Emily Oakes- BA (Hons) Interior Design
Last Port of Call
Last Port of Call is a community-anchored cultural hub designed to support Stockport’s independent, cultural and creative sector. Located in a post-industrial, “up-and-coming” town, this project responds to the growing threat of rising living costs and displacement, offering a people-centred alternative to market driven regeneration.
Informed by collaboration with real grassroots creatives and local residents, this proposal reflects the needs, lived experience and local identity of the existing community. This space brings together a pub, residency kitchen for local food traders, brewery, and live music venue to form a shared ecosystem that supports and sustains local culture.
The in-house brewery operates as both a sensory and economic engine, with the scent of hops drifting through the building, reminiscent of Stockport’s industrial past and triggering a collective sense of nostalgia. All profits from the beer is reinvested directly into local charity StockArts to fund cultural events, workshops and opportunities for the local community.
The space is centered around the visual concept of the heart, symbolising support, rhythm, and connection and reflecting Last Port of Call’s role as a central hub for culture and community in the heart of Stockport’s regeneration.
Sustainability underpins the whole design, through a committed low-carbon approach, consciously selected materials and sympathetic adaptive reuse.
