OUT AND ABOUT AGAIN

The time of year is here again when you can put the gardening on a back burner and enjoy a wander in the summer sunshine. Last year I took you on 'A Spring Stroll' around the precincts of the Memorial Park pointing out areas of interest. This year we are going slightly further afield along a stretch of the Peak Forest Canal. Due to the topography of the area, some parts of this walk are over uneven ground and as a result will be inaccessible to some of the physically disabled. I have tried to incorporate a detour to accommodate this but it will mean that a couple of the items will be missed.

If you are visiting by car you will need to park on one of the centre's main car parks. Please respect local residents and do not park on side streets.

Start: The walk begins on the bridge at Top Lock at the junction of the Peak Forest and Macclesfield canals.

As you look at Top Lock House, the scene nowadays seems pretty quiet but this has not always been the case. This used to be Jinks' Boatyard and would have been a hive of activity as they churned out the narrowboats that worked tirelessly up and down the country's waterways. Arms from the basin, now used for mooring pleasure boats, used to lead to a dry dock at the rear of the buildings and to the limekilns that stood where you can now see the Royal British Legion Club.

Taking the towpath along the Peak Forest Canal that leads towards Whaley Bridge we shortly come to the site of the Mineral Mill.

Built originally as a corn mill by Samuel Oldknow as a part of the Lime Kiln complex, the mill stood on the far side of the canal from where we look. Having changed hands several times over the 100 or so years since its construction (at the turn of the 18th century), the mill, already in a state of some dereliction, ceased trading in 1914. Looking at the old picture you can see the arched window in what was at one time the wages office. This building, now a private dwelling named 'Bleak House', is all that remains of this once busy spot. The window gives a good guide to the position of the old mill.

Carry on until the first bridge, known as Brickbridge because it is the only bridge of this construction on the upper level of the Peak Forest Canal, and turn to the right. In front of you and slightly to the left is a gate; proceed through it. (At this point the terrain becomes quite uneven and people unable to negotiate the ground should instead carry on to the right and up Brickbridge Road until they meet Church Lane opposite the Ring o' Bells. You can then, if able, walk uphill to the church and pick up the tour from there.)

Upon passing through the gate, on your immediate left you will see a concrete plinth. This is a cap over one of the many mineshafts that used to be worked in the Marple area. This particular shaft was sunk, along with two others, in around 1797 in order to supply the kilns with the vast amounts of coal that was needed for the production of the finished lime. By 1851 the workings were exhausted and a new pit had to be sunk near the limekilns. This became known as the Peacock Pit and, until its closure in 1896, workings from the mine extended all the way up the Ridge towards All Saints' Church.

Climbing up the path past the mineshaft you will see, on the left as you reach the top, a pair of triangular shaped stones leaning together to form a corner. It is said that every Sunday Oldknow walked his apprentices from Bottoms Hall to All Saints', the church he was instrumental in building. He had these stones placed at the top to act as a urinal so that the boys could relieve themselves en route and so not have to disturb the service due to the call of nature.

As you clear the trees it's worth stopping for a few minutes to look back at what are, arguably, the most beautiful panoramic views to be found anywhere in Marple. In the foreground one can see Mellor Church and, beyond, views toward Kinder Scout.

Following the footpath towards the church you enter the graveyard by the back entrance. As you walk nearer to the old church the graves get older and amongst those buried here is Thomas Carver, Marple benefactor, owner of Hollins mill and the man who gave us the Reform Church, Albert School and the Union Rooms, (now the Regent Cinema). When Samuel Oldknow died his funeral at All Saints' was said to have attracted over 3000 people, more than the population of Marple at that time. He was eventually laid to rest in the crypt of the church. A commemorative plaque that was placed on the wall of the church extolling his virtues now languishes in the last remaining part, the bell tower.

As we pass to the front of the old church we meet Church Lane. Here we turn right and head downhill where we find a number of interesting buildings. Immediately we see the three-bay coach house that belonged to the Bradshaw family, their crest carved in the gable. To the right the skull and crossbones can clearly be seen above the door of a second coach house in which the funeral hearse was kept. The building below the coach houses was once a blacksmith's shop built by Oldknow and which, at some time in the 19th century, was extended upwards and converted into cottages.

Next we find the Alms Houses. The plaque above reads: These Alms Houses were erected by Elizabeth Bridge, widow of the late Warburton Bridge of Manchester Esq. A.D. 1855.

Although Mrs. Bridge lived in Timperley the houses were built to commemorate her husband who was a native of Marple. She kept strict control of the houses (for the use of five poor widows, natives of Marple) until her death aged 90 in 1875. No longer confined to just widows they continue to provide subsidised housing for the elderly.

Below the Alms Houses is McNair Court, now private residential flats. It was formerly Brentwood, a residential, recuperative and training centre for families under stress, mostly from inner city areas. During the Second World War it was also used as a home for those who had lost their own homes in bombing raids.

Passing 'The Shanty', a large home built in the style of the 'Arts & Crafts Movement' at the end of the 19th century, we reach All Saints' School. They have just celebrated the 100th anniversary of the 'New' school, although the original school began at Chapel House farm across the road in 1831.

Shortly after the school we turn right onto the Macclesfield canal and 'The Wharf'. Looking fundamentally unchanged for over a century and a half (the Macclesfield canal was the last major canal to be constructed in this country), this quiet backwater like Top Lock, was once a cauldron of activity. The yards would have been filled with goods and the warehouse busy loading and unloading narrowboats from all over the country. At the stone warehouse, two boats could be unloaded at once, one of which could be done under cover!

The narrows lead us back to the junction of the two canals and end our walk.

Please remember to get in touch with Peter or Mark using our contact us page if you have any interesting photographs or other items to share with readers.