Glossop Official Handbook 1948

GLOSSOP OFFICIAL HANDBOOK (First Edition)
Issued under the auspices of the GLOSSOP TOWN COUNCIL

FOREWORD
Mayor's Parlour, Glossop.
May, 1948.
This guide is intended to be a description of Glossop which may really be called the Gateway to the Peak District of Derbyshire. Although the town is partly industrial yet it has many attractions to make it a desirable residential area, particularly as it is within easy reach of Manchester and other surrounding Lancashire and Cheshire towns and is surrounded by hills and moorlands. To the east, rising from the centre of the town is the famous “Doctor’s Gate,” an old Roman road, and the Snake Pass leading to the Ladybower Reservoir and Sheffield. A further advantage that will accrue, it is hoped, in the near future, is that electrification of the railway line between Manchester and Sheffield, which passes through Glossop, will be completed, and this will provide a frequent and quick service of trains between Glossop and Manchester and Sheffield. A variety of industries is provided in the district and the Corporation is always anxious to encourage new industries into the Borough.
Many people find this district, with its health- giving qualities, very suitable from a holiday point of view.
SAMUEL PLATT, Mayor.

INTRODUCING GLOSSOP, The natural gateway to the wild Peak country and the rugged moors of Derbyshire.
Glossop is a busy industrial town, with humming factories and a thriving commercial life. Yet, unlike many manufacturing centres, it has retained its individuality in spite of steady industrial growth. There is a sturdy character about the place which the stranger will be quick to recognise. It is not a large town, yet its industries do not dominate it as is the case in most of the great northern cities. In this respect Glossop has escaped, in part, the less desirable consequences of the industrial revolution. It has lost its rural isolation of a century and a half ago, but the old town has not been entirely submerged by the rapid flood of smoking factory chimneys. Yet even if commercialisation had succeeded in reducing it to the drab monotony of the traditional manufacturing town Glossop would still have retained one of its greatest natural assets—its proximity to some of Derbyshire’s finest moorland scenery.
The Borough of Glossop lies near the north-western boundary of the county. It is built on the foothills which lead to the massive grandeur of Kinder Scout, highest point of the Peak District. Near the town meet the boundaries of three counties—Derbyshire, Cheshire and Yorkshire.
Glossop may justly be termed the natural gateway to the wild Peak country. The town itself stands at an average height of 600 feet above sea level and to the north, east and south tower spreading panoramas of the surrounding hills. There are few roads in England to match the grandeur of the route from Glossop eastwards towards Sheffield. The road ascends to nearly 1,700 feet at its highest point and affords spectacular views of the rugged plateau of the Peak.
Only in the Lakeland country is there English scenery to match these Derbyshire moors. The Peak itself is misnamed, for it is, in fact, a vast tableland rising to over 2,000 feet above the sea. The surrounding hills are high and there is no dominating pinnacle. The famous Kinder Scout is the highest point, but its 2,088 feet are rivalled by the summits of Edale Moor (2,062 feet), Fairbrook Naze (2,049) and Bleaklow Hill (2,060). The landscape is wild and rugged, characterised by striking cliff-like “edges,” great barren moors and fields bounded by grey stone walls. A network of streams or “doughs” flow into the valleys and near Glossop are the sources of the River Derwent, which forms the Yorkshire boundary and of the Etherow, which separates Derbyshire from Cheshire.
As a centre for the exploration of the Derbyshire moorland, Glossop is conveniently situated. The well-known spas of Buxton and Matlock are not far away and other attractions of the neighbourhood are dealt with at greater length in later pages.



GLOSSOP through the CENTURIES, How steam power revolutionised an agricultural community.
Glossop as you will see it to-day is essentially a product of nineteenth century industrial development. For centuries it nestled quietly at the foot of the hills, a peaceful agricultural community largely untroubled by the ebb and flow of history. It was not until the birth of the industrial revolution that the modern town first began to take shape. It is recorded that in 1775 there was only one mill in Glossop. At that time agriculture, supplemented by the traditional cottage trades, were the normal occupations of its inhabitants. The introduction of steam power brought rapid changes. A cheap and plentiful water supply was an essential requisite of the new factories and Glossop possessed it in abundance. Mills sprang up in and around the town and the population grew as the demands for labour increased.
The town’s place in earlier history is a modest one. The Romans had a camp near here, the remains of which are still to be seen at the spot known as Melandra Castle, near Woolley Bridge to the west of the town. The remains of the fort, which lies on the ancient Roman road from Manchester to Brough, are reached by a footpath from the Glossop-Stalybridge road. Rectangular in shape, the fort measures 398 feet by 368 feet. A considerable amount of pottery and Romano-British ware has been unearthed and it has been deduced that the place was in Roman occupation as far back as A.D. 80. It was probably used also as a stronghold by the ancient British against the Saxon invaders. At the time of Edward the Confessor, Glossop and the surrounding country was split up among several Saxon proprietors. In the Domesday Survey Glossop was included in the lands of Longdendale granted by William the Conqueror to his son William Peveril. His son, Richard, was later disinherited by Henry I and Glossop was again confiscated by the Crown. The land passed in 1157 to the Abbey of Basingwerke, in whose possession it remained until 1536 when Henry VIII seized it. It was later granted to the Earl of Shrewsbury who in turn exchanged it with the Duke of Norfolk for lands in Ireland. The town’s association with these famous families is recalled in some of the street names —Norfolk Street, Shrewsbury Street, Howard Street, Arundel Street and Talbot Street.
Glossop does not appear to have taken an active part in the Civil War, probably due, in part, to the comparative seclusion of its position. However, from the fact that Wingfield Manor, one of the seats of the Earl of Shrewsbury, was laid waste by the Parliamentary forces, it is assumed that the town was probably Royalist in sympathy.
In 1848, Samuel Lewis, in his Topographical Dictionary of England, described Glossop as a market town, with a population of 3,548. “It is one of the most romantic parishes in the county,” he wrote, “particularly the wild mountainous district on its eastern side, of which a considerable portion is moorland. Its western side is a highly flourishing district and by far the most important seat of the cotton manufacture in the county, owing chiefly to which the population within the last fifty years has increased more than twofold.”
Lewis also records that in 1837 an Act was passed “for obtaining a more regular supply of water by constructing reservoirs upon the tributary streams of the River Etherow.” An Act for lighting the town with gas was passed in 1845.
These moves were indicative of the progress Glossop was making at this period of the mid-nineteenth century. To meet the needs of the growing population civic improvements were imperative and a great step forward came in 1866 when the town applied for and was granted its Charter of Incorporation. To-day Glossop is a well-organised borough, providing its citizens with the amenities expected of a thriving municipality. In the article which follows these amenities are more fully described.

FEATURES of MODERN GLOSSOP, Its principal buildings, parks and municipal services.
Glossop is easily reached by rail from Manchester (London Road), the thirteen-mile journey taking approximately 35 minutes. Glossop Central Station is conveniently placed near the town centre in Norfolk Street, only a short distance to the north of the Town Hall. Trains not running directly into the Central Station, stop at Dinting (on the main London-Sheffield line), approximately a mile from the centre of the town, and the rest of the journey can be easily completed by bus. However, most of the main line trains which do not travel into Glossop Central Station are met at Dinting by a local train service.
Four main streets converge at the town centre. Approaching by road from Manchester, via Hyde and Woolley Bridge, we pass beneath the impressive railway viaduct at Dinting striding across the road and valley at a height of 120 feet. Here we see evidence of the town’s varied industrial life, large mills being built alongside the Glossop Brook which runs down Dinting Vale. This route brings us into the western half of the High Street, in which are situated the Town Hall and Municipal Buildings, a fine structure fronting a covered market. These buildings were the gift of the late Mr. Isaac Jackson, founder of a famous belt-fastener firm. The Town Hall and market were considerably enlarged in 1854 and again in 1919. The Municipal Buildings were added at the rear of the Town Hall in 1924. In the Municipal Buildings are housed the various Council offices and in the Town Hall is the magistrates’ court. Immediately opposite the Town Hall is Norfolk Square, an open space laid out through the generosity of the Hon. Mrs. Bennett-Sidebottom, eldest daughter of the late Lord Doverdale, founder of the famous papermaking company of Olive and Partington Ltd. A short distance from the Town Hall, on the opposite side of High Street West, is the Empire Cinema.

Municipal Buildings

Norfolk Square

On the northern approach to the town the road drops down past the Corporation’s reservoirs into Woodhead Road, which leads into Norfolk Street. Near the town centre, off Norfolk Street, is Ellison Street, in which are situated the police and fire stations. It is interesting to note that Glossop maintained its own police force until the coming into operation of the Police Act 1946. Norfolk Street intersects with the High Street opposite Victoria Street, which leads into Charlestown Road, the southern approach to the town. The road southward climbs from Whitfield high over the moors to Hayfield.
The most spectacular approach to Glossop, however, is undoubtedly from the east, along the High Street East and Sheffield Road. The road ascends steadily to nearly 1,700 feet on the way to the former village of Ashopton, now submerged beneath the waters of the Derwent Valley reservoirs.

PARKS. Glossop is not only situated near great tracts of open moorland, but it possesses within its own boundaries three fine parks. In 1924 the Glossop Dale estate was broken up and sold, and the Corporation purchased Glossop Hall and grounds which were opened to the public as Manor Park. The Hall is let on lease to Kingsmoor School Limited. The park's sixty acres contain many picturesque walks in addition to public tennis courts, bowling and putting greens and a boating lake for paddle boats.

Boating lake, Manor Park

Another large stretch of grassland and woodland is available at Bankswood Park, in the Hadfield district.
Howard Park can be reached by way of Howard Street, which runs alongside the Central Station into North Road. Situated on high ground, it affords fine views of the town and the surrounding country. It is twelve acres in extent and formal flower beds, lawns and an ornamental lake make it a delightful retreat. The park was opened in 1887 and was a joint gift to the town by Lord Howard, Mr. Samuel Wood and Mrs. Wood.
In describing the parks of the Borough, Harehills Estate is worthy of mention. It consists of a plot of land, between St. Mary’s Road and the Glossop Brook, containing over five acres, presented to the town by Lord Howard of Glossop in 1921 as a memorial to the Hon. Philip Fitzalan Howard who fell in the service of his country during the 1914-18 war and also in appreciation of the services of the men of Glossop who served during that war. A much-needed public improvement has been effected here by the construction of Philip Howard Road which has the appearance of a lovely boulevard and is much appreciated by the townspeople on warm sunny days. Two shelters for the use of the public were provided along this road by the late Councillor Farnsworth and Mrs. Farnsworth.

Howard Park and Baths

Howard Park and Wood's Hospital

THE PUBLIC BATHS are situated in Howard Park and were erected in 1887 by Mr. Samuel Wood and Mrs. Wood at a cost of £15,000. The swimming bath, which measures 80 feet by 32 feet, is open for swimming from the first Monday in April until the last Saturday in October, special times being allocated for men only, women only and for mixed bathing. The swimming baths are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and from 7 to 9 a.m. on Sundays. The slipper baths are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the summer months and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from November to April. There are also slipper baths in Hadfield.

VICTORIA HALL AND PUBLIC LIBRARY. This handsome building is in Talbot Street and has been in existence since 1890. In 1887 seven public-spirited men gave £4,000 for the building of the Victoria Hall on land donated by Lord Howard, decreeing that it must always house a public library. On the first floor is an Assembly Hall accommodating 600 people. When the library was opened in 1890 it contained a reading room and lending library, with a varied selection of books, of which about fifty were issued daily. In 1893 the Hadfield branch was opened. In 1902 Councillor Ollerenshaw gave the present Whitfield branch and spent £100 on books with which to stock it. In 1932 it was decided to reorganise and put on an open-access system all three libraries, and a Carnegie grant was received of £300 in three instalments. In October 1933 the reorganised Victoria Hall library was opened, followed in 1934 by Hadfield branch and in 1936 by the Whitfield library.
The present book stock of non-fiction, fiction and junior books is 16,000 volumes, 3,000 of which are at Hadfield and 2,000 at Whitfield. The membership of the library now numbers 6,100, or over 34 per cent of the population. Each borrower is allowed one fiction and two non-fiction tickets. The daily average book issue is over 600. Yearly issues are as follows : Victoria Hall, 115,480 ; Hadfield, 42,564 ; Whitfield, 16,119.
Facilities provided include temporary tickets for people staying in the town for short periods, subscription tickets for people residing outside the borough, reservations of wanted books, and the obtaining of required works by means of the Regional bureau. Lists of recent additions to the library are printed from time to time in the local press and book lists, guides and displays of special books are arranged in the library and exhibitions organised. The present hours of opening are :
Victoria Hall : Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. To 7.30 p.m. ; Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ; Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hadfield branch : Mondays and Wednesdays, 4.45 p.m. To 7.30 p.m. ; Saturdays, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Whitfield branch : Thursdays, 2 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.

Hadfield Public Hall and Cenotaph

OTHER PUBLIC BUILDINGS. The Public Hall situated in Station Road, Hadfield, also contains a Reading Room and the Hadfield Library. The building was the gift of Edward Platt, Esq., J.P., in 1905. The Hall has seating accommodation for 250 people. There is another building in Station Road, Hadfield, now known as “Community Hall,” which was purchased by the Corporation in 1944.
Whitfield Library and reading room (before mentioned), together with a recreation ground situated in Freetown, were given to the Corporation by George Ollerenshaw, Esq., J.P., in 1902.

HEALTH SERVICES. Glossop has well-organised health services and is particularly well served by its hospitals.
Gamesley Isolation Hospital lies off Glossop Road, Gamesley, to the west of the town, and Shire Hill View (Public Assistance) County Institution is situated in Bute Street.
There are up-to-date facilities at the Partington Maternity Home and at Wood’s Hospital, both of which are pleasantly situated in their own grounds overlooking Howard Park. Wood's Hospital, a stone structure, was founded and endowed in 1887 by the late Mr. Daniel Wood. A full range of general surgery is carried out here, in addition to ear, nose and throat, gynaecological and orthopaedic work. The Partington Maternity Home was built in 1908 by Sir E. Partington (who later became Lord Doverdale) and was originally designed as a convalescent home, being later transformed to its present use. Both Wood's Hospital and Partington Maternity Home were donated to the town, the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses being the Trustees.
In addition the following clinics are held at the Municipal Buildings : minor ailments (daily) ; dental (four sessions weekly) ; orthopaedic (weekly) ; ear, nose and throat (daily) ; ante-natal (weekly). Two maternity and child welfare clinics are held weekly at the Municipal Buildings and another once a fortnight at the Hadfield Free Library.

HOUSING. In common with the rest of the country, Glossop has its housing problem. As the Medical Officer of Health has pointed out in his annual report, the borough is, in fact, suffering from the excellent craftsmanship of the builders of the nineteenth century in that the structure of the houses has not deteriorated to any extent and the houses would probably last another century if not demolished. The Council is alive to the need which exists for new houses and is doing all it can in face of present difficulties.
Up to April, 1948, 50 pre-fabricated houses had been erected and 58 further permanent houses were occupied or in course of erection on two separate housing estates. Ninety-four permanent houses have been erected under previous Housing Acts and other sites are laid out for further development.

CHURCHES. The parish church of All Saints, situated at the foot of the hills in Old Glossop, is not itself of great antiquity, having been partly rebuilt in 1831. It is a stone edifice in the Early Gothic style and considerable reconstruction work has been carried out. In 1915 the nave was pronounced unsafe and was rebuilt and in 1923 the chancel was reconstructed and a lady chapel added. The registers date from 1620. It is recorded that William Bagshaw, the “Apostle of the Peak,” was Vicar of Glossop until, with the passing of the Act of Uniformity after the Restoration, he was one of the 2,000 ministers ejected from their livings. Refusing to be silenced, the Vicar rode over the hills preaching and thus earned his name.

Old Glossop, the Cross and Parish Church

The ancient ecclesiastical parish of Glossop was broken up into six different parishes about the middle of the nineteenth century, four of these being now within the borough boundary.
This step was rendered necessary by the industrial development in the town away from the old church.
St. James’, Whitfield, was the first of the new parishes, the church being erected in 1846. It was enlarged in 1895-6 by the addition of a chancel and vestry and the whole of the interior was reseated. A chapel was added in 1928 at a cost of £2,000 by Sir John Wood, in memory of Lady Wood and members of his family.
Out of the parish of Whitfield has sprung the district of St. Luke’s in Fauvel Road. This church is a fine stone edifice, the memorial stone of which was laid by the donor, Mrs. A. K. Wood, in 1905, the church being dedicated on St. Luke’s Day, 1906.
St. Andrew's, Hadfield, was built in 1874. It is a building in the Gothic style. The font, worked in native stone, was presented by Mr. James Sherriff, of Canterbury, New Zealand, who was previously a native of Hadfield. There is a Mission Room at Woolley Bridge.
Holy Trinity Church, in Dinting Vale, was erected by the Wood family in 1875 and was extended in 1931. It is a stone building in the thirteenth century Gothic style, and has an octagonal spire 137 feet high.
There are three Roman Catholic churches in the borough, of which St. Mary’s, in Sumner Street, is the largest. It is a stone building standing in its own grounds and was completed in 1887. It is 120 feet long, 60 feet wide and 70 feet high and possesses large beautifully proportioned windows. The church owes its origin to the Rt. Rev. Mgr. C. W. Tasker and Mr. F. J. Sumner. Having long wished to build a church here, Mr. Sumner died before his desire could be fulfilled and his relatives arranged for the work to be completed, Mgr. Tasker supervising the building operations.
All Saints’ R.C. Church in Old Glossop is an older building, having been constructed in 1836. It is of moderate size, built in the Etruscan style in local stone, the lack of ornamentation being offset by the solidity and symmetry of the design. It contains eight stained-glass windows. Above the altar hangs a huge oil painting depicting the Last Communion of St. Jerome. It is a faithful copy of the original by Dominichino Lampieri in the Vatican.
St. Charles' R.C. Church, at Hadfield, is a stone building in the Early English style and was erected by Lord Howard in 1858.
The history of Congregationalism in Glossop dates back to the middle of the nineteenth century when the battle for wider liberty of theological thought was fought out. The four Congregational churches now in use are : Littlemoor, Mount Pleasant, Brookfield, and Padfield.
The Methodists are represented by a considerable number of churches, serving congregations which, at earlier periods in their history called themselves “Primitive,” “United,” “Wesley” and “New Connexion.” These churches continued their separate existence until the consummation of Methodist Union in 1932. There is one Wesley Reform Church which did not join the Union. Several of the churches are of the more spacious kind, built in the days of large congregations. A list of Methodist churches in Glossop is as follows : Wesley ; Shrewsbury Street ; Princess Street ; Tabernacle ; Whitfield ; Zion ; Ebenezer ; Old Glossop ; Bank Street, Hadfield ; Woolley Bridge Road, Hadfield ; Padfield ; and Wesley Reform.
One of the most beautiful of the smaller churches in the town is the Unitarian Church, Fitzalan Street, which contains a number of memorials to the Doverdale family, including an east window and fine examples of oak-carving in the reredos, altar, choir stalls and pulpit.

THE STORY of GLOSSOP’S SCHOOLS, The progress of education during three hundred and fifty years.
Glossop has had schools continuously for something like 350 years. The first one recorded was conducted in the nave of the church, was of the same pattern as the Elizabethan grammar schools and probably commenced in the reign of James I. The Manor and Rectory of Glossop became the possession of the Howard family through the marriage of Thomas, Earl of Arundel, with Alathea, co-heiress of the Earl of Shrewsbury, and it was this early patron of the arts, the collector of the famous Arundel marbles, who is believed to have founded the school and made himself and succeeding Lords of the Manor responsible for the salary of the Master—£10 yearly. The school was not founded by letters patent, but was a manorial benefaction. During the Civil War, however, when the estates of the Earl of Arundel were sequestered, the payment of the salary of the Master ceased, the Committee for Compounding rejecting a request from parishioners of Glossop for its continuance out of the estates, but it recommenced after the Restoration under the patronage of the Duke of Norfolk, the dukedom also being restored to the Howards. It continued until the end of the eighteenth century. Like many other Elizabethan grammar schools, its classical curriculum was outmoded in a country which was passing from an agricultural to an industrial economy.
As this school was ending its career, another which placed its emphasis on the “three R’s” and the Church of England was founded and built in the township of Whitfield by a successful London merchant who had commenced life in Glossop as a packman. This was Joseph Hague and the school which bore his name played an important part in the educational life of Glossop right up to the passing of the Act of 1902 and, in a diminishing sense, for some years afterwards. Well endowed with landed estate, administered by Trustees, it endured until 1925, when it ceased to function as a school, its building becoming residential flats and its monies being expended in further education.
During the nineteenth century, Glossop’s elementary system expanded to keep pace with the rapid growth of the cotton industry, the town's staple trade. The Duke of Norfolk built and endowed the schools which bear his name ; the cotton manufacturing family of Wood was responsible for the erection of other Church of England schools ; Miss Kate Ellison built the Roman Catholic school of All Saints ; Father Fauvel raised funds to build the Roman Catholic school of St. Mary’s, there having been an extensive immigration of Irish workers to the cotton mills during the famine of ’47 ; Samuel Kershaw built a Technical Institute in the street which bears his name ; and nearly all the Dissenting churches had day schools. Glossop never had a School Board and until some years after the passing of the Act of 1902, all its schools were denominational. The late Lord Howard built and presented to the town a Secondary Technical school. Opened in the year 1901, this passed almost immediately to the control of the County Council as a result of the passing of the Balfour Act of 1902. This building, with its hutments, is now the Glossop Grammar School.
At this time there were over 4,000 elementary school children on the registers, of whom over 700 worked half-time at one or other of the factories. To-day there are less than 2,000 on the books. The Grammar School opened with 50 pupils ; to-day there are over 350. The administration of education by the Borough Council from the Act of 1902 until the superseding Act of 1944 was notable for several things. With one exception, all the Nonconformist day schools were closed by the Board of Education as being unsuitable. Two Council schools were built and when, in 1930, the schools were reorganised in accordance with the Hadow Report, these two Council Schools became Modern Schools and are now Secondary Schools. A Nursery School was built by unemployed workers during the economic blizzard of the I930’s. They were helped by the National Council for Social Service and by Lady Astor. This school was later recognised by the Board of Education and was taken over by the Local Authority.
The Development Plan of the Derbyshire Education Authority provides for the complete re-casting of the whole education system in Glossop. Four nursery schools are to be built and nursery classes are to be attached to other primary schools. A new primary school is to be built on King Edward Avenue and another in Dinting Vale. This will mean the closing of four existing primary schools. Roman Catholics will have a new primary and a new modern school. A bi-lateral grammar-modern school is to be built on a site already secured. The present Grammar School building will then be vacated and the West End and Castle Modern Secondary Schools will be merged in the new bi-lateral school, thus rendering their present buildings vacant. When this takes place the Whitfield C. of E. School will be closed and the children accommodated in the present West End buildings and in similar fashion St. Andrew’s C. of E. at Hadfield will be transferred to the Castle premises, and the former school closed. Both schools will be improved and adapted. Technical secondary education will be provided for children of the borough at a new Technical School to be built by the Lancashire Authority with whom arrangements have been made. Alternatively, there will be built a Technical School at Chinley, at which boarders will be accommodated.
In addition to the statutory system of education there is in Glossop an independent secondary school recognised by the Ministry of Education and known as Kingsmoor School.



KINGSMOOR SCHOOL was opened in Glossop Hall in May, 1927. It is co-educational and has nearly 150 pupils between the ages of nine and eighteen years, most of whom are boarders. Day scholars are admitted and are expected to share the full community life of the school. In some respects the school is unorthodox and its experimental work has undoubtedly had an influence upon modern educational practice. The following is a summary of the principal ideas and objectives operative at Kingsmoor :
Free companionship of the sexes produces an atmosphere which is more “real” than in the single sex type of school, is freer from sentimentality, leads to greater essential purity in speech, thought and habit and releases young people from threatening inhibitions. Repressive methods are not used and a developing self-discipline is promoted in an atmosphere of trust and friendly co-operation. An underlying principle of the school is that education for the wise use of leisure is as important as any other aspect of education. It is also felt that every young person should be educated to understand the primary duty of service and the School’s life is planned to give the greatest possible scope for training in these directions. The whole life has a cultural aim and much use is made of dramatic art, music, dancing and of societies. There is a good indoor theatre and the beautiful terraces are freely used for open-air cultural activities. The School Chapel is used daily and worship is on non-sectarian lines. On the academic side the Cambridge School and Higher School Certificate examinations have for many years produced results which are far above the average.

GLOSSOP GRAMMAR SCHOOL. The School was founded in 1901 in the buildings given by the second Baron Howard of Glossop. Pupils are normally selected for admission under arrangements made by the Local Education Authority. The usual age of admission is between 11 and 12 years on August 1st of the year of admission. A few pupils may also be transferred under similar arrangements at the age of about 13 years. The School is co-educational and has normally about 350 pupils and a graduate staff consisting of the head master and 16 men and women assistant teachers. The curriculum provides full grammar school education up to University Scholarship standard and the school has a distinguished record of successes in public examinations of many types.
The adequately equipped laboratories and craft rooms enable proper attention to be given to the practical side of education, and the nine acres of playing fields provide for football, cricket, hockey, tennis, rounders and netball. A number of thriving clubs and societies enjoyably develop cultural and social qualities in a wide variety of “outside the classroom” activities.



OFFICIALS OF THE COUNCIL
Town Clerk : W. S. A. Robinson, Solicitor.
Borough Surveyor and Water Engineer : Geo. Faulds, M.Inst.M.& Cy.E.
Assistant Borough Surveyor and Water Engineer : H. H. Sidebottom, M.Inst.M.& Cy.E.
Borough Treasurer and Chief Rating and Valuation Officer : E. M. Boardman
Medical Officer of Health : J. L. Gilloran, M.B., Ch.B., D.P.H.
Sanitary & Housing Inspector: E. Dunsmore, M.R.San.I, M.S.I.A.
Librarian : Miss A. Bramwell, A.L.A.
Baths Superintendent : F. Fennell.
Parks Superintendent : B. Sykes.
Cemetery Superintendent : W. H. Wain.
Town Hall Caretaker, Market Inspector, and Mayor's Attendant : J. Townsend.
Weights and Measures Inspector : S. Wedgwood.



DERBYSHIRE’S HILLS and DALES, Moorland beauties within easy reach of Glossop.
There was a time when the desolate moorland of the Peak District was regarded with something akin to awe by those who lived in its shadows. To cross the hills was a desperate adventure not to be undertaken lightly. The hikers and climbers of these modern days scorn such fancied fears and large stretches of the moors have become the playground of folk from the neighbouring industrial cities. But lest familiarity should breed contempt it is as well to remember that there still are parts of these great hills which are treacherous for the unwary and, in bad weather, even dangerous.
The Peak district, and the hills around it are the southern branch of the Pennines, known to the schoolboy as the “backbone of England.” A glance at the map will show you how appropriate the description is. This “backbone” has its southern end just north of Derby in the Weaver Hills, and rises to the lofty eminences of the Peak district. The hills of the Peak are generally less spectacular than those in some other sections of the Pennines. The surrounding country itself is high and the Peak is more in the nature of a great plateau than of a sharply rising pinnacle. But beautiful valleys and rippling streams offset much of the grimness of the hills and the scenery often has a grandeur surprising to those familiar with far vaster mountains.
You can motor through the Peak country and see much of its beauty from the comfort of your car, for you can approach tolerably near many of the better known spots by road. Perhaps the best method of enjoying the scenery, however, is on foot. The Pennines are admirably suited to walkers, for the guidance of whom a great deal has been written. You can adventure among the hills without being a rock-climber, but a word of caution is necessary. It has long been a cause for resentment that large stretches of the moors are preserved for grouse and are thus closed to the public. The summits of many of the hills are, theoretically, inaccessible, and although some people do venture to disregard the warning notices there are vast tracts on which you will find no footpath or right- of-way. However, in 1947 the Peak district was recommended by the National Parks Committee for adoption as a National Park and if the move reaches fruition large sections of the moors will be freed from irksome restrictions.
Whole books have been devoted to describing the glories of Derbyshire and an article confined within a few pages cannot hope to encompass all the features claiming attention. In the following brief resume you will find alphabetical reference to some of the better-known attractions. They can serve only as an introduction to these wild romantic highlands. But once having sampled the magic of the moors it is fairly certain you will not long be content with a passing acquaintance and will discover for yourself the delights which are, perforce, omitted here.
Buxton. This is one of the highest towns in England, parts of it being 1,000 feet above sea level. It is a fashionable watering-place and the baths, in which sufferers from rheumatism and kindred complaints take treatment, have a widespread reputation.
The town possesses many interesting features, notable among which are the Pavilion Gardens. Buxton is also regarded by many as England’s leading winter sports centre.
Castleton, which lies south of the Peak, beyond Edale, is noted particularly for its fine caves. The village stands at the head of the Hope Dale, in the shadow of Peveril Castle. Said to have been built by William Peveril in 1068, the ruins of the Castle are perched at the top of a high cliff overlooking the village.
The Peak Cavern, near the village, is the most easily reached and possesses a spectacular approach at the foot of the precipice beneath the castle. Less than a mile away, at the entrance to Winnats Pass, is Speedwell Cavern, one of the wonders of the Pennines. Visitors are taken on an eerie journey by boat along the tunnel, which, a century ago, the lead miners drove into the hillside. At the end of the tunnel the water cascades into the black depths of the so-called “Bottomless Pit.”
There are interesting stalactites and stalagmites in the Treak Cliff Cavern which lies north of the Winnats on the Mam Tor Road. Further along the same road is Blue John Mine, a massive chamber 150 feet high, which is reached by way of 160 steps and several gradients.
Chapel-en-le-Frith, which lies between Hayfield and Buxton, is a little old-world town, with the well-known Ferodo Works on its outskirts. Visitors should see the rebuilt 13th century Church of St. Thomas where, in 1648, 1,500 Scots were imprisoned for 16 days. When they were finally released it was discovered that 44 had died.
Derwent Valley. The wide stretches of water in the Derwent Valley add a charm to the landscape which is not diminished by the fact that they are man-made lakes. The valley is usually regarded as that part lying between the source of the Derwent river on Bleaklow and the village of Bamford, some miles to the south. In 1899 the Derwent Valley Water Board began its scheme for providing reservoirs here to meet the expanding needs of the industrial population around. By 1912 the Derwent and Howden reservoirs had been constructed and in 1945 the third and southerly extension, Ladybower, was opened by the King and Queen. The largest of its kind in the British Isles, it took ten years to complete. Two villages well known to lovers of the Derbyshire moorland— Ashopton and Derwent—now lie beneath the waters. Two miles of the Glossop-Sheffield road are also under water and a new road is carried over the arms of the reservoir by a massive concrete viaduct. Although the loss of the picturesque villages and of Derwent Hall and Church are to be deplored, it must be conceded that much has been done to preserve the beauty of the valley and the vast stretches of water make a not unwelcome addition to the general prospect.
Edale lies to the south of Kinder Scout and the village possesses a beautiful church. The railway between Sheffield and Manchester runs through the valley, which is, consequently, much frequented by week-end visitors. When snow lies on the surrounding peaks the scene is one of almost alpine grandeur.
Eyam, rather more than four miles from Hathersage, is famous for its associations with the Great Plague of 1666. The well- known story tells how the infection was brought to the remote village in a box of cloth and three-quarters of the inhabitants died within a year. Thanks to the heroic leadership of William Mompesson, the rector, the villagers isolated themselves from the outside world and prevented the spread of the plague to the surrounding countryside.
Goyt Valley, near Buxton, is one of the most delightful parts of this section of the county. The scenery between Goyt Bridge and the source of the river is unlike that of much of the Peak district and is, in many ways, reminiscent of Lakeland.
Hathersage is a good centre from which to explore the Sheffield side of the Peak district. Charlotte Bronte described the village —as “Morton”—in Jane Eyre. In the churchyard is the reputed grave of Little John, legendary follower of Robin Hood.
Hayfield, five miles south of Glossop, is a small town manufacturing paper and cotton. It is claimed that the old song, “Come Lassies and Lads” was written in connection with Hayfield Fair.
Kinder Scout is the highest point of the Peak country (2,088 feet). The vast plateau at its summit is a dangerous place in bad weather, but the circular trip around it is the classic Peak district walk and the tracks are well defined. It is a stiff task for even seasoned walkers, but offers the reward of 22 miles of magnificent scenery. Probably the most impressive aspect of Kinder Scout is that seen from the west, when the great gritstone precipices enclosing the Downfall look gigantic from the smaller hills around Hayfield reservoir.
Snake Pass commences at Ashopton Viaduct and winds up past Doctor’s Gate (the old Roman road), passing through wild moorland at a height of nearly 1,700 feet before descending in great curves to Glossop.



FACTS AT A GLANCE
Area : 3,324 acres.
Baths: Swimming and slipper baths at Howard Park : slipper baths at Hadfield.
Bus Services : Town services are provided by the North Western Road Car Co. Ltd., as follows : Index No. 6, Old Glossop (Queen's Arms), Glossop (Town Hall), Dinting, Woolley Bridge, Bank- bottom and Hadfield Station ; Index No. 7, Glossop (Royal Oak), Tintwistle and Hollingworth via New Shaw Lane and Hadfield, and via Arundel Arms (for Cemetery), Hadfield, Tintwistle and Stalybridge ; Index No. 8, Whitfield, Padfield, via Dinting Vale before 10 a.m. and Dinting Road after 10 a.m. ; Index No. 9, Glossop (Norfolk Arms), Junction Inn and Simmondley. Frequent services to Manchester via Stalybridge and Ashton-under-Lyne and to Hyde via Mottram ; also a service to Buxton via Hayfield and Chapel-en-le-Frith. Bus Offices, 4 High Street East, Glossop.
Council Meeting : Last Wednesday in month 7.15 p.m.
Council Offices : Municipal Buildings.
Early Closing Day : Tuesday.
Electricity : Supplies by the North-West Area Electricity Board ; local showrooms 5 High Street West, Glossop.
Gas : Supplied by the Glossop Gas Coy. ; works, Arundel Street ; showrooms, High Street West.
Libraries : Victoria Hall, Fauvel Road ; branch libraries, Station Road, Hadfield and Whitfield.
Licensing Hours : 11.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5.30 to 10.30 p.m. ; Sunday-12 noon to 2 p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m.
Market Days : Friday and Saturday (covered market).
National Registration and Food and Fuel Offices : Conservative Club Buildings, Norfolk Street.
Newspaper : The Glossop Chronicle and Advertiser, Howard Street, Glossop.
Parking Places : Norfolk Street ; Norfolk Square (five cars) ; Market Ground ; Glossop railway station (payment) ; Drover’s Arms, Hadfield Cross ; Spread Eagle and Hadfield Station (payment).
Parks : Manor Park, Glossop (tennis courts, bowls, putting green, boating lake for paddle boats) ; Howard Park, Glossop ; Bankswood Park, Hadfield.
Postal Facilities : Head Post Office, Victoria Street ; hours of business 8.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. Town sub-offices are situated at Old Glossop, Whitfield, High Street West and Hadfield. Hours of business, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ; closed on Tuesday at 1 p.m. Telephone kiosks are situated in the following localities : High Street West, Norfolk Square, Rose Green, Charlestown, Woolley Bridge, Whitfield, Old Glossop, Gamesley, Simmondley, Pikes Lane, Station Road (Hadfield) and Platt Street (Hadfield).
Population : Census 20,001. Present estimate : 18,000.
Rateable Value : £95,499.
Rates in the £ : 19/-.
Schools : The following schools serve the borough : Secondary Grammar, Glossop Grammar, Talbot Street ; Independent Secondary, Kingsmoor School ; Secondary Modern, Hadfield Castle, Hadfield Road ; West End, Chadwick Street. Primary, All Saints R.C., Church Street ; Dinting Methodist, Simmondley Lane ; Duke of Norfolk’s C.E., Church Street ; Dinting C.E., Dinting Vale ; Hadfield C.E., Railway Street, Hadfield ; St. Charles R.C. Woolley Bridge Road ; Padfield Council, Post Street, Padfield ; St. Mary's R.C., St. Mary’s Road ; St. Luke’s C.E., Talbot Street; Whitfield C.E., Ashton Street. Nursery School, Hadfield Nursery, Jones Street, Hadfield. Divisional Education Office, 6 The Quadrant, Buxton.



INDUSTRY in GLOSSOP, From hand loom to modern mill. Past slumps and booms, and now the export drive.
Glossop, although a town of not more than 20,000 inhabitants, contains a cross-section of North Country industry comparable with that of many larger towns and cities. It may be difficult for the visitor to realise that behind the apparent sleepiness of the normal day, cotton fabrics are being produced, paper is being turned out with all possible haste, tinned foods are being manufactured and rope, boots and shoes, brushes, gloves and many other valuable commodities are being prepared for the home and export markets. Because there is so much activity behind the mill walls the streets may, sometimes, appear a little empty, for with the need for workers to fill the mills wives are working side by side with their husbands to maintain industrial production.
It is a far cry from the days of the late eighteenth century when villagers of Glossop hamlet obtained their livelihood from the cottage industries of hand loom weaving, from land work or from a combination of the two, to the present day, when a boy or girl leaving school can choose a career from about forty industries, not to mention their allied occupations. Yet it is to those days at the close of the eighteenth century to which we must turn for a picture of the beginnings of industry in this important Derbyshire town.
Apart from the manorial corn mills, the first reference to a mill of any description is in 1784 when what appears to have been the first cotton mill was established. Its opening heralded the birth of cotton production, an industry which was later to become the main trade of the town. Before attaining its present-day output it was to weather the storms of many slumps as well as the calmer waters of boom and prosperity. It was to be the cause of the high unemployment figures during the years between the wars and more than one of the early cotton mills failed to weather the economic storms, including the pioneer Shepley Mill.
Two names stand out in any consideration of the cotton industry in Glossop. They are those of Woods Mill, known throughout the world as the home of the “Two Cities” fabrics, and Sumner’s, equally well known as the manufacturers of “Sumnadale” fabrics. Both mills continue to-day to bear the names of their founders— Mr. John Wood and Mr. Francis Sumner, the latter having been Glossop’s Charter Mayor in 1866. In 1920 both concerns passed from family ownership to the control of companies, but they remain to-day the largest cotton manufacturing firms in the town.
It was in 1815 that Mr. John Wood assisted by his sons John Hill, Daniel and Samuel, started business at Water Mill, but it was after their removal to Howardtown Mill and the subsequent expansion of the business that the firm began to build up its present international reputation. It was in 1830 that the Wood family started the Howardtown project. Years of prosperity followed for the cotton industry and Mr. Wood and his sons leased further land adjacent to the first mill at Howardtown. After the death of Mr. John Wood in 1854 his sons carried on the business. The firm weathered successfully the cotton famine and, after the turn of the century, the industry began an era of prosperity which grew steadily until the peak year of 1913. After the first world war the Wood family sold their interests in the concern. A member of the family, Sir Samuel Hill Wood, Bt., is at present a director of Arsenal Football Club. He and his cousin, Sir John Wood, Bt., maintain their interest in life in Glossop.
After 1920 came years of slump in the cotton trade and at one time the famous Woods Mill came so close to closing down that it was only by the sending of a deputation by the Industrial Development Committee to Whitehall that a further bank overdraft was secured, enabling more cotton to enter the mill and the company to carry on production. Just after the second world war another company, that of Wood Bros. (Glossop) Ltd., was formed at Woods Mill and is now prospering. The importation of displaced European labour into the mill marks an important stage in its development. The introduction of a welfare officer and the creation of a works council are other recent innovations.


Francis Sumner & Co. (1920) Ltd., of Wren Nest Mills, have also recently introduced a woman welfare officer. This firm was started in about 1827 and at first only one mill was in operation. By the year 1860 Mr. Sumner had purchased another building and the firm began to flourish. It was at about this time that he imported Irish labour and to-day we are seeing history repeating itself, for the present company, which came into being in 1920, is again bringing Irish girls to work in the factory. Wren Nest is, in fact, fast becoming a cosmopolitan concern, for in addition to the Irish girls, men and women displaced persons are being introduced into the mill, and workers from half a dozen nations work happily side by side.
Between the establishment of these two great factories, which form the backbone of cotton in Glossop, another branch of the industry grew up in the town. The year 1825 saw the creation of Edmund Potter’s Dinting Vale Print Works, now a branch of the Calico Printers Association Ltd. This firm quickly made a reputation for itself in the cotton print industry and “Potter’s Prints” became known the world over. In 1889 it joined the Calico Printers Association, when that body was formed, and has remained one of its largest branches ever since. Between the two world wars the whole plant at Dinting Vale was modernised and to-day some 15,000 miles of printed cotton and rayon fabrics are produced each year. At present 85 per cent of these fabrics are destined for the export market.
One of the factories in Glossop which has a most interesting history from the point of view of industrial development is Waterside Mills at Hadfield. These works first flourished as a cotton factory, later as a cotton print factory following the chaos of the cotton famine of the late nineteenth century and finally as a rayon spinning mill. It shares with Hurst Mills, which will be mentioned later, the distinction of being one of the two factories in the town which did not close their doors during the depression years. Founded by the Sidebottom family in 1875, the mill had become so derelict during the cotton famine that grass was actually growing through its floors when it was bought by a firm from neighbouring Ashton-under-Lyne in Lancashire. The Ashton firm put the factory into working order and early in the present century sold it to C.P.A., who have been its owners ever since. They set about the task of transforming the factory for the manufacture of cotton prints and the job was successfully completed when the cotton famine forced a change to the manufacture of rayon spinning. Famous unshrinkable rayon dresses are to-day manufactured at Waterside and the trade names of goods in this range are household words in this and other countries. “Ladysyl,” “Grafachene,” “Homeweave,” “Beaucrest,” “Treetop,” “Cambric,” “Delician,” and “Super Merriespun” are but a few. Another branch of the Calico Printers' Association is to be found at Arrowscroft Mill, Hollingworth.


A cotton mill since its foundation by the Kershaws towards the end of the last century, Hurst Mills have remained a cotton mill ever since. Makers of “Hurstlines" lines, cords and twines, its owners to-day are the Canetti Export Company of Leeds. During its existence the firm has passed through the hands of the Rowbottoms, who owned it as a cotton factory. To-day, like many others, it is working a double shift and the traveller approaching Glossop after dark down the Snake road from Sheffield, sees its brightly illuminated windows as his first introduction to industrial Glossop.


Originally a paper mill, the Charlestown works of John Walton of Glossop Ltd., a subsidiary company of Tootal Broadhurst Lee Co. Ltd., was taken over by John Walton in 1869 for the bleaching of dye cotton yarn in the hank. Until 1921 it was a family concern, but then became a limited liability company and in 1924 a subsidiary of Tootal, Broadhurst Lee Co. Ltd. Here fabrics are processed and the development of finishing processes of all kinds of material carried on.

Olive & Partington's paper mills

Opposite these works stand the premises of Olive and Partington Ltd. at Turn Lee Mills. Manufacturers of paper, the company is one of the town’s most important industrial concerns and has a world-wide reputation. According to records in the possession of the company, John and Joseph Bennett were the founders of Turn Lee Mills, and in 1837 the mill was described as being a paper and cotton mill. There were other subsequent owners and in 1874 the whole of the Turn Lee Mills were acquired by Mr. William Olive and Mr. Edward Partington, later Lord Doverdale. In 1885 the manufacture of art papers was commenced in a special factory adjacent to the mills and in 1897 a further art paper mill was built. Mr. Partington continued to add to the property until it passed into the possession of the present company upon its incorporation in 1901. In 1926 control passed to the Inveresk Paper Co. Ltd., now a member of the Inveresk group of paper-making concerns.
The name of Maconochie is familiar to most ex-Servicemen and women, and this firm, now Maconochies Foods Ltd., has a model factory at Hadfield, a feature of which is its spacious gardens. Coming to Hadfield when their Millwall factory was bombed, Maconochies have done much for the industrial prosperity of the district. Recently the company became one of the first in the area to offer shares to its 500 employees.


Another of Glossop's industries is that of Isaac Jackson and Sons Ltd., of Hawkshead, where machine belt fastenings of all descriptions are made. During the war this company was engaged entirely on war work and to-day, like the rest, is playing its part in the export drive.
The last two years have seen the introduction to the town of two companies manufacturing clothes, principally shirts and pyjamas by one firm and ladies’ underwear, blouses and beach wear by the other. Between them they employ about one hundred hands, most of whom have to be specially trained for the work.
The Ritz Manufacturing Co. Ltd., of Commercial Mills, Glossop, started the manufacture of garments at Howardtown Mills in March 1947 and is now producing a varied range of ladies’ and children’s wear. The factory is equipped with the most modern machinery, many of the speciality sewing machines having been imported from the U.S.A. All garments are manufactured by mass production methods.
There are also, in the Glossop area, three well-established chemical works, two of which started in the district just after the outbreak of war. Keiner & Co., at Charlesworth, employ over 100 people and are engaged principally in the production of synthetic and chrome tanning extracts. This concern has recently opened out in the neighbouring village of Broadbottom, where the inhabitants are benefiting from the introduction of a new industry—furniture making.
Glossop shares with Sheffield and London the privilege of being the home of the Scandinavian Metallurgical Company in this country. This firm concentrates on the recovery of valuable materials from scrap and is ready for expansion when space becomes available. It has many foreign branches and is busily engaged in the export trade, as also is the Lancashire Chemical Co., which has erected two new buildings since it opened up in Glossop eleven years ago.


Production of footwear and rubber components has been increased by the expansion of Vol Crepe Ltd., of V.C. Works, who have acquired Albion Mills, Hollingworth. Children’s sandals and shoes with Volacrepe soles, infants’ shoes and slippers are produced and it is hoped to introduce new lines. The management give every encouragement to the employment of local labour and facilities are available for the training of unskilled operatives. Upper leather has been and will probably continue to be in short supply, but the firm’s two factories at present employ about 250.
Fishing cordage made at the Hobroyd Rope Works of Levi Jackson & Sons Ltd. is recognised as among the world’s best. This concern has been carried on under the same name longer than any other in the borough, for it has been controlled by five generations of the Jackson family since 1833. Ropes and twines are produced and the modern works are recognised as one of the smartest and most comfortable in the area. About eighty per cent of the present output, produced by about 100 employees, is now sent abroad.
An old-established firm in Glossop is that of Wilson and Bates, mineral water and cordial manufacturers of Howard Street and Henry Street, which has been in existence since 1869. The natural filtered waters from the surrounding gathering grounds are used in the manufacture of the firm’s products, which are known throughout the Peak district. Output totals nearly half a million bottles annually.


Comparative newcomers to the district are Joseph Hadfield, Barratt & Co. Ltd., a Manchester firm, who took over a factory in Hadfield Street, Glossop, in 1941, with the principal intention of protecting their cloth stocks from the air raids at Manchester. As room was available, machines were set up and an experienced machinist introduced as manageress. A capable team of girls is producing industrial overalls for the wholesale trade only.
At Charlesworth a mill employs about thirty people in the production of sports netting used on football and hockey grounds and tennis courts. Since starting in the district fifteen years ago it has doubled in size and during the war was engaged in making torpedo and camouflage nets.
Silk and rayon weaving is carried on by Hollingworth Silk Mills Ltd., of Meadow Mills, Old Glossop. The firm hopes to double last year’s output of 200,000 yards of cloth during its present financial year, more looms having been installed. A double shift is being operated and more than fifty per cent of production is destined for export. To meet the requirements of the “New Look” new materials will be brought out in the near future.


There is a brush manufacturing concern in the town and a thriving industry in the glove works of the Glossop Glove Co. Ltd. in George Street. This firm came to Glossop 29 years ago, craftsmen being brought to the district who were trained in either Yeovil or Worcester, the home of glove-making in this country. In pre-war years production reached 5,000 pairs of gloves per week and it is hoped to improve on these figures when present restrictions are removed.
Flexy Brushes Ltd., of Brook Mill, are the pioneers of rubber-backed brushes, which have been found very satisfactory as an alternative to the use of wood and plastic materials for backing, particularly in the case of process brushes in industry. Another department at the Flexy Brush works is engaged in producing all kinds of artists’ brushes, and a third section manufactures wooden- backed types such as scrubbing, nail and paint brushes. The “Flexy” Car Washer and Major Washer have a worldwide reputation and consignments from the Brook Street works are shipped to all parts of the globe.


A new industry in the district is that of A. E. Hemsworth & Co., of Mersey Mill, Hollingworth, who are engaged in the reclamation of waste rubber and employ a large number of people. Other well-known firms in the district include the Hadfield Worsted Mills Co. Ltd., worsted spinners and worsted cloth manufacturers, of Hadfield ; E. Wilman & Son Ltd., of Station Mills, Hadfield, spinners of silk noil yarn and makers of sponge cloths, scourers and dusters, etc. ; John Greenwood, of Mersey Mills, Hollingworth, manufacturers of high quality narrow fabrics, including spindle tapes, listings and webbings; John Booth and Son (Charlesworth) Ltd., of Lee Vale Ropeworks, Charlesworth, makers of cotton fishing lines, ropes and cordage ; and the River Etherow Bleaching Co. Ltd., of Hollingworth, bleachers and finishers.


Minor industries in the town include the manufacture of furniture and firelighters, a brickworks, a sawmill and engineering works and quarrying for stone.
It will be apparent from this story of post-war Glossop that the town has left the depression years far behind. The mills are working at top pressure and shortage of manpower, not superabundance, is the present problem. But the shells of those mills which failed to weather the economic storm still stand in the town. They are a grim reminder of a misery which Glossop folk hope will never be repeated.

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Last updated: 1 February 2021