LGBT+ History Month 2026

DELVE made permanent: A week of LGBT+ History Month 2026 at Stockroom

This February, Stockroom celebrates LGBT+ History Month with a week of programming, delving into the Local Heritage Archives and uncovering Stockport’s unsung connections to LGBT+ History.

From February 9th through to the 15th, Stockroom will be hosting a range of free activities and events to encourage anybody and everybody to explore Stockport’s LGBT+ heritage.

Isherwood Family Connection & Stockroom Event Programme

Stockport Local Heritage Library, based on Stockroom’s first floor, holds an extensive collection of original and unique archival materials. Included in their collections is the Isherwood Family Collection, relating to the early years and life of Christopher Isherwood, writer and important figure of the early Gay Liberation movement, who was born in High Lane in 1904.

The collection includes a range of unique items relating to Christopher and his early years in Stockport, including letters from his father on the front lines, books and other objects Christopher once owned, illustrations and stories written for the young Christopher by his parents, and a beautiful collection of images and glass negatives of the family. A deeper insight into the Isherwood family and some highlights from the collection can be found on our blog post Archiving the Isherwood Family Papers.

To celebrate LGBT+ History Month, we invite you to explore the archives yourself, and find out more about Isherwood’s life, work and impact on LGBT+ history. Events at Stockroom include a screening of A Single Man, a chance to explore the archives first hand with an open archive handling session, a talk from leading Isherwood academic Andrew Biswell, Professor of Modern Literature at Manchester Metropolitan University, as well free family crafts, and much more.

Alongside the events, a curated display of the Isherwood Family Collection will be on display in the Heritage Library, alongside a brand-new permanent installation work celebrating LGBT+ Heritage.

New Permanent Artwork: DELVE

Throughout 2025, Stockroom worked in partnership with The Proud Trust to connect young LGBT+ people with Stockport’s local heritage. Young people from Constellations, a youth group for LGBTQIA+ youth aged 13- 18 run by The Proud Trust explored their own identities, connections to Stockport, and what it means to be remembered, through regular meetings, visits to Stockroom, creative workshops, and photoshoots with Casey Orr.

Their work created throughout 2025 was showcased in Saturday Town: Our People, a vibrant exhibition celebrating the young people of Stockport from all different backgrounds. Portraits by award-winning photographer Casey Orr, alongside photographs taken by the young people themselves capture their lives and identities and make visible their own stories of their LGBT histories.

As the project, funded by Historic England’s History in the Making, draws to a close, Stockroom is working with the young people to design a unique mural, creating a permanent legacy of the project. The mural, designed in collaboration with local design and build studio Tim Denton and curated by the young people, will be on the first floor of Stockroom, next to the archive search room; a permanent installation celebrating Stockport’s LGBT heritage.