Rock Row, Stockport: Restoring a Landmark Heritage Building Back to Commercial Life

Jan 6, 2025

5 min read

Updated: Aug 18

Some buildings survive long enough to become part of a town's identity. Rock Row on Mersey Square in Stockport is one of them. Built in 1902-1903 as the premises of furniture carriers T. Ormesher and Sons, the four-storey building — Edwardian by date, Victorian Neo-Gothic in style — has watched over Stockport town centre for more than 120 years. Its polychrome brickwork facade, terracotta friezes and twin gables are among the most distinctive commercial frontages in the borough.

When the building was acquired by our client, it had been vacant and deteriorating for years. By the time SURVPROP became involved, the condition had worsened significantly. The roof was barely intact. Pigeons, rodents and unauthorised visitors had taken over the interior. Urban explorers had been accessing the building and posting footage online, and the insurers had withdrawn cover entirely. The building was a liability. The original plan was to resolve this through a residential conversion. SURVPROP recommended something different.

A Building with Deep Stockport Roots

Rock Row's history predates the current building entirely. The terraced houses that previously occupied this site on what was then known as Rock Row are associated with the 1852 Stockport Riots, when crowds attacked the homes of Irish immigrant workers who had settled in the area during the Famine years. The violence was recorded in the national press of the day and left a mark on Stockport's history.

The current building was constructed for T. Ormesher and Sons, a furniture removal and storage firm and one of Stockport's most recognisable commercial names of the late Victorian and Edwardian era. The building served as their principal depository and office, with a goods entrance to the rear via Hooper Street.

The building is locally listed by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, recognising its architectural and historic significance as an intact example of Victorian commercial heritage in the town centre.

The Condition on Instruction

When SURVPROP began working on this asset, the building's condition presented a serious and compounding set of problems. The roof covering to the upper floors had failed, allowing water ingress that had accelerated deterioration across all floors. The interior had been extensively accessed without authorisation over a period of years. Urban explorers had been filming inside the building and uploading content online, making the security position both physical and reputational.

The insurers' position was unambiguous: they would not continue to cover an unoccupied building in this condition. Without insurance, the asset was both physically and financially exposed. The business rates liability was running in the meantime. Something had to change.

The client had previously secured planning consent for a residential conversion of the building, with a new-build element added to increase the residential unit count. A Historic Building Investigation had been carried out by Salford Archaeology at the University of Salford in April 2021 under a condition attached to that consent, recording the building's fabric at Historic England Level 2 standard.

SURVPROP's Reappraisal

Rather than proceed with the residential consent, SURVPROP reappraised the entire development strategy. The key question was whether the residential route, which would have involved significant structural intervention and the addition of new build to the rear of the site, was actually the best long-term outcome for this asset and its location.

Our assessment concluded it was not. Rock Row's location is exceptional for commercial use. It sits directly opposite the Stockport Interchange bus station, next door to the Plaza and Redrock leisure and retail complex, and directly adjacent to St Peter's Square. By train, Manchester Piccadilly is a short journey away. The building's large, flexible floor plates, the scale of the facade and the character of the interior suited a premium commercial product far better than apartment conversion.

The residential planning consent was placed on hold. Instead, SURVPROP worked with the client on a programme of full commercial restoration, retaining and restoring the existing building fabric and fitting it out to a modern commercial standard.

The Restoration

The works were delivered across two distinct phases.

Phase 1 addressed the rear of the site. The outbuildings to the rear of the principal building, which had deteriorated beyond economic repair, were demolished. This cleared the site to create a 6,600 sq ft on-site car park, providing parking provision essential for attracting commercial occupiers in a town centre location.

Phase 2 focused on the principal building fronting Mersey Square. Works began at roof level: the failed roof covering was replaced, stopping water ingress and stabilising the interior floors below. The building was secured and made insurable once again. The historic fabric of the main facade was retained and restored throughout. The terracotta detailing, polychrome brickwork and original window proportions that give Rock Row its character were preserved.

Inside, the building was stripped of decades of ad hoc alterations and fitted out to a contemporary commercial standard. The result is 16,614 sq ft of net internal area across the upper floors and ground level, comprising nine retail units and nine commercial office spaces ranging from 354 sq ft to 3,688 sq ft. A flagship space occupies the top floor.

The building has a modern reception area with a communal meeting room, toilets on each floor, full electric infrastructure, fibre broadband, infrared heating and 24/7 security and concierge access.

The contrast between the building's condition in the 2021 survey photographs and its current state is the full story of what this restoration achieved. A building that was graffitied, flooded, infested and uninsurable is now one of the most distinctive commercial addresses in Stockport town centre.

Why This Matters for Heritage Asset Owners

The Rock Row case makes a point that applies to many heritage buildings across the North West: the residential conversion route is not always the right answer. Residential consent is relatively straightforward to obtain for vacant commercial heritage buildings, but it does not always produce the best outcome for the building, the area or the landowner.

Rock Row's historic character is precisely what makes it an attractive commercial proposition. The scale, the natural daylight, the ceiling heights and the history of the building are things that modern commercial occupiers actively seek out. A residential conversion would have consumed those qualities in the service of a development model the building was not designed for.

Retaining the building in commercial use, investing in a proper restoration and positioning it correctly in the market took longer and required genuine commitment from the client. The result is a building that has been returned to use in a way that respects what it is.

If you own or manage a heritage commercial building in Stockport or Greater Manchester and want to understand your options, SURVPROP can advise.