Marple is a town in the
Metropolitan Borough of Stockport
The Metropolitan Borough of Stockport is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, south-east of central Manchester. As well as the towns of Stockport, Bredbury and Marple, it includes the outlying areas of Hazel Grov ...
,
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
, England. It is on the
River Goyt
The River Goyt is a tributary of the River Mersey in North West England.
Etymology
The name ''Goyt'' may be derived from the Middle English ''gote'', meaning "a watercourse, a stream". Derivation from the Welsh ''gwyth'' meaning "vein" has bee ...
, south-east of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, north of
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...
and south-east of
Stockport
Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here.
Most of the town is within ...
. In
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, it had a population of 23,686.
Within the boundaries of the
historic county of Cheshire, the town lies along the
Peak Forest Canal
The Peak Forest Canal is a narrow ( gauge) locked artificial waterway in northern England. It is long and forms part of the connected English/Welsh inland waterway network.
Route and features
General description
The canal consists of two level ...
which contains the
Marple Lock Flight
Marple Lock Flight is a flight of sixteen canal locks, situated on the Peak Forest Canal in Marple, a suburb of Stockport.
History
Whilst the rest of the canal was opened to navigation by 1796, insufficient money was available to complete the n ...
and
Marple Aqueduct
Marple Aqueduct (also known as Goyt Aqueduct) at Marple, Greater Manchester, in north-west England was built to carry the lower level of the Peak Forest Canal across the River Goyt (treated as part of the River Mersey until 1896).
The company's ...
. The Roman Lakes, to the south-east of the town centre, attracts anglers and walkers. The town is served by two railway stations:
Marple Marple may refer to:
Places
* Marple, Greater Manchester, a town close to Stockport, in England
** Marple Bridge, a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester
** Marple railway station in Marple, Greater Manchest ...
and
Rose Hill Marple
Rose Hill Marple railway station is in Marple in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, England. The station, which opened in 1869, is the last surviving stop on the former Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway (''MB&MR''). It is connected ...
, providing access to the
rail network
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
in Greater Manchester and beyond. It is also close to the
Middlewood Way
The Middlewood Way is an 11-mile (16 km) shared use path in north-west England, between Macclesfield () and Rose Hill, Marple (); it was opened on 30 May 1985 by Dr David Bellamy. It serves the needs of walkers, dog walkers, cyclists, jogg ...
, a
shared use path
A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is 'designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists'. Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, bridleways and rail trails. A ...
following the former
Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway
The Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway (MB&MR) was an railway line between Macclesfield and Marple, England. The route was opened jointly by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) and the North Staffordshire Railway ...
line south from Rose Hill to Macclesfield.
History
Etymology
The first reference to Marple in written history was to ''Merpel'', believed to be derived from the
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
''maere pill'', meaning 'the stream at the boundary'.
Early history
Scientists estimate that the earliest residents of the area settled several millennia ago.
There are clues to their existence around the
Ludworth area where there are
standing stone
A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright rock (geology), stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. T ...
s and
tumuli
A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...
. This was confirmed around 1998 when an
archaeological dig
In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...
in
Mellor revealed many clues about the existence of Marple's earliest residents.
The area was predominantly within the
Macclesfield Forest
Macclesfield Forest is an area of woodland, predominantly conifer plantation, located around south east of Macclesfield in the civil parish of Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough, in Cheshire, England.
The existing woodland is the last subs ...
, and was omitted from the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
survey. The first mention of the area was in 1122 in a deed for the sale of land. In 1220 the land passed to the
Vernon family The Vernon family was a wealthy, prolific and widespread English family with 11th-century origins in Vernon, Normandy, France. Their extant titles include Baron Vernon and Vernon baronets of Shotwick Park.
Vernon of Shipbrook, Cheshire
William d ...
where it remained for several generations.
The pre-
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
inhabitants of the village mostly worked on small farms and others specialised in linen weaving and hatting. After 1790,
Samuel Oldknow
Samuel Oldknow (1756–1828) was an English cotton manufacturer.
Samuel Oldknow Jnr, the eldest son of Samuel Oldknow Sr and Margery Foster, was born 5 October 1756 in Anderton, near Chorley, Lancashire, and died 18 September 1828 at Mellor ...
transformed much of this lifestyle, with the construction of
lime kiln
A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone (calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime (material), lime called quicklime (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this chemical reaction, reaction is
:Calcium carbonate, Ca ...
s and mills as part of the Industrial Revolution.
The population of the village began to rise, with the construction of terraces to house mill workers and the formation of a village centre filled with private businesses.
Samuel Oldknow also played a large role in the development of the town in addition to his mills; there is still a street named Oldknow Road in Marple today. He built workers' cottages and churches, introduced
aspen
Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the ''Populus'' genus.
Species
These species are called aspens:
*'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China ...
trees to the area, and assisted in the constructions of the
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...
and
Peak Forest Canal
The Peak Forest Canal is a narrow ( gauge) locked artificial waterway in northern England. It is long and forms part of the connected English/Welsh inland waterway network.
Route and features
General description
The canal consists of two level ...
s.
Marple Aqueduct
Marple Aqueduct (also known as Goyt Aqueduct) at Marple, Greater Manchester, in north-west England was built to carry the lower level of the Peak Forest Canal across the River Goyt (treated as part of the River Mersey until 1896).
The company's ...
, which opened in 1800, carries the Peak Forest Canals over the
River Goyt
The River Goyt is a tributary of the River Mersey in North West England.
Etymology
The name ''Goyt'' may be derived from the Middle English ''gote'', meaning "a watercourse, a stream". Derivation from the Welsh ''gwyth'' meaning "vein" has bee ...
, was designed by
Benjamin Outram
Benjamin Outram (1 April 1764 – 22 May 1805) was an English civil engineer, surveyor and industrialist. He was a pioneer in the building of canals and tramways.
Life
Born at Alfreton in Derbyshire, he began his career assisting his father ...
, a pioneer in the building of canals and tramways. Seven men lost their lives during its construction. Samuel Oldknow died in 1828; his mill was destroyed by fire in 1892.
These navigations accelerated Marple's growth, but eventually declined into disrepair when the railway arrived in 1865. They have since been restored for use by leisure
narrowboat
A narrowboat is a particular type of canal boat, built to fit the narrow locks of the United Kingdom. The UK's canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, but with the advent of the railways, commerc ...
s, now forming part of the
Cheshire Ring
The Cheshire Ring is a canal cruising circuit or canal ring, which includes sections of six canals in and around Cheshire and Greater Manchester in North West England: the Ashton Canal, Peak Forest Canal, Macclesfield Canal, Trent and Merse ...
.
Recent history
In the early 1900s the town prospered from the success of cotton in nearby
Stockport
Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here.
Most of the town is within ...
and
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
; the canals in the area served as a link with other industrial towns. In 1936, Marple
Urban District
Urban district may refer to:
* District
* Urban area
* Quarter (urban subdivision)
* Neighbourhood
Specific subdivisions in some countries:
* Urban districts of Denmark
* Urban districts of Germany
* Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...
, at the time part of
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
, annexed from
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
the parish of Ludworth and Mellor. Marple grew as a residential suburb of Stockport after the arrival of frequent bus and rail services in the 1920s.
Geography
The area, close to Derbyshire, covers just over of countryside, ranging from heavily wooded valleys to hill-top moorland. It rises from around above sea level at the River Goyt to at Cobden Edge. On a clear day it is possible to view the
Beetham Tower in Manchester as well as the city centre, the
Winter Hill TV transmitter and the surrounding counties of
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
,
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
and
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
and the mountains of
North Wales
, area_land_km2 = 6,172
, postal_code_type = Postcode
, postal_code = LL, CH, SY
, image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg
, map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...
from the top of these hills.
Governance
In 1866 Marple became a civil parish in
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
and in 1894 the parish formed an
urban district
Urban district may refer to:
* District
* Urban area
* Quarter (urban subdivision)
* Neighbourhood
Specific subdivisions in some countries:
* Urban districts of Denmark
* Urban districts of Germany
* Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...
. In 1974 the urban district was abolished and its former area was transferred to
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
to form part of the
Metropolitan Borough of Stockport
The Metropolitan Borough of Stockport is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, south-east of central Manchester. As well as the towns of Stockport, Bredbury and Marple, it includes the outlying areas of Hazel Grov ...
.
Marple is represented on Stockport Borough Council in two three-member electoral wards called Marple North and Marple South by six councillors;
four
Liberal Democrats and two
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
s. Stockport Borough Council has 63 councillors in 21 wards, of whom 26 are Liberal Democrats, 21 are
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
, 13 are Conservative, and 3 others, as of May 2015.
For the
United Kingdom Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...
, Marple is in the
Hazel Grove
Hazel Grove is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, close to the Peak District national park.
Within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Cheshire, the area was kno ...
constituency, which is represented by
William Wragg
William Peter Wragg (born 11 December 1987) is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Hazel Grove in Greater Manchester since May 2015. He is a vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee.
Early life
Wragg ...
, a Conservative, elected in
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
, gaining the seat from the Liberal Democrats.
Marple is twinned with the town
Motril
Motril () is a town and municipality on the Mediterranean coast in the Granada, Spain. It is the second largest town in the province, with a population of 60,368 as of 2016. The town is located near the Guadalfeo River and is from Granada.
Hi ...
in the
province of Granada
Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea (along the Costa Tropical). ...
in Spain.
Public services
Water is supplied to the area by
United Utilities
United Utilities Group plc (UU), the United Kingdom's largest listed water company, was founded in 1995 as a result of the merger of North West Water and NORWEB. The group manages the regulated water and waste water network in North West Englan ...
. The nearest NHS hospital is
Stepping Hill
Stepping Hill Hospital is in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It is managed by Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.
History
The facility was first established on Stepping Hill as the Stepping Hill Poor Law Hospital in December 1905. The facil ...
in Stockport, which is run by the
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS foundation trust, which runs Stepping Hill Hospital as well as other community and specialist services in Stockport.
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services for children and adults acro ...
. Marple has a
police station
A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, al ...
, served by
Greater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England.
, Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...
, close to the library and Memorial Park. It also has a fire station, run by
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) is the statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England. It is part of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
GMFRS covers an area of ...
, located behind the
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of York ...
supermarket in the town centre.
Culture and community
Since 1932, Marple has had a cinema in a building designed in 1878 as a place of worship or refuge. The building was purchased in 1932 by the 'Marple Cinema Company' and became the Regent Cinema. It remains open as one of the few independent cinemas in the UK.
The town has two
brass bands: the Marple Band and the Hawk Green (Marple) Band.
Film appearances
In 2008, Marple was used as the setting for the BBC drama ''
Sunshine
Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when th ...
''.
Marple featured in a 2010 BBC documentary on
Dr Beeching
Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching (21 April 1913 – 23 March 1985), commonly known as Dr Beeching, was a physicist and engineer who for a short but very notable time was chairman of British Railways. He became a household name in Britain in the ...
which described the long-term effects of axing much of the UK railway network in the 1960s. The programme highlighted the transport issues and how getting a direct train from Marple to Stockport was now impossible and the road traffic made the journey one of the most difficult in the UK.
Landmarks
Marple is notable for its series of 16 canal locks, known as
Marple Lock Flight
Marple Lock Flight is a flight of sixteen canal locks, situated on the Peak Forest Canal in Marple, a suburb of Stockport.
History
Whilst the rest of the canal was opened to navigation by 1796, insufficient money was available to complete the n ...
, close to the village centre. The
Peak Forest Canal
The Peak Forest Canal is a narrow ( gauge) locked artificial waterway in northern England. It is long and forms part of the connected English/Welsh inland waterway network.
Route and features
General description
The canal consists of two level ...
skirts the village, north running alongside Marple Memorial Park and
Brabyns Park until it reaches the
Marple Aqueduct
Marple Aqueduct (also known as Goyt Aqueduct) at Marple, Greater Manchester, in north-west England was built to carry the lower level of the Peak Forest Canal across the River Goyt (treated as part of the River Mersey until 1896).
The company's ...
and on to
Dukinfield Junction
Dukinfield Junction () is the name of the canal junction where the Peak Forest Canal, the Ashton Canal and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal meet near Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England. The area has been designated by Tameside Metropol ...
, and south towards
Bugsworth Basin
Bugsworth Basin is a canal basin at the terminus of the Peak Forest Canal at Buxworth (formerly Bugsworth) in the valley of the Black Brook, close to Whaley Bridge. It was once a busy interchange with the Peak Forest Tramway, for the transport o ...
.
Macclesfield Canal
The Macclesfield Canal is a canal in east Cheshire, England. There were various proposals for a canal to connect the town of Macclesfield to the national network from 1765 onwards, but it was not until 1824 that a scheme came to fruition. There ...
meets the
Peak Forest Canal
The Peak Forest Canal is a narrow ( gauge) locked artificial waterway in northern England. It is long and forms part of the connected English/Welsh inland waterway network.
Route and features
General description
The canal consists of two level ...
at
Marple Junction
Marple Junction () is the name of the canal junction where the Macclesfield Canal terminates and meets the Peak Forest Canal at Marple, Greater Manchester, England.
The water of the two canal companies was kept apart by a stop lock in the narro ...
, and heads towards
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
. The two canals form part of the
Cheshire Ring canal system; the canals served as a vital link during the Industrial Revolution. Nowadays they provide an area of relaxation for walkers, anglers and boaters.
The Roman Lakes leisure complex, in the valley bottom close to Strines, is popular with walkers, anglers, nature lovers and horse riders. The area was named in the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
as an attraction to tourists, not because it had links with the Romans (also true of Roman Bridge, a packhorse bridge over the Goyt). In the area closest to the river there was a mill built by Samuel Oldknow and destroyed by fire in 1892. In 2011, volunteers uncovered the wheelpit and entrance footings to the mill and are currently seeking funds to continue the exploration. The wheelpit, which when built was the largest in the world, is now viewable.
The
Middlewood Way
The Middlewood Way is an 11-mile (16 km) shared use path in north-west England, between Macclesfield () and Rose Hill, Marple (); it was opened on 30 May 1985 by Dr David Bellamy. It serves the needs of walkers, dog walkers, cyclists, jogg ...
is a 10-mile walking and cycling path between Marple and Macclesfield, following the line of the former
Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway
The Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway (MB&MR) was an railway line between Macclesfield and Marple, England. The route was opened jointly by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) and the North Staffordshire Railway ...
.
Marple Hall
Marple Hall was close to where
Marple Hall School
Marple Hall School is a secondary school located in Marple, Greater Manchester.
Admissions
The headteacher is Joseph Barker. The school is situated just off the Stockport Road (A626) on the outskirts of Greater Manchester, near the River Goyt ...
now stands. The remains of the hall can be explored, though very little remains. The hall was the ancestral home of the Bradshaws and passed to the Isherwoods. It was demolished in 1959 after it was offered to the council in 1954 by the writer
Christopher Isherwood
Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood (26 August 1904 – 4 January 1986) was an Anglo-American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, autobiographer, and diarist. His best-known works include '' Goodbye to Berlin'' (1939), a semi-autobiographical ...
, who had inherited it. By this time the hall had been ransacked by vandals and looters. Much of the estate is now residential housing or the school. The old hall foundations can be seen on the corner of Marple Hall Drive. There is a plaque on a piece of stone, the only remaining lintel from the house. The shutters from its windows are restored and on display in Marple Library. The hall overlooked the
River Goyt
The River Goyt is a tributary of the River Mersey in North West England.
Etymology
The name ''Goyt'' may be derived from the Middle English ''gote'', meaning "a watercourse, a stream". Derivation from the Welsh ''gwyth'' meaning "vein" has bee ...
and it is still possible to walk from there to the river following a pathway which once led to the Dooley Lane entrance to the estate. Nearby Brabyn's Hall suffered a similar fate.
Wyberslegh Hall
Wyberslegh Hall (sometimes spelled Wybersley Hall) is a large house dating from the 16th century, on the edge of the village of High Lane in Greater Manchester, England. Now in private ownership, Wyberslegh Hall was formerly the home of eldest s ...
, now in private ownership, stood ruined for a time.
In a letter,
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
explained to a fan that while she was staying with a sister in Cheshire (her elder sister Margaret "Madge" had married Sir James Watt of Abney Hall) they went to a sale at Marple Hall. There Christie bought two Jacobean oak chairs which she still possessed at the time of writing and, wanting a name for her old-maid character in ''
The Thirteen Problems
''The Thirteen Problems'' is a short story collection by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by Collins Crime Club in June 1932Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie Sturgeon. ''Collins Crime Club – A checklist of First E ...
'', she thought of
Jane Marple
Miss Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Jane Marple lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterized as an elderly spinster, she is one of C ...
.
Transport
The town falls within the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive area, with public transport provided by
Transport for Greater Manchester
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is the public body responsible for co-ordinating transport services throughout Greater Manchester in North West England. TfGM is responsible for investments in improving transport services and facilities. ...
(TfGM).
Railway
The town is served by two railway stations:
Marple Marple may refer to:
Places
* Marple, Greater Manchester, a town close to Stockport, in England
** Marple Bridge, a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester
** Marple railway station in Marple, Greater Manchest ...
and
Rose Hill Marple
Rose Hill Marple railway station is in Marple in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, England. The station, which opened in 1869, is the last surviving stop on the former Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway (''MB&MR''). It is connected ...
; both are on the
Hope Valley Line. Marple station hosts regular services between
Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. Opened as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchester Piccadilly in 1960. Located to the south-east of Manchester city ...
,
New Mills Central
New Mills Central railway station serves the town of New Mills in Derbyshire, England. It is on the Hope Valley Line between Manchester Piccadilly railway station, Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield railway station, Sheffield, east of the form ...
and
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
. Rose Hill was originally on the
Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway
The Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway (MB&MR) was an railway line between Macclesfield and Marple, England. The route was opened jointly by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) and the North Staffordshire Railway ...
, which was closed in 1970, and is now at the end of a spur providing services to Manchester Piccadilly, via the
Hyde loop.
The Agatha Christie character Miss Marple is often incorrectly thought to be named after the railway station, at which Christie was once delayed. Her grandson, Matthew Pritchard, cleared that up in July 2015 by bringing a letter to the station's 150th anniversary, which was, coincidentally, the 125th anniversary of the author's birth. The actual source of the name was Marple Hall, as discussed in the Marple Hall section above.
Buses
The town has many bus services, which are operated primarily by
and
High Peak. Key routes include:
* 358: Stockport–Marple–New Mills–
Hayfield
* 375: Stockport–
Stepping Hill Hospital
Stepping Hill Hospital is in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It is managed by Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.
History
The facility was first established on Stepping Hill as the Stepping Hill Poor Law Hospital in December 1905. The fac ...
–Marple–
Hawk Green
* 383: Stockport–
Offerton–Marple–
Romiley
Romiley is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, it borders Marple, Bredbury and Woodley. At the 2011 census, the Romiley ward, which includes Compstall, Bredbury Green an ...
–
Bredbury
Bredbury is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, east of Stockport and south-west of Hyde. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 16,721.
It is on the lower southern ...
–Stockport circular
* 384: the reverse route of the 383
* 394:
Glossop
Glossop is a market town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is located east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of the county town, Matlock. Glossop lies near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Manches ...
–Marple–Stepping Hill Hospital
Roads
The town lies along the
A626, which runs between
Glossop
Glossop is a market town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is located east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of the county town, Matlock. Glossop lies near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Manches ...
and
Heaton Chapel
Heaton Chapel is an area in the northern part of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Lancashire, it borders the Manchester districts of Levenshulme to the north, th ...
. It has a junction in the centre of Marple with the B6101, which heads south to
New Mills
New Mills is a town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England, south-east of Stockport and from Manchester at the confluence of the River Goyt and Sett. It is close to the border with Cheshire and above the Torrs, a deep gorge cut thro ...
.
Education
Education in Marple is run by
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority for the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The council is currently run by a Liberal Democrat minority administration. At the 2022 local elections, the ...
.
There are two primary schools, the secondary
Marple Hall School
Marple Hall School is a secondary school located in Marple, Greater Manchester.
Admissions
The headteacher is Joseph Barker. The school is situated just off the Stockport Road (A626) on the outskirts of Greater Manchester, near the River Goyt ...
which occupies the site of the ancestral home of the
Bradshaw-Isherwood family.
Marple Sixth Form College (formerly Ridge Danyers College) offers courses to young people and adults.
There is also an independent school and nursery, Brabyns Preparatory School.
Sport
Marple Rugby Club has three adult teams, and a "Marple Minis Rugby" outfit with teams from age 7 to 17.
Marple Cricket Club was formed in 1900 and has been based at Bowden Lane since 1951. The club is a member of the ECB Cheshire County Cricket League and its first team plays in the Premier Division. The club runs four senior teams: the first and second teams play on Saturdays and the third and fourth teams on Sundays. The club also has a junior section.
The cricket club built a squash section in the 1970s, which has three courts and four teams playing regular club squash.
Brabyns Tennis Club has four clay courts and three floodlit artificial grass courts, enabling year-round play. The club has several men's and ladies' teams in the Slazenger North East Cheshire League and mixed teams in the East Cheshire Winter League. There is a junior section and extensive coaching programme.
Marple Golf Club, founded in 1892, is in Hawk Green, Marple. It is an 18-hole private members' course.
Notable people
*
Stephen Bradbury, artist and illustrator, grew up in Marple and attended
Marple Hall School
Marple Hall School is a secondary school located in Marple, Greater Manchester.
Admissions
The headteacher is Joseph Barker. The school is situated just off the Stockport Road (A626) on the outskirts of Greater Manchester, near the River Goyt ...
*
John Bradshaw (1602–59), president of the court that tried
King Charles I
*
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
John Stanhope Collings-Wells VC DSO (1880–1918), recipient of the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
lived in Marple
*
Edmund Cooper
Edmund Cooper (30 April 1926 – 11 March 1982) was an English poet and prolific writer of speculative fiction, romances, technical essays, several detective stories, and a children's book. These were published under his own name and several pe ...
(1926–82), a poet and prolific writer of science fiction and detective novels
*
Christopher Finney
Christopher Finney, (born 23 May 1984) is a former British soldier of the Blues and Royals who was awarded the George Cross for bravery under friendly fire during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Finney grew up in Marple, near Stockport, before moving ...
, recipient of the
George Cross
The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been ...
*
Jonathan Gledhill
Jonathan Michael Gledhill (14 February 1949 – 1 November 2021) was an English Anglican clergyman. He was the Bishop of Southampton from 1996 to 2003, and the 98th Bishop of Lichfield from 2003 to 2015.
Early life
Gledhill was born on 14 Febr ...
(1949–2021), ultimately
Bishop of Lichfield
The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Powys, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West Mi ...
, was
curate
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...
at All Saints' Church in 1975–1978.
*
Christopher Isherwood
Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood (26 August 1904 – 4 January 1986) was an Anglo-American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, autobiographer, and diarist. His best-known works include '' Goodbye to Berlin'' (1939), a semi-autobiographical ...
(1904–86), novelist, had his family home at
Marple Hall
Marple Hall School is a secondary school located in Marple, Greater Manchester.
Admissions
The headteacher is Joseph Barker. The school is situated just off the Stockport Road (A626) on the outskirts of Greater Manchester, near the River Goyt.
...
, though he was born at nearby
Wyberslegh Hall
Wyberslegh Hall (sometimes spelled Wybersley Hall) is a large house dating from the 16th century, on the edge of the village of High Lane in Greater Manchester, England. Now in private ownership, Wyberslegh Hall was formerly the home of eldest s ...
*
Timmy Mallett
Timothy Luke Mallett (born 18 October 1955) is an English TV presenter, broadcaster, and artist. He is known for his striking visual style, colourful glasses, loud shirts, and giant pink foam mallet, known as "Mallett's Mallet", as well as his ...
, TV presenter, grew up in Marple and attended Rose Hill Primary School
*
Samuel Oldknow
Samuel Oldknow (1756–1828) was an English cotton manufacturer.
Samuel Oldknow Jnr, the eldest son of Samuel Oldknow Sr and Margery Foster, was born 5 October 1756 in Anderton, near Chorley, Lancashire, and died 18 September 1828 at Mellor ...
(1756–1830), the industrialist who created a huge textile empire and became Britain's leading manufacturer of
muslin
Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured.
Muslin of uncommonly delicate handsp ...
, moved to Marple after serving an apprenticeship in
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
. His lime kilns can still be seen in Marple.
* Edward Parrott (1863–1921), teacher and author, Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South (UK Parliament constituency), Edinburgh South
* Joyce Porter (1924–90), crime fiction author born in Marple.
* Matt Walker (swimmer), Matt Walker Order of the British Empire, MBE, multiple paralympic medallist, attended Marple Hall School
* Tony Wilson (1950–2007), journalist and record label owner, moved to Marple at the age of 5 with his parents.
* Several musicians, including bands Delphic (band), Delphic, Dutch Uncles and Egyptian Hip Hop (band), Egyptian Hip Hop, grew up in and around Marple
See also
* Listed buildings in Marple, Greater Manchester
*
Marple Junction
Marple Junction () is the name of the canal junction where the Macclesfield Canal terminates and meets the Peak Forest Canal at Marple, Greater Manchester, England.
The water of the two canal companies was kept apart by a stop lock in the narro ...
References
External links
The Marple Website
{{authority control
Marple, Greater Manchester,
Towns in Greater Manchester
Towns and villages of the Peak District
Unparished areas in Greater Manchester
Geography of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport