Jolly Sailor Steps

[admin]

Some of you may have noticed that the Jolly Sailor steps have made a re-appearance on the small green opposite the site of the Jolly.

This is as a result of the efforts of The Marple Website, MAVIS and primarily of our very own Peter Clarke. Peter organised the saving and numbering of the stones during demolition and transport of them to a nearby garage for storage. He also organised the reconstruction of the steps by Council workers and even supervised the placing of the final stone, as can be seen below.

He is currently organising the production of a plaque to explain about the history of the steps to be fixed to them in the near future.

So, although he's had help, the Jolly Sailor steps have been saved as a result of one man's determination. Well done Peter!

[MCC Executive Committee]

Well done Peter Clarke.
 

Could somebody answer me a question about the Jolly Sailor steps.

I am fascinated by the picture used on the plaque, as the steps don't appear to be on it. In fact there is a wall in place of the steps. However the picture does show the steps outside the cottages next door. Were these steps repositioned, as a mounting block, when the cottages were demolished. If so when was this, I think the picture is from about 1900.

To add to my confusion, the cottage steps only appear to have 3 steps, whereas the mounting block has 4.

By the way. Well done to everybody who helped in saving them. Too much of Marple's history has just 'disappeared'.

[admin]

Here's the picture, so it's easier to see what Harry means:



I'm not certain Harry, but I think you're looking at the steps up to the cottages, rather than the mounting block which is  to the right of the signpost. It's very dark and the mounting block is facing with the steps towards the pub and the thick end (can't think of a better way to describe it! ) towards the road. Does this help?

No, sorry Mark. Still can't see them. Do you mean they are in the highlighted area below?



That area looked to me as if it were bricks rather than stones. Which is why I wondered if the cottage steps had been moved. I even looked at a much larger copy of this photograph in a local history book (one of Peter's) and still couldn't make it out.

Don't know whats wrong with that last post. It works only somtimes. The URL to the picture does show the highlighted image however.

I've amended the link to a copy of your picture on our server - yes you were right! - Mark

[admin]

I've outlined the steps in the blown up copy below



The steps were not in this position before we moved them to the current location, they were much closer to the side of the pub, so they must have been moved at least once before, probably when the cottages were knocked down. How attentive they were when this was done to ensure the original stonework was used is anyone's guess.

The picture below shows the more recent position:

Thanks Mark.  All is now clear.

[Peter]

I don't know if anyone has noticed but thanks to Eddie Ashworth we have managed to address the clutter obscuring the steps. The obsolete sign has now been removed and the Church Lane sign resited in a more prominent place allowing a good view of the steps for anyone entering Church Lane.
Thanks to Eddie and his colleagues for their assistance.