Steve Cliffe

Steve Cliffe, a former Stockport councillor was the founding member of Stockport Heritage and Stockport Heritage Magazine circa 1987. He and his late wife, Jean, co-ordinated the efforts of Stockport Heritage to persuade English Heritage and the Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council to support the purchase and restoration of semi-derelict Staircase House, a 15th-century merchant's townhouse, as the town museum.

The house was finally restored with a £4 million grant and opened to the public in 2005 as a living example of the development of vernacular architecture. It has since won Civic Trust and architectural awards.

In his book, Stockport History & Guide, published in 2005, he details the struggle to get the project off the ground.

Sources

• Stockport: a History, Arrowsmith P.,1997 ISBN 0-905164-99-7
• Stockport History & Guide, Cliffe S.,2005 ISBN 0-7524-3525-6
• Stockport Express 1987-2009 www.stockportexpress.co.uk/news/s/1187107_publisher_is_left_out_of_pocket