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 £6

ISBN 978-0-9540582-3-4

Sites, tales and legends

Author: Donald Reid

Published: Marple Local History Society

A5, 48 pages full colour throughout.

Price: £4.00

ISBN: 978-0-95405 82-5-8

Author: Anthony W Jones.

Published: Marple Local History Society, September 2013.

A5 Booklet, 56 pages

Price: £4

ISBN: 978-0-9540582-6-5

Author: An anthology. Illustrated by Patricia Linnell

Published: Marple Local History Society New edition 2018

Price: £4

Introduction page

An examination of how our current landscape and field pattern developed over time.

Author: Ron Weston

Published: New Mills LHS

A4 booklet 36 pages, 16 plans and maps

Price: £3.50

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: £4.00

Author: Tom Oldham.

Published: Marple Local History Society, 1996.

A5 booklet, 16 pages, 1 illustration.

Price: £1.00

ISBN: 09522716 4 8

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

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: £4

A Natural History of Ludworth and Mellor

A detailed examination of the flora of the area and its historical development.

Author: Tony Smith and Ron Weston.

Published: New Mills Natural History Society, 2009.

A4 booklet, 63 pages,40 illustrations.

Price: £2.50

History of a minor manor house 1820 - 1920.

Author : Kate Cooper

out of stock - eBook only

click:  eBook version

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 emailing the chairman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Author: Hilary Atkinson

Published: Marple Local History, December 2015.

A5 Booklet, paperback, 68 pages

Price: £4

Author: Warwick Burton M.A. Cantab

A4 book, 74 pages of semi-gloss paper, maroon coloured cover of coated thin card

Price: Sold originally at £15.99, and is now available at the reduced price of £5

ISBN Number: 978 0 9507288 4 1

Warwick died in 2015, not long after completing a new version of his 1980 'Railways of Marple and District From 1794.’ This comprehensive revision and updating entitled 'Railways of Marple and District from the earliest days to 2015' was published to coincide with the Marple 150 Festival in 2015, celebrating 150 years since the railways came to Marple.

Mill owners and Methodists and the influence they had on the town.

Author: Ann Hearle.

Published: Marple Local History Society, 2001.

A5 booklet, 52 pages, 15 illustrations.

Price: £2.00

ISBN: 09540582 0 8

Some wills and inventories of Mellor residents over the centuries which give an intimate glimpse into lives and conditions of the time.

Author: Tom Oldham

Published: Marple Local History Society, 1996

A5 booklet, 22 pages, 1 illustration

Price: £1.00

ISBN: 09522716 3 X