Marple Local History Society Publications

The Society produce several forms of publications, in paper format and as ebooks, that can be purchased directly from the website.

mlhs publications

Amongst these are books on the history of the area, on individual buildings and families together with historic walking guides for the area. You can browse all our paper publications below.

The growing selection of publications in PDF digital form may be seen on the eBook section of the website.

If you have any enquiries concerning the purchase of Society books, please get in touch via the Contact Us page.

Mellor Archaeological Trust publications may be seen at MAT publications

Alternately, selection of the Society’s publications may be found at Marple Bookshop and Marple Bridge Post Office.

Society Publications:

A new history of the two townships from earliest times to the present. The emphasis throughout is change – the changes that have happened in every aspect of life. There has been enormous change but in many ways life in Marple has come full circle.

Author: Ann Hearle

Published: Marple Local History Society September 2012

A4 book 68 pages 59 illustrations

Price £9.00

ISBN 978-0-9540582-2-7

Details: Category: Society Publications; Hits: 11697

The availability of coal in the area was instrumental in attracting many of the mills to the area. Although it was difficult to mine it provided work for many men of the district (and before 1842 to many women and children as well). However, the coming of the railways brought cheap coal to the mills from Yorkshire and spelt the death knell for many local pits although some mining carried on until 1982.

Author : Derek Brumhead

Published - Marple Local History Society September 2012

A4 book 42 pages 54 illustrations

Price £8.00

ISBN 978-0-9540582-3-4

Details: Category: Society Publications; Hits: 10642

We know Samuel Oldknow as one of the key figures in the early part of the Industrial Revolution - an innovator and an organiser who dominated the market for muslin before he was thirty. However, he was much more than that. A true product of the Enlightenment, there were many sides to his life and career. As a businessman, as a builder, as an agriculturist and above all, as a community leader, he changed the face of Marple and Mellor for ever. This definitive study of Oldknow's life examines every aspect of this complex man and his legacy which is still with us today.
A selection of the Society’s publications may be found at Marple Bookshop and Marple Bridge Post Office, or alternately any of the Society's publications may be ordered by email using the Contacts Form.

Author: Hilary Atkinson

Published: Marple Local History, December 2015.

A5 Booklet, paperback, 68 pages

Price: £5.00

Details: Category: Society Publications; Hits: 7456

This volume presents an overview of the way different transport networks have served Marple and Mellor since the first industries in the area. First the turnpikes, then the canal with early tramways and then the railways proper. It puts each of these systems into their historic context and shows the evolution over time as they both compete and then complement each other.

Author: Neil Mullineux

Published: Marple Local History, July 2015.

A5 Booklet, paperback, 50 pages

Price: £5.00

Details: Category: Society Publications; Hits: 7166

An examination of the growth of the cotton industry in Marple and the reasons why it did not succeed.

Author: Ann Hearle & Fred North.

Published: Marple Local History Society, 1996.

A5 booklet, 20 pages, 6 illustrations.

Price: OUT OF STOCK

ISBN: 0 95422716 5 6

Details: Category: Society Publications; Hits: 4271

The heart of Marple for over one hundred years.

A history of the mill which epitomised Marple for over a century. It looks at the operation of the mill, how it was managed and the work involved. Just as important, it looks at the workers in the mill over the years and includes memories of some of the people who worked there. The narrative goes on to profile the various owners - who they were, how they managed and what happened to them when they left the mill. Finally it measures the impact the mill and its owners have had on Marple and District both at the time and the legacy that is still with us today.

Author: Ann Hearle.

Published: Marple Local History Society, 2014.

A5 booklet, 68 pages, 56 illustrations.

Price: £5.00