Abandoned ‘Great Pyramid’ in UK town to reopen after ‘stunning’ £15,000,000 makeover

Anyone from the North West will likely be familiar with the ‘iconic’ shape of the Stockport Pyramid – a unique blue glass building which, built in 1992, sits neatly alongside the M60 motorway.

Among locals, the giant structure is dubbed the ‘The Great Pyramid Of Stockport’.

Who needs to head to Egypt, when you’ve got the pyramids right here? There have even been songs written about it.

The Stockport icon had been left empty for seven years, after The Co-operative Bank, who had offices there, relocated.

But now, it’s been given a new lease of life, in the form of a mega-restaurant, that will have room to feed a staggering 1,500 customers.

The pricey regeneration has the building converted from a commercial property into none other than an Indian restaurant, set to open later this year.

The structure is being taken over by restaurant chain Royal Nawaab – which also has locations in London, including inside the Hoover Building along the A40 – employing 150 staff across the building’s multiple floors.

Plus, there’ll be not one, not two, but three banqueting suites, catering for anywhere between 60 guests and 800.

‘I liked taking on this challenge and after working on a historical building in London, I’ll be proud to have this as a Royal Nawaab,’ the chain’s founder Mahboob Hussain told the BBC.

As he noted, the construction process has encountered ‘a lot of challenges’ on account of its unique shape, but said it’s ‘why it’s called iconic.’

So, what’s the story behind this quirky pyramid – and how did it get there? It was originally intended to be one of multiple structures planned for the area as part of the ‘Valley of the Kings’ project, with construction starting five years earlier in 1987.

However, the developers went into administration before their original vision could be completed, and so the building was repossessed.

It was empty for three years until The Co-operative Bank eventually moved in in 1995, where it stayed until the branch relocated to Manchester’s city centre in 2018.

Stockport locals have long been proud of the building’s unique design – so much so that one even branded it the ‘8^th wonder of the world.’

‘I’ve been seeing a few pyramids from around the world on this group, however none come close to the 8th wonder of the world that is referred to as “the pyramid” in Stockport, Greater Manchester UK,’ @Procedure_Worried penned in a Reddit thread dedicated to showcasing examples of ‘quality craftmanship.’

‘Some even say it’s visible from space or just the number 192 bus.’

Meanwhile, @Sparda_Kai was fondly reminded of driving past the pyramid on the way to Manchester Airport for family holidays as a child, noting that they ‘always like seeing’ the structure for the nostalgia.

And, a homage to the structure, Manchester-based musician Antony Szmierek even penned ‘The Great Pyramid Of Stockport’ – with the music video featuring in the backdrop.

‘I’ve seen a pyramid, they built one in Stockport, a reincarnated insurance headquarters now an Indian restaurant,’ he raps, adding ‘imagine what the Pharaohs could have done with a four-day working week and a three-fingered Twix.’

Naturally, countless locals were delighted that their beloved pyramid had inspired a song toured both across the nation and Europe-wide.

In the YouTube comments below Antony’s video, @jameskwant3, originally from Crewe, reminisced about seeing ‘that pyramid may a time on the way to Bones skatepark back in the day.’

‘Now I feel like visiting the Pyramid both in Cairo and Stockport,’ @UB30 joked, while @willridgeon880 dubbed it a ‘Northern anthem.’

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