Plaque commemorating night David Bowie slept at Stockport station unveiled
Commemorative plaque to mark night David Bowie slept at Stockport station unveiled.
• Commemorative plaque marks night icon slept at Stockport station
• Avanti West Coast support Stockport Music Story to recognise moment in the town’s musical history
• Railway station is latest addition to town’s sites of musical significance
A plaque commemorating the night David Bowie slept at Stockport station after he missed his train has been unveiled to mark the moment in the town’s rich musical history.
The Stockport Music Story – a project which documents Stockport’s musical history from the 1960s to the present day – teamed up with Avanti West Coast, who serve the town with its Pendolino trains and manage the railway station, to install the plaque marking the legendary singer’s impromptu stopover 55 years ago.
This latest cultural landmark in the Greater Manchester town provides a permanent record of 27 April 1970 – when the global icon missed his train back to London and slept at Stockport station after playing a solo acoustic gig at the Poco A Poco club on Manchester Road, Heaton Chapel.
The installation is part of a series of 13 commemorative plaques located at sites of musical significance across the town centre by The Stockport Music Story - supported by the local authority and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to attract more cultural tourists to the area.
Visitors will be able to see the special sign on a self-guided music trail or as part of The Stockport Music Map Guided Walking Tours – a journey around sites that played an important role in the development of the town’s musical legacy.
Led by husband-and-wife team, John and Rosemary Barratt of The Stockport Music Story, the unveiling event brought together music fans and those with a connection to the very night David Bowie spent the night in Stockport. These included students who booked him to play his gig at the venue which was demolished and is now the site of The Hinds Head pub.
Lisa Magee, Avanti West Coast Station Manager at Stockport, said: “Stockport has a great musical legacy, and we’re pleased to have played a part in recognising another of the town’s cultural landmarks. The story of David Bowie sleeping at Stockport station is the stuff of legend and quite rightly should be marked with a commemorative plaque.
“It’s been fascinating working with The Stockport Music Story on this piece of history involving a global icon and we’re delighted Stockport station is commemorating this unique event that happened 55 years ago. We’re sure it will be of interest to many fans – especially hose visiting the area by rail – for decades to come.”
John Barratt from The Stockport Music Story, said: “Being a lifelong David Bowie fan, this plaque is particularly special to me and unearthing the story about the Stockport teenagers who booked him for the gig is what The Stockport Music Story is all about. Bowie is one of a number of iconic music legends who performed in Stockport during the 1960s and ‘70s including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and Elton John. I hope this will encourage people to travel to Stockport by train to discover our rich musical heritage.”
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Main image: Commemorative plaque, which marks night David Bowie slept at Stockport station 55 years ago.
About The Stockport Music Story
The Stockport Music Story is curated by John & Rosemary Barratt, a husband-and-wife creative team who have been delivering community arts and music projects in Stockport since 2011.
Their projects include Screen Stockport Film Festival, The Teenage Market, Seven Miles Out Arts Centre, Stockport Old Town Fringe and Folk Festivals and the award-winning Foodie Friday, for which they recently won the Howard & Ruth Award as recognition for their efforts to revitalise Stockport Old Town.
John and Rosemary are a great collaborative team with John doing the talking and Rosemary doing the writing. Curating the Stockport Music Map has been a passion project for John, who had always wanted to create something which brings together all of Stockport’s music history in one place and gives the town the credit it deserved for its contribution to the Manchester music scene.
The Stockport Music Story
About Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast, operator of intercity rail services on the West Coast Main Line, is a joint venture between FirstGroup and Trenitalia, delivering a cleaner, greener railway that drives the West Coast forward.
We’re on a mission to revolutionise train travel. Our refurbed Pendolinos returned to the rails in June 2024 following a £117m investment programme that’s delivered the best in class comfort. Known as the UK’s hardest working fleet, all 56 of these iconic trains have been transformed and now boast better seats, improved lighting, new interior carpets, customer-friendly passenger information screens, additional luggage space, power points at every seat and refurbished toilets.
Our new Evero fleet was introduced in June 2024 and will replace our Voyagers. Built by Hitachi, the 23-strong fleet, consisting of 10 seven-carriage electric trains and 13 five-carriage bi-modes, will serve routes from London to the Midlands, Chester, North Wales and the North West, leading to a substantial cut in carbon emissions with an increase in seats, and offering improved comfort. Quieter and roomier, with more reliable Wi-Fi, wireless charging for electrical devices and a real-time customer information system, these new trains are the result of a £350m investment in sustainable travel.
We’re tackling climate change wherever we can, from reducing energy and water use to training drivers in eco-driving techniques and sourcing food and drink from local suppliers. Our goal is to be net zero carbon by 2031. We’re on track.
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