Ancient secrets of Stockport's pyramid(s)

Lee Grimsditch unearths original plans showing architects' vision for site dubbed Valley of Death and thought 'cursed by the Pharaohs'

IF there is one landmark in Greater Manchester that has set tongues wagging since it was first dreamed up it's Stockport's Pyramid. And people aren't shy when it comes to expressing their opinions on what they think of it, and what it should be used for.

Built on wasteland next to the River Mersey, overlooking the M60 in Stockport, construction on the pyramid began in the late 1980s, with the building completed in 1992. According to newspaper reports at the time, there were plans for four glass pyramids to be built on the seven-acre Kings Valley, but Stopfordians had to settle for a single pyramid after the developers went into bankruptcy.

As soon as it was completed there was controversy. It promised to create Manchester's own 'Valley of Kings' a nod to a valley in Egypt where there are a number of beautifully preserved tombs of royal subjects.