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Museums & Landmarks

Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery

📍 Stockport, North West

4.6(209 Google reviews)👶All ages

Edwardian neoclassical building housing the UK's only indoor cenotaph alongside rotating art exhibitions. Free entry. Frequently displays children's school artwork. Welcoming, knowledgeable staff.

Free entryUK's only indoor cenotaphBeautiful Edwardian architectureFriendly knowledgeable staffChildren's artwork featuredRotating exhibitions
★★★★★Featured review by JOHN APPLEBY

Staying in the town of Stockport for a couple of nights and exploring its fascinating history. I visited the art gallery which is unique in the UK as far as I know because it is also a war memorial. The latter is located within the neo classical building and is truly humbling and impressive. The art exhibited was largely of local scenes and included many works by local schoolchildren some of which was of high quality given the age of the artists. The staff were extremely friendly and informative (in fact the town generally is a friendly one). Recommended

🏆 Family Action Verdict

An excellent free visit for families with school-age children, particularly those whose own school artwork may be on display. The war memorial is genuinely humbling and starts a natural conversation about history. The beautiful Edwardian architecture impresses adults.

ℹ️ What to Know Before You Go

💡Check current exhibition listings before visiting — shows rotate regularly
Free entry makes this an easy add-on to a Stockport town centre visit
🎟️Ask staff about the building's history — they are knowledgeable and genuinely enthusiastic
🚗Look out for school artwork exhibitions, which have featured paintings of local landmarks

💬 What Families Are Saying

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4.6

209 Google reviews

Unique indoor cenotaph35%
Friendly and knowledgeable staff30%
Beautiful historic architecture25%
Children's artwork on display10%
J

JOHN APPLEBY

4 months ago

Staying in the town of Stockport for a couple of nights and exploring its fascinating history. I visited the art gallery which is unique in the UK as far as I know because it is also a war memorial. The latter is located within the neo classical building and is truly humbling and impressive. The art exhibited was largely of local scenes and included many works by local schoolchildren some of which was of high quality given the age of the artists. The staff were extremely friendly and informative (in fact the town generally is a friendly one). Recommended

N

Nuts

10 months ago

Extremely attractive Greek style building, with a marble paved hallway leading to the memorial wall plaques. Inaugurated 100 years ago by Prince Henry (son of King George V) to honour the thousands of local men who perished in WWI. The names of those who died in WWII and other subsequent conflicts have since been added. The building also houses the towns art gallery with regular exhibitions. Currently there's one regarding the end of the war in Europe whilst the war with Japan is still raging. Well worth a visit but check the limited opening times.

C

Culgaith Village Hall

4 months ago

I loved my visit to this gallery, for many reasons. The welcoming staff, the life drawing class that was happening while it was there, the Edwardian architecture. Best of all were the children’s works, which tied everything together. I’m not normally a fan, but I loved seeing their paintings of the local landmarks - the viaduct, the Plaza, Bramall hall, even their cats and dogs - then seeing the artists’ works of the same things.

S

Steve D

10 months ago

An amazing building with the only cenotaph in the UK being inside. There are different exhibitions on which are all superb. Free entry and wonderful staff. The building is steeped in history and I highly recommend visiting.

Reviews from Google

Overview

Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery combines a functioning war memorial — the UK's only indoor cenotaph — with rotating art exhibitions inside a striking neoclassical building inaugurated a century ago by Prince Henry. The permanent memorial lists names from WWI, WWII, and subsequent conflicts. Temporary exhibitions rotate regularly and have included children's school artwork alongside other works. Life drawing classes also run in the space.

🕐 Opening Hours

Thursday13:00 – 17:00
Friday13:00 – 17:00
Saturday10:00 – 17:00
Sunday11:00 – 16:00

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