Marple Local History Publications
The Society produce several forms of publications, in paper format and as ebooks, and can be purchased directly from the website.
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 Publications section of the website.
If you have any enquiries concerning the purchase of Society books, please contact Hilary Atkinson either by email at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via the form at the foot of the Contacts 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.
Brabyns Hall and Park
The Wright and Hudson families and their role in the development of Marple 1750 - 1970.
Author: Ann Hearle.
Published: Marple Local History Society, July 2013.
A5 Booklet, 36 pages, 38 illustrations.
Price: £4
ISBN: 978-0-09540582-4-1
Canal, road and rail networks
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
Coal Mining in Marple and Mellor
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
Curious Cheshire
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
From Fields to Flower Beds - the growth of Marple
Author: Anthony W Jones.
Published: Marple Local History Society, September 2013.
A5 Booklet, 56 pages
Price: £4
ISBN: 978-0-9540582-6-5
Read more: From Fields to Flower Beds - the growth of Marple
Glimpses of Mellor
Author: An anthology. Illustrated by Patricia Linnell
Published: Marple Local History Society New edition 2018
Price: £4
Historic Landscapes of Mellor
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
Hollins Mill
The heart of Marple for over one hundred years.
Temporarily out of stock. Expected delivery w/e 19th November
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
It happened 500 years ago in Mellor
Author: Tom Oldham.
Published: Marple Local History Society, 1996.
A5 booklet, 16 pages, 1 illustration.
Price: £1.00
ISBN: 09522716 4 8
Marple and Mellor: a new history
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
Natural History of Ludworth & Mellor
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
Rose Hill House
History of a minor manor house 1820 - 1920.
Author : Kate Cooper
out of stock - eBook only
Samuel Oldknow - A new perspective
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
The Railways of Marple and District from the Earliest Days to 2015
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.
Read more: The Railways of Marple and District from the Earliest Days to 2015
Thomas, Ralph and Samuel Waller
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
What Did They Leave?
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