Marple Local History Society

Old Postcards of Marple & Mellor

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

Summer 2010 Newsletter


Registered Charity 500099

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:

Crich Tramway Museum

Oswestry Oswestry

NEWS FROM MELLOR

Life on the EdgeMellor 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.

STOP PRESS - MARPLE FESTIVAL 2010 September 11th – 25th

Building on the success of its Food & Drink Festival of the past three years, Marple is holding an exciting new festival celebrating local culture. This will be an ambitious two week event with a rich mix of arts, performance and heritage, culminating in a Food & Drink Day and Festival Ball. The programme promises great variety, all showcasing Marple, with something for all ages. Foreign film, drama, dance, poetry and literary events will appeal to art buffs. Music and song feature strongly with jazz, pop, swing, brass, classical, symphony, folk…plus choirs, bands and barbershop.

There are guided canal walks around the spectacular flight of 16 locks and aqueduct; canal trips and narrowboats; art in the park; children’s storytimes; literary workshops; comedy and talent nights; a charity fashion show; painting and photography exhibitions. Then the Festival finishes with a flourish for gastronomes – a beerfest, wine tasting, cookery demonstrations and the popular Food and Drink Day.

As part of the Marple Festival, the Society is holding a free Exhibition at St Martin’s Church Hall, Low Marple, on Saturday 11th September (10.00.a.m. – 5.00.p.m.) and Sunday, 12th September (10.00.a.m. – 4.00.p.m.). The exhibition, ‘The Millennium – 10 Years On’ features a selection of photographs of local people and places, taken by David Brindley during 2000. As part of the Heritage Open Days, St Martin’s Church will also be open on Saturday, 11th September and a number of talks and walks will take place. This beautiful Arts & Crafts church is well worth a visit.

Meetings 2010 - 2011

Held in the Evangelical Church, Queen Street on the third Monday of the month at 7.45 pm

20 September Railways of Marple & Rose Hill Revisited Warwick Burton
18 October Manchester Airport John Northwood
15 November Stockport Workhouse Kevin Dranfield
13 December Christmas Party – Members only £2 per ticket – purchased in advance
A Year in Mellor – from the new DVD ‘Life on the Edge’
17 January Mary Queen of Scots - The Captive Queen David Templeman
21 February More Memories of Marple Bridge and Ludworth Peter Corcoran
21 March AVRO at Woodford Kevin Whittaker
18 April AGM – followed by: The Roman Lakes, Marple Ken Owen
18 July Cheese and Wine Evening (All welcome £3.00)  (at the Old Vicarage, Mellor)

I look forward to seeing you at the September 2010 meeting when Warwick Burton will be sharing more of his photographs and stories about Railways and Marple and Rose Hill stations.

With best wishes,

Hilary Atkinson - Chair, Marple Local History Society

The Society's publications include a history of the area and seven booklets on the history of individual buildings and families.

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

Some of the Local History Publications

Marple Local History Society publications

Local books published by others

Local books published by Mellor Archeological Trust

Many of the above publications have been invaluable references during the construction of this web site.