Bramhall is a residential suburb to the south of Manchester. Though part of Stockport MBC it has a distinctive character of its own very different to Stockport proper. Bramhall had its own Urban District Council until 1974.

Bramhall is centred on the village where three roads meet. It preserves a traditional look despite the addition of a 1960s style shopping centre.

Around the old village centre are endless curving tree lined roads with a variety of homes from terraced cottages to impressive detached properties. There’s an attractive mixture of styles, from solid and respectable late 19th century through to inter-war semis and interesting designs from the 1960s.

Needless to say property prices around here are not the cheapest. Bramhall is considered without doubt to be one of the most desirable places in the Manchester area to live.

The oldest house in Bramhall is of course the celebrated Bramall Hall, regarded as one of the finest medieval half-timbered houses in the country. Bramall Hall is set in the magnificent Bramall Park, and is owned and run by Stockport MBC. Note the hall is named ‘Bramall’ and the suburb ‘Bramhall’.

The railway station, just north of the old village, provides a fast connection with Stockport and Manchester. The disused London Midland line runs to the north of Bramhall and I think could also provide a valuable transport link if it were reinstated for passenger use.

To the south, the incomplete A555 provides part of the route to Manchester Airport. When this road is completed, Bramhall will be better connected. Maybe that’s not such a good thing.

Bramhall seems a world away from the more working class suburbs closer to the centre of Stockport. The Cheshire countryside is only a stone’s throw away to the south. Even the name sounds somehow melodic, echoing the ancient hall and perhaps words from nature such as ‘bramley’ or ‘bramble’

Bramhall is built on interesting terrain. There are hills and valleys, including the Ladybrook Valley. The Lady Brook flows through Bramhall Park and on to Cheadle and the River Mersey.

It’s one of the few places around Manchester where you can still get lost along the gently meandering tree-lined roads that seem to lead to yet more tree-lined roads.

All in all, Bramhall is in the opinion of EOM… a very nice place!