History

A BRIEF HISTORY OF OFFERTON
Probably the earliest recording of the affairs of Offerton is the Doomsday Book under the name Alfretune. The village merged along one of the north – south routes crossing the Mersey by the ford at what is now Tiviot Dale. A route possibly traveled by Romans, Vikings and much later Bonnie Prince Charlie. A route more importantly used regularly by farmers and others going to Stockport Market and later need as a road for goods from the works of Samuel Oldknow at
Marple. Samuel Oldknow it was who provided the first good crossing at Fogg Brook.

The village stretched out along the road and centred on Offerton Hall, and remained so for many years. The census of 1754 shows:-

29 families with 129 souls C of E.
8 families with 32 souls Dissenters
2 families with 10 souls Quakers

Despite this old method of noting the population there does not appear to have been a place of worship built in the village up to and well beyond this time. By 1811 however the population was recorded as 493 persons and Wesleyan Methodism was beginning to play its part in the life of the district (Spreading perhaps from the already well established Chapel at Bullock Smithy, now known as Hazel Grove?).

A Society was formed at Offerton in 1793 and worshipped in an old building in the area where Tangent Foam now stands. It was in this building that Mr. Phillip Mayer was preaching when the principle beam of the place fell upon his shoulder. Fortunately he was only slightly hurt. (Incidentally John Wesley was a guest of Mr. Mathew Mayer in 1774 at Portwood Hall. Later Mr. Joseph Mayer, Mathew’s son was a founder of the famous Stockport Sunday School).
Services were next conducted at Offerton Hall, which was occupied at that time by the same Mr. P Mayer, and he and Mr. Mathew Longden were the principle officials. It is recorded that at one of these services Mr. Johnson of Manchester preached the sermon and a collection was made for the support of the Offerton Sunday School. A point of interest to note is at this time there were nearly 100 scholars.

The little Society felt it desirable to possess a place of their own, and so, after much toil and patience a building was erected on the site of the old one, which had formerly been used as the Sunday School. According to Higginbotham this was the first place of worship of any kind in Offerton. (There was no accommodation for inhabitants of C of E faith until 1876 when Mrs. Bradshaw-Isherwood resolved to erect a Church School, St John’s). Mr. Phillip Mayer laid the foundation stone of a Sunday School and Preaching Room on 25th September 1825. This building was of plain brick consisting of two stories. The upper floor was a fairly large room used for Sunday and Day School purposes as well as for preaching services, it was accessed by a flight of outside stone steps. The Chapel Keeper occupied the lower floor. One can still see this building, now a private dwelling with white rendering over the lower bricks and timber cladding over the upper building on Marple Road close to the end of Holliday Lane at the bottom of Potts Brow.

(MORE)