46-646: Marple Aqueduct (also known as Goyt Aqueduct ) at Marple, Greater Manchester , in north-west England was built to carry the lower level of the Peak Forest Canal across the River Goyt (treated as part of the River Mersey until 1896). The company's engineer, Benjamin Outram , was responsible for the design and Thomas Brown , the resident engineer, for its construction. The construction contract
92-656: A clear day it is possible to view the Beetham Tower in Manchester as well as the city centre, the Winter Hill TV transmitter and the surrounding counties of Cheshire , Derbyshire , Lancashire and West Yorkshire and the mountains of North Wales from the top of these hills. In 1866 Marple became a civil parish in Cheshire and in 1894 the parish formed an urban district . In 1974 the urban district
138-600: A community-based station which broadcast from Stockport . The town is served by the local newspaper the Manchester Evening News . In 2008, Marple was used as the setting for the BBC drama Sunshine . Marple featured in a 2010 BBC documentary on Dr Beeching which described the long-term effects of axing much of the UK railway network in the 1960s. The programme highlighted the transport issues and how getting
184-523: A direct passenger rail route since January 1967. In March 2020, a bid was made to the Restoring Your Railway fund to get funds for a feasibility study into reinstating the line between Rose Hill Marple, Hazel Grove and Stockport (although incorrectly labelled as Maple Grove in DfT document). The bid was unsuccessful, but a further bid in 2021 has been accepted. A consultation on the link
230-556: A direct train from Marple to Stockport was now impossible and the road traffic made the journey one of the most difficult in the UK. Marple is notable for its series of 16 canal locks, known as Marple Lock Flight , close to the village centre. The Peak Forest Canal skirts the village, north running alongside Marple Memorial Park and Brabyns Park until it reaches the Marple Aqueduct and on to Dukinfield Junction , and south towards Bugsworth Basin . Macclesfield Canal meets
276-781: A fan that while she was staying with a sister in Cheshire (her elder sister Margaret "Madge" had married Sir James Watt of Abney Hall) they went to a sale at Marple Hall. There Christie bought two Jacobean oak chairs which she still possessed at the time of writing and, wanting a name for her old-maid character in The Thirteen Problems , she thought of Jane Marple . The town falls within the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive area, with public transport provided by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). The town
322-467: A graceful structure, which is superlative in its class. In 1860, damage caused by repeated frost heave after water leaked through the puddling of the trough had to be urgently repaired by Charles Sacré, chief engineer of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway , which then owned the canal. He tied together the two faces above the central arch by 2-inch bolts through the structure, secured by
368-545: A simple conversion of the existing line to Manchester or a new link into Stockport town centre via Bredbury and Portwood. The latter would provide an Eastern extension from the proposed Western link into Stockport town centre from Didsbury , linking together many towns in the borough along the Goyt and Mersey rivers. Despite heavy road traffic from private cars and buses, the local centres of Marple, Romiley and Bredbury have not been linked to their borough centre of Stockport by
414-491: Is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport , Greater Manchester , England. It is on the River Goyt , 9 miles (14 km) south-east of Manchester , 9 miles (14 km) north of Macclesfield and 4 miles (6 km) south-east of Stockport . In 2021 , it had a population of 12,980. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire, the town lies along the Peak Forest Canal which contains
460-514: Is also an independent school and nursery, Brabyns Preparatory School. Marple Rugby Club has three adult teams, and a "Marple Minis Rugby" outfit with teams from age 7 to 17. Marple Cricket Club was formed in c. 1900 and has been based at Bowden Lane since 1951. The club is a member of the ECB Cheshire County Cricket League. The club runs five senior teams: the first, second and ‘2A’ teams play on Saturdays and
506-650: Is often incorrectly thought to be named after the railway station, at which Christie was once delayed. Her grandson, Matthew Pritchard, cleared that up in July 2015 by bringing a letter to the station's 150th anniversary, which was, coincidentally, the 125th anniversary of the author's birth. The actual source of the name was Marple Hall, as discussed in the Marple Hall section above. The town has many bus services, which are operated primarily by Stagecoach Manchester and High Peak . Key routes include: The town lies along
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#1732787452394552-634: Is served by two railway stations: Marple and Rose Hill Marple ; both are on the Hope Valley Line . Marple station hosts regular services between Manchester Piccadilly , New Mills Central and Sheffield . Rose Hill was originally on the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway , which was closed in 1970, and is now at the end of a spur providing services to Manchester Piccadilly, via the Hyde loop. The Agatha Christie character Miss Marple
598-482: Is some 90 feet (27 m) (exceeded only by the Pontcysyllte aqueduct , an iron trough carried on stone columns, where the difference is 126 feet (38 m)). It contains some 8,000 cubic yards (6,000 m) of masonry. The three semi-circular arches are about 78 feet (24 m) above water level, with spans of approximately 60 feet (18 m) at 72 feet (22 m) centres. The lower parts are of red sandstone from
644-582: Is the last surviving stop on the former Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway ( MB&MR ). It is connected via a short branch to the Hope Valley Line . The original line to Macclesfield was closed in January 1970, leaving Rose Hill Marple as the terminus of the route; the Middlewood Way , a shared-use path , now follows the preserved route of the disused MB&MR. The station opened on 2 August 1869. Originally named Marple (Rose Hill) , it
690-712: The A626 , which runs between Glossop and Heaton Chapel . It has a junction in the centre of Marple with the B6101, which heads south to New Mills . Education in Marple is run by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council . There are two primary schools, the secondary Marple Hall School which occupies the site of the ancestral home of the Bradshaw-Isherwood family. Marple Sixth Form College (formerly Ridge Danyers College) offers courses to young people and adults. There
736-642: The Marple Lock Flight and Marple Aqueduct . The Roman Lakes, to the south-east of the town centre, attracts anglers and walkers. The town is served by two railway stations: Marple and Rose Hill Marple , providing access to the rail network in Greater Manchester and beyond. It is also close to the Middlewood Way , a shared use path following the former Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway line south from Rose Hill to Macclesfield. The first reference to Marple in written history
782-570: The Peak Forest Canal at Marple Junction , and heads towards Birmingham . The two canals form part of the Cheshire Ring canal system ; the canals served as a vital link during the Industrial Revolution. Nowadays they provide an area of relaxation for walkers, anglers and boaters. The Roman Lakes leisure complex, in the valley bottom close to Strines, is popular with walkers, anglers, nature lovers and horse riders. The area
828-536: The Stockport NHS Foundation Trust . Marple has a police station , served by Greater Manchester Police , close to the library and Memorial Park. It also has a fire station, run by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service , located behind the Asda supermarket in the town centre. Since 1932, Marple has had a cinema in a building designed in 1878 as a place of worship or refuge. The building
874-717: The United Kingdom Parliament , Marple is in the Hazel Grove constituency, which is represented by Lisa Smart , a Liberal Democrat, elected in 2024 , gaining the seat from the Conservatives. Marple is twinned with the town Motril in the province of Granada in Spain. Water is supplied to the area by United Utilities . The nearest NHS hospital is Stepping Hill in Stockport, which is run by
920-580: The East Cheshire Winter League. There is a junior section and extensive coaching programme. Marple Golf Club, founded in 1892, is in Hawk Green, Marple. It is an 18-hole private members' course. Rose Hill Marple railway station Rose Hill Marple is one of two railway stations that serve Marple in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport , England; the other is Marple railway station . The station, which opened in 1869,
966-474: The Isherwoods. It was demolished in 1959 after it was offered to the council in 1954 by the writer Christopher Isherwood , who had inherited it. By this time the hall had been ransacked by vandals and looters. Much of the estate is now residential housing or the school. The old hall foundations can be seen on the corner of Marple Hall Drive. There is a plaque on a piece of stone, the only remaining lintel from
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#17327874523941012-553: The area, and assisted in the constructions of the Macclesfield and Peak Forest Canals . Marple Aqueduct , which opened in 1800, carries the Peak Forest Canals over the River Goyt , was designed by Benjamin Outram , a pioneer in the building of canals and tramways. Seven men lost their lives during its construction. Samuel Oldknow died in 1828; his mill was destroyed by fire in 1892. These navigations accelerated Marple's growth, but eventually declined into disrepair when
1058-484: The city centre, Rose Hill was among the stations listed to receive station improvements and improved services from the proposed £3bn injection into the region's public transport. This scheme was dropped after the plans were rejected substantially in a public referendum in December 2008. Rose Hill Marple has been touted as a suitable terminus for a new Metrolink tram service to the area, with possible routes being either
1104-480: The construction of lime kilns and mills as part of the Industrial Revolution. The population of the village began to rise, with the construction of terraces to house mill workers and the formation of a village centre filled with private businesses. Samuel Oldknow also played a large role in the development of the town in addition to his mills; there is still a street named Oldknow Road in Marple today. He built workers' cottages and churches, introduced aspen trees to
1150-718: The existence of Marple's earliest residents. The area was predominantly within the Macclesfield Forest , and was omitted from the Domesday Book survey. The first mention of the area was in 1122 in a deed for the sale of land. In 1220 the land passed to the Vernon family where it remained for several generations. The pre– Industrial Revolution inhabitants of the village mostly worked on small farms and others specialised in linen weaving and hatting. After 1790, Samuel Oldknow transformed much of this lifestyle, with
1196-618: The faster and more direct Bredbury route. Most services since the late 1980s were operated with Class 142 Pacer diesel multiple units but, given their withdrawal from service in 2019/20, they are now run by Class 150s , Class 156s and Class 195s . From 13 December 2010, Rose Hill Marple gained an extra second service per hour off-peak, due to the diversion of a service which previously turned back at Marple station. In July 2020, Northern informed local residents that services between Manchester Piccadilly and Rose Hill Marple would not operate between 14 September and 14 December 2020, due to
1242-545: The house. The shutters from its windows are restored and on display in Marple Library. The hall overlooked the River Goyt and it is still possible to walk from there to the river following a pathway which once led to the Dooley Lane entrance to the estate. Nearby Brabyn's Hall suffered a similar fate. Wyberslegh Hall , now in private ownership, stood ruined for a time. In a letter, Agatha Christie explained to
1288-582: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their operations. Although disruption occurred, the service is now running again frequently. Rose Hill Marple is a park and ride station, with its own 80-space car park. There is a ticket office, which is open on weekday mornings from 6:20 until 12:50; there is also a ticket machine at the station. The covered area provides a shelter with a three-seater bench. The original waiting room can be accessed during ticket office opening hours. In addition to exposed railings around
1334-408: The nearby Hyde Bank quarry . The upper parts are of white stone from a quarry at Chapel Milton. The abutments widen in well-proportioned curves and batter or diminish upwards in the same manner. The skilful use of architectural features, such as the circular piercing of the spandrels, string courses, arch rings and pilasters of ashlar stone, oval piers and stone of different type and colour have created
1380-485: The parish of Ludworth and Mellor. Marple grew as a residential suburb of Stockport after the arrival of frequent bus and rail services in the 1920s. The area, close to Derbyshire, covers just over 11 square miles (28 km ) of countryside, ranging from heavily wooded valleys to hill-top moorland. It rises from around 262 feet (80 m) above sea level at the River Goyt to 1,073 feet (327 m) at Cobden Edge. On
1426-470: The plates that can still be seen. A hundred years later, a similar problem was ignored by British Waterways (BW) and on the night of 9 January 1962 the outer face of the north-east arch collapsed. BW, supported by the Ministry of Transport, thought that it would be "a complete waste of money" to do anything other than demolish the aqueduct and formally close the lower Peak Forest and Ashton Canals. However, it
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1472-400: The railway arrived in 1865. They have since been restored for use by leisure narrowboats , now forming part of the Cheshire Ring . In the early 1900s the town prospered from the success of cotton in nearby Stockport and Manchester ; the canals in the area served as a link with other industrial towns. In 1936, Marple Urban District , at the time part of Cheshire , annexed from Derbyshire
1518-484: The restoration was Harry Fairclough Ltd of Warrington, with Rendel, Palmer & Tritton as the consulting engineers. The aqueduct was scheduled as an ancient monument soon afterwards and was Grade I listed in 1966. For many years, its picturesque setting in the Goyt valley was obscured by the uncontrolled growth of self-set trees. These have now been cut back to restore the view. Marple, Greater Manchester Marple
1564-493: The route south to Bollington and Macclesfield was closed to all traffic; the majority of travellers between Macclesfield and Manchester Piccadilly preferred to use the faster West Coast Main Line route via Stockport instead. Though it had also been listed for closure in the 1963 Beeching Report , Rose Hill itself avoided a similar fate due to its high levels of commuter traffic towards Manchester Piccadilly. The second platform
1610-412: The station and Stockport Road. The typical service is one train per hour to Manchester Piccadilly , via the Hyde loop , with some additional trains during the day. These stopping services are operated by Northern Trains . There is no service on Sundays. As part of Manchester's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) bid, which would have seen a weekday peak time congestion charge introduced on roads into
1656-474: The station area, three secure bicycle lockers are provided at the north end of the platform, which require a 'BLUC' key for use. Railway Road gives access to the Middlewood Way , a shared-use path for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders, which follows the line's previous route to Macclesfield . The initial section of this route was tarmacked and given street lighting in 2006; this was to encourage its use by residents of local residential developments in reaching
1702-510: The third and fourth teams on Sundays. The club also has a junior section. The cricket club built a squash section in the 1970s, which has three courts and four teams playing regular club squash. Brabyns Tennis Club has four clay courts and three floodlit artificial grass courts, enabling year-round play. The club has several men's and ladies' teams in the Slazenger North East Cheshire League and mixed teams in
1748-494: Was abolished and its former area was transferred to Greater Manchester to form part of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport . Marple is represented on Stockport Borough Council in two three-member electoral wards called Marple North and Marple South by six councillors; four Liberal Democrats and two Conservatives . Stockport Borough Council has 63 councillors in 21 wards, of whom 26 are Liberal Democrats, 21 are Labour , 13 are Conservative, and 3 others, as of May 2015. For
1794-459: Was later renamed Rose Hill (Marple) , before the current form Rose Hill Marple was adopted. It was built on the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway , with dual tracks and two platforms. The second southbound platform had a waiting shelter. The remaining station building previously provided an indoor waiting area and was only recently brought back into use in 2007, with a new ticket window operating on weekday mornings. On 5 January 1970,
1840-600: Was named in the Victorian era as an attraction to tourists, not because it had links with the Romans (also true of Roman Bridge, a packhorse bridge over the Goyt). In the area closest to the river there was a mill built by Samuel Oldknow and destroyed by fire in 1892. In 2011, volunteers uncovered the wheelpit and entrance footings to the mill and are currently seeking funds to continue the exploration. The wheelpit, which when built
1886-523: Was placed with William Broadhead, Bethel Furness and William Anderson in 1795. Furness died later in 1795, so the aqueduct was completed by the remaining partners in 1799, but not brought into use until 1800. Seven men lost their lives during its construction. It is the highest canal aqueduct in England and the highest masonry-arch aqueduct in Britain. The difference in water levels in the river and canal
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1932-733: Was purchased in 1932 by the 'Marple Cinema Company' and became the Regent Cinema. It remains open as one of the few independent cinemas in the UK. The town has two brass bands : the Marple Band and the Hawk Green (Marple) Band. Local news and television programmes are provided by Salford -based BBC North West and ITV Granada . Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Manchester , Heart North West , Smooth North West , Capital Manchester and Lancashire , Greatest Hits Radio Manchester & The North West and Your FM ,
1978-538: Was removed subsequently, as the spur to the main Hope Valley line is now operated as a single track. Subsequent diesel services to and from Manchester Piccadilly originally alternated between the two available routes: one train running via Bredbury , followed by a train travelling via Hyde and Guide Bridge . In the late 1990s, the services to the two railway stations in Marple were streamlined; most Rose Hill services now ran via Hyde and most Marple services taking
2024-544: Was saved by the intervention of Geoffrey Rippon , the Minister of Public Buildings and Works, who facilitated an agreement whereby a sympathetic Cheshire County Council funded the extra cost of full restoration, over and above what it would have cost BW to demolish it, under the terms of the Local Authorities (Historic Buildings) Act 1962, which Rippon himself had steered through Parliament. The main contractor for
2070-476: Was the largest in the world, is now viewable. The Middlewood Way is a 10-mile walking and cycling path between Marple and Macclesfield, following the line of the former Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway . Marple Hall was close to where Marple Hall School now stands. The remains of the hall can be explored, though very little remains. The hall was the ancestral home of the Bradshaws and passed to
2116-583: Was to Merpel , believed to be derived from the Old English maere pill , meaning 'the stream at the boundary'. Scientists estimate that the earliest residents of the area settled several millennia ago. There are clues to their existence around the Ludworth area where there are standing stones and tumuli . This was confirmed around 1998 when an archaeological dig in Mellor revealed many clues about
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