Stockport Corporation Tramways

Owner Stockport Corporation
Opened 26th August 1901 (electric)
Operator Stockport Corporation
Took over 1901? (Manchester Carriage & Tramways Company lines within the borough)
Operator (lessee) Manchester Corporation (lines of the former MC&TC owned by Stockport Corporation)
Took over 24th January 1905 (Stockport and Hazel Grove Tramway [horse])
Took over (ownership) 9th November 1913 (lines of the former MC&TC owned by Heaton Norris UDC, following absorption of that authority by Stockport)
Operator (lessee) Manchester Corporation (lines within Heaton Norris)
Operational change 1st February 1924 (mutual running powers agreed between Stockport and Manchester Corporations following expiry of the above lease)
Took over (operation) 12th May 1945 (Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Tramways) — Hyde route
Closed 25th August 1951
Length 19.46 miles
Gauge 4ft 8½ins

Button description (Pattern 1) Title (‘Stockport Corporation Electric Tramways’) surrounding arms (shield with nine crosses surmounted by an empty banner and crown), with supporters (lion couchant and figure of Britannia)

Materials known Brass; chrome

Button Line reference [114/70]


Button description (Pattern 2) Title (‘Stockport Corporation Electric Transport’) surrounding arms (shield with nine crosses surmounted by an empty banner and crown), with supporters (lion couchant and figure of Britannia)

Materials known Chrome

Button Line reference [None]

Comment Although the banner on the full Stockport Corporation coat of arms bore the legend 'Corporate Reform January 1836', close inspection of the buttons reveals the banner to contain vertical lines that give the impression of writing, rather than writing per se!

Note that the Pattern 2 button is a bit of a conundrum as Stockport only ran trolley buses - somewhat unsuccessfully - between 1913 and 1919, and this is clearly too early for a chrome button. To me this suggests that the corporation must have rebranded its tramway services at some point as 'Stockport Corporation Electric Transport'. However, given that Stockport changed its coat of arms in 1932 to a simplified version of the above (without the supporters and with a changed motto 'Animo et Fide'), this would logically have taken place before this date, but after the advent of widespread chroming (ie, between the late 1920s and 1932). Chrome buttons do indeed exist with the new simplified arms, but to date I have only seen examples which carry the title 'Stockport Corporation Transport'. A simple explanation for this could be that the corporation continued to issue existing stocks of buttons, only ordering new buttons (with the simplified arms) once these stocks were exhausted - it could well be that this did not take place until after the demise of the tramway, hence the lack of 'Stockport Corporation Electric Transport' buttons with the simplified arms.