The Virtual Time Tour of Marple

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The Marple District Centre album, dating back 54 years, is now migrated:

https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/district-centre

Marple District Centre was changed radically in the 1970s when Market Street was paved over and Hibbert Lane was extended between Church Lane and Stockport Road.

The numbered images in this album were taken by Marple UDC during these changes and the location of each shot was marked on a large plan of the area, which is also included as the first image in the album. Additional photos taken by Pete Robinson during the mid-1970s to early 1980s were provided by Eddie Ashworth in 2015. Both Eddie and Pete worked on the District Centre improvements for several years back in the day.

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The following sub-albums have now been migrated to the 3rd Generation site:

Marple's Changing Face: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/changing-face



Stockport Road West: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/stockport-road-west



Stockport Road East: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/stockport-road-east



These three sub-albums are part of the Marple Album in the Building and Street Scenes Category. 

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The Virtual History Tour of Marple and District is on the move!

The Marple Website's collection of photos, known as the Virtual History Tour, began 23 years ago, in 2001. In 2006 it was moved to a Gallery platform called Coppermine. With the help of Marple Local History Society and many others the "Virtual Tour" has grown to hold over 15,500 images that have been viewed more then 5.6 Million times.

In December 2024 migration to a newer mobile friendly platform called Piwigo began.



Migrating so many images will be a long process. While ongoing visitors will need to switch between 2nd Generation and 3rd Generation sites to access all the images available.

The new 3rd Generation site is here: https://www.marple.website/photos/

The older 2nd Generation site is here: https://visitmarple.co.uk/photos/

There are links in place on both sites so that you can move between them easily.

The following albums have been migrated to the new site at the time of this posting:

Historic Buildings: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/historic-buildings

Marple Hall: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/marple-hall

The Hall and Outbuildings: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/marple-hall-and-outbuildings

Marple Hall Interior: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/marple-hall-interior

Jack Wilkinson Album: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/jack-wilkinson

Marple Hall Relics and Souvenirs: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/marple-hall-relics

Brabyns Hall: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/brabyns-hall

Brabyns Hall and Estate: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/brabyns-hall-and-estate

Iron Bridge: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/iron-bridge

Iron Bridge Restoration: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/iron-bridge-restoration

Scroll Bridge: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/scroll-bridge

Mellor Mill and Estate: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/mellor-mill-estate

Mellor Mill: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/mellor-mill

Other Mellor Mill Buildings: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/other-mellor-mill-buildings

Listed Buildings: https://www.marple.website/photos/index.php?/category/listed-buildings

[admin]

Over the last month 20 images donated to Marple Local History Society by Jennie and Geoff Barton have been uploaded to the Virtual History Tour. They are mostly of Strines Choir on outings in the 1940s and 50s. Strines Historian Rosemary Taylor (who is featured on many of them) put as many names to faces as she could on the backs and these are included in the captions.

https://visitmarple.co.uk/photos/thumbnails.php?search=Geoff+Barton&submit=search&album=search&title=on&newer_than=&caption=on&older_than=&keywords=on&type=AND

[admin]

A batch of images donated to Marple Local History Society by Mary Moore have been added to the Virtual Tour this morning.

They are from her mother's time staying at Brabyns Hall with Miss Hudson in the late 1920s until the early 1940s.

The images are here:

https://visitmarple.co.uk/photos/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=0

And you can read more about Mary's family links to Brabyns here:

https://www.marplelocalhistorysociety.org.uk/stories-from-the-archive/artefacts/a-new-perspective-on-brabyns-park.html

[admin]

Images of artefacts uploaded to the Virtual History Tour

I'm not sure if anyone still follows this topic but as it's been read more than 235,800 times, I though I should perhaps keep it going.

Today and yesterday a number of images of interesting artefacts have been uploaded. These include many that I've acquired over a long period of time and have now donated to Marple Local History Society Archives for safe keeping. These include: a Carriage Lamp from Marple Hall, a silver Rose Bowl from 1910 commemorating the return of a local MP, and a number of commemorative china items item, my favourite of which must be the John Jinks water jug from the Ring o' Bells that can be dated to 1878-1887 when John was Landlord of the pub.

Follow this link to see them all: https://visitmarple.co.uk/photos/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=0







There are also some images of other items already in the society's archives. These include a painting of Brabyns Hall that used to hang in the hall, and what was known as the Apprentice Mug from Hollins Mill.

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A new album featuring Annie Pott's photo album has been added to the Virtual History Tour

I created a video slide-show of Annie's album back in December 2019 but although I prepared all the images for the VT too it looks like I omitted to upload them. This has been corrected now.

https://visitmarple.co.uk/photos/thumbnails.php?album=211

The slide-show version can be seen here: https://www.marple.website/community-projects/looking-for-stanley-jacks-letters-html.html

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The Ann Hearle Postcard Collection

Over the coming months I will be working my way through the late Ann Hearle's Postcard Collection from Marple Local History Society Archives and filling in any gaps in the Virtual History Tour.

Today sees almost a dozen new additions to the All Saints' Church Album: https://visitmarple.co.uk/photos/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=-92

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A new album on the Virtual Tour: People: Tennis and Drama

Existing and new photos have been pulled together into an album featuring Marple Tennis Club and Marple Dramatic and Literary Society in the 1920s and 1930s. This is because two families, the Ridgeways and the Lanes, have been identified as a common thread between these organisations thanks to photos provided independently by their daughters Linda Breese and Beth Bainbridge respectively. The new album includes a series of images from a wonderful photo album created by Phyllis Greenwood (later Ridgeway) when she played Puck in Midsummer Night's Dream over 100 years ago in January 1922.

The new album is here: https://visitmarple.co.uk/photos/thumbnails.php?album=209



In addition a number of new images of Mill Brow from Martin Cross have also been added recently: https://visitmarple.co.uk/photos/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=-48

[admin]

New images on the Virtual History Tour

I've not been able to give the Virtual History Tour the attention it deserves for a while for various reasons but put in a little time this morning on a variety of new images. These include a picture of PC Terry Lomax and his F reg Panda Car, a series of photos passed onto Marple Local History Society by Martin Cross mostly associated with Mill Brow and a copy of bowling club photos that I quickly popped on in July but didn't mention.

https://visitmarple.co.uk/photos/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=0

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The Corn Mill on Lakes Road

A couple of images provided by Mrs Jill Watson featuring the Corn Mill on Lakes Road have been added to the Virtual Tour this morning.

The photos were taken by her father in 1937 and include a shot of her when she was a young Jill Bennett.

https://visitmarple.co.uk/photos/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=-10

[admin]

Over 5 Million Image Views on the Virtual History Tour!

The Marple Website's Virtual History Tour of Marple, a collection of almost 14,500 local photos that has grown with the support of Marple Local History Society since 2006 has recently passed 5 Million image views! Follow the link for the most popular pics: https://visitmarple.co.uk/photos/thumbnails.php?album=topn&cat=0

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A batch of seven images provided by Marple Local History Society and Joan Combey relating to Mellor have been added to the Virtual History Tour this morning.

https://visitmarple.co.uk/photos/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=0

[admin]

A trio of new uploads to the Virtual Tour this morning, including this great shot of Braddock's Garage on Stockport Road...

https://visitmarple.co.uk/photos/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=0

[admin]

Two images of Dr Frank Gordon Macnair have been added to the People Album on the Marple Website Virtual History Tour this morning.

Dr Frank Macnair was a GP, between about about 1932 and 1947, based at Charlecote, on Church Lane and later in Winnington Road. He was also Medical Officer for the Marple Orthopaedic Hospital and worked part time at Stockport Infirmary. Son Andrew says he died in 1948 when I was three years old and my mother, myself and my brother moved to Mellor. I am a retired GP. My father's brother was Alan Macnair and his sister-in-law was Iris Macnair who set up the Marple Macnair charity.

https://visitmarple.co.uk/photos/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=-45