Welcome to Marple Local History Society website
Quick links:
The Society's Online Archives & for many of the Society's images
Listed Buildings
PIn 1993 Marple Civic Society held an exhibition featuring the Listed Buildings of Marple & District. The first album in this category contains all the photographs that were selected for display in the exhibition. All the photgraphs taken at the time may be seen on the Marple Virtual Tour via this link here.
Marple's Private Turnpike
In the early days of the industrial revolution the roads around Marple and Mellor were atrocious - deeply rutted farm tracks that were difficult to use in summer and almost impossible in winter. No wonder the area was a rural backwater. However, in a period of little over ten years at the turn of the nineteenth century it suddenly had the use of three turnpikes and a canal.
Political Clubs
I often think it’s comical – Fal, lal, la!
How Nature always does contrive – Fal, lal, la!
That every boy and every gal
That’s born into the world alive
Is either a little Liberal
Or else a little Conservative!
Fal, lal, la!
So sang Private Willis at the opening of Iolanthe at the Savoy Theatre in 1882. The comic opera satirises many aspects of British government, law and society but, like most satires, it was based on actuality. Parliament had a strong two party system with Liberals and Conservatives and politics was becoming much more part of everyday life.