The Marple Local History Society was formed in 1951 as The Marple Antiquarian Society and changed to its present title in 1990. More than 80 members meet on the third Monday in the month from September to April at the Evangelical Church on Queen Street, Marple.

The meetings invite speakers on various subjects of local interest or from further afield. Recent talks have included Girl Power - Manchester Style, Ellen Turner - Local Girl in National Scandal, Life in Longdendale, Underground Stockport, 10,000 years in Mellor, The John Rylands Library and its collections and "Fire in the Summit Tunnel". The Society also has close links with the Mellor Heritage Project and the Iron Bridge Restoration Group.

In July there is a Cheese and Wine evening at Mellor. During the summer two or three coach tours are organised to places of interest where specialist guides meet us. Past visits have included Gorton Monastery, Tissington Hall and Longnor, Port Sunlight and Ness Gardens, Llangollen, followed by a canal boat trip over the Ponte Cysyllte Aqueduct, Chesterfield and Hardwick Hall, Liverpool Cathedrals, and Shibden Hall.

The Society holds extensive archives of local and regional interest and is constantly adding to them. Many of these are donated by local people but some arrive from as far away as the U.S.A. The archives are presently stored at Mellor but the committee hope to move them to Marple and is actively looking for suitable accommodation. The Society is also in the process of sharing pictures from its archives with the community via the Marple Website's Virtual History Tour of Marple.

Annual subscription for the Society is £10 and visitors may attend talks for £3. New members are always welcome and further information can be obtained from Hilary Atkinson on 0161 427 3802 or

After another busy and successful year for the Society, I am pleased to be writing to you again to comment on that year but more importantly, to give you a taster of what is to come, where we aim to continue to set the same high standard as in previous years.

Last year’s programme opened with Danny Wells’s excellent talk on Joseph Paxton who was so much more than a gardener. Society member Robin Bluhm took us on a tour of Victorian Railway Architecture in Greater Manchester and reminded us of the importance of looking at buildings – especially above ground level! More locally, Trevor Jones entertained us with his talk about The Carver Theatre and Society Members Peter Corcoran and David Burridge (photographer) took us on a stroll along memory lane in Town Street, Marple Bridge. We learnt about Political Violence in New Mills in the 1830s from Ron Weston and Ian Moss took us on a leisurely sail along the Peak Forest Canal. As usual, our Christmas Party was a great success and we were entertained with David Burridge’s photo quiz. Finally, Peter Noble gave us another perspective on the excavations at Mellor, particularly as 2009 marked the 12th and final dig in John and Ann’s garden.

Once again, Judith organized some excellent trips for the members:

• The Anson Museum in Poynton

• AVRO Heritage at BAE Woodford

• Smedley’s Hydro at Matlock and Crich Tramway Museum,

• Oswestry town and the Hill Fort

Mellor Archaeological Trust has been highly commended at a prestigious awards ceremony. The Trust received commendations in two categories at the 2010 British Archaeological Awards Ceremony held at the British Museum – best archaeological project and best community project. The Trust was set up in 1995 by John and Ann Hearle when they noticed crop marks in and around their garden at the Old Vicarage. The marks turned out to be part of a previously undiscovered Iron Age settlement. Teams of volunteers led by archaeologists from the University of Manchester have since discovered evidence of 10,000 years of history in the area and are still making new finds all the time. Discoveries at the site have included a Bronze Age flint dagger and prehistoric pottery.

A new DVD is to be launched (in HD on a large screen!) on Saturday, 11th September 2010 - 7.30.p.m. at the Parish Centre, Church Road, Mellor. Tickets £5.00 which includes a glass of wine. Entrance is by ticket only available from Ann Hearle, the Old Vicarage, Church Road, Mellor. In July, a two week dig on the site of Mellor Mill proved very interesting and resulted in an application for Lottery Money to excavate the area and provide public access. The six tours held over a weekend in July as part of the Festival of British Archaeology attracted around 150 people.

The society's money is used for publishing books, mounting exhibitions, acquiring and keeping archives. Meetings are advertised locally. Anyone can attend one meeting as a visitor or join the society. Many people hear of the society through seeing one of the exhibitions. The subscription is £10 and there are currently one hundred and four members. The local library holds an index to the society's archives and passes on questions from the general public.

FOR MORE INFORMATION contact
Hilary Atkinson on 0161 427 3802 or

LOCAL HISTORY PUBLICATIONS

Marple Local History Society publications

• Brabyns Hall £ 2.50
• Festival Programmes £ 0.10
• History of Marple £ 3.95
• Hollins Mill £ 2.50
• It happened 500 years ago £ 0 .50
• Marple Hall £ 2.50
• Marple Hall postcards £ 0.10
• Marple Rose Hill House £ 2.50
• Marple C19 Failure £ 1.50
• Oldknow Mill postcards £ 0.10
• Samuel Oldknow £ 1.75
• What did they leave £ 1.00
• The Wallers £ 2.50
• Marple Bridges and Turnpikes £ 2.50

Local books published by others

• The Kitchen Gardener £ 2.50
• Mellor Church £ 2.00

Local books published by Mellor Archeological Trust

• Mellor Heritage Map and Walks booklet in a clear plastic folder £5.00
• Ten thousand years in Mellor (2007) £ 3.00
• Ten thousand years in Mellor (2008 Update) £ 1.00
• Ten thousand years in Mellor (2009 Update) £ 2.00
• All three above together £5.00
• Living on the Edge monograph £10.00
• Historic Landscapes of Mellor by Ron Weston £ 3.50
• A Natural History of Mellor and Ludworth by Tony Smith and Ron Weston £4.50