Underappreciated UK town being hailed as ‘new Berlin’

It's a 10-minute train ride from the centre of Manchester

Placed just six miles outside of Manchester's vibrant centre, this unsung geographical gem is currently benefitting from a £1 billion regeneration project which includes a £45m leisure complex housing a 10-screen cinema, restaurants and bowling alley.

Home of indie rock band Blossoms, Stockport County FC and the now-defunct Strawberry Studios - used by the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and Joy Division before its closure in 1993 - Stockport was branded the "new Berlin" by DJ Luke Unabomber back in 2022, while local fashion influencer Sophia Rosemary Barrese told Manchester Evening News why it's about time people took notice.

"This area is finally getting the love and attention it deserves so it's really exciting times to be a part of that," she said during a 2021 interview.

"I think in the last year we've seen a huge transformation in towns, a lot of chain stores are closing down and it's allowing more independents to move in. Having lived in Stockport all my life, and seeing the changes, it's exciting that there's so much potential in that area. If we can encourage people to shop small, we can reinvent what the high street means."

Described as the Soho of Stockport, the Underbanks district offers independent traders and retailers selling everything from vintage clothing to rare magazines and vinyl, as well as many welcoming bars and eateries.

The Underbanks was even used for the filming of Netflix's Harlan Coben thriller series The Stranger, starring Hannah John-Kamen, Richard Armitage, Siobhán Finneran and Jennifer Saunders.

In 2022, The Sunday Times listed Stockport as one of the "best up and coming areas to invest in".

"What was once a standard former mill town has reinvented itself as a funky, family-friendly alternative to Manchester's Northern Quarter," read the publication's breakdown.