are house Mr Dawson. He must be dead now and its is Son thats taken over the Buisness. If you called on him he might have some old photo’s being is Dad owned most of the houses around there?? just a thought. Carter st thats were the old lady. miss owen had her shop leading onto Wakefied rd
Ian
I find this fascinating, I have just moved into the new properties built on Wakefield Road and walk through Cocker Hill everyday with my daughter, reading old grave stones and taking in everything everyday. Cocker Hill shows history and I thank you for providing these images so I can picture where alot of the rubble came from. If you have more hostory to share I would be very grateful. Stalybridge is my families (McDermotts) home town and has been for generations. Any information concerning history would be gratefully received.
Thanks Steph The Archive photos are great So much history there .Much appreciated, thank you Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:05:32 +0000 To: ianclarke333@hotmail.com
iv am trying to trace my family tree the harrops lived in cocker hill in the 1700s babtised in old st georges church
Hi John – I think the Baptism registers for old St Georges are held at Manchester Central Library – they may also be on Ancestry – The registers start in 1776 when the Church opened – prior to that I think the parish church was St Micheal and all Angels in Ashton-Under-Lyne so I guess the Baptism would be registered there. I don’t know what information the Baptism register has but if you find and address let me know and I’ll look it up on my old maps. The website for New St Georges has some burial records and details of gravestones so you might want to try there too. http://www.stg.org.uk/family-history/burials-and-inscriptions/
I too lived at No 39, from about ’62 untill untill about ’85. I remember the cellars, and the attic too, very scary places for small children, did you not find the priest hole, part of the rear extension? my family lived there for many years, my father had to move into a home, by that time all siblings had left, it was then sold, then ‘modernised. still a strikingly beautiful house.
Hi Colin – nice to hear from you. Thanks for your comment. Steph
Sorry Debra Cocker bore you
I spent a happy childhood in Clive House, Cocker Hill. I was born in 1956. We left in 1966. My surname was Faricy. Thank you for compiling this fascinating information, I will share it with my siblings.