History

The word Marple is thought to derive from one of two old English sources - meaning 'boundary on the hill' or 'boundary by the river.'  For many years the River Goyt formed part of the boundary between Derbyshire and Cheshire.  Marple Bridge proper was on the Derbyshire side, whilst the part along Brabyns Brow (known as Lower Marple) belonged to Cheshire.

Historically, Marple Bridge occupied a prominent position at a junction on a main route between Stockport and Derbyshire.  A bridge existed here in 1777 and before that there was a ford.  In 1792 the road from Mellor to Marple Bridge became part of a new turnpike road to Hayfield.  This was followed in 1801 by the road from Stockport to Marple Bridge, via Marple.

The earliest pattern of development is linear, stretching out along the roads leading from the bridge, and particularly in the direction of Mellor.  Marple Bridge was already well established when, in 1795, it was described as "a small village ...... containing about sixty houses."  By this time, it had a corn mill, which formerly stood on the west bank of the Goyt, just to the south of the village, and a water powered forge (Forge Bank Mill).

Most of the oldest surviving buildings appear to date from the late eighteenth century when the locality became a centre of early industrial manufacture. The association with textiles was already long - established when local cotton entrepreneurs such as Samuel Oldknow and William Radciiffe built their mills. The largest of these was Oldknow's Mellor Mill (1790-92) situated about a mile to the south, on the Bottoms Hall Estate. In Marple Bridge itself, the three storey stone building situated behind Nos.42 and 44 Town Street is thought to have been a silk mill in the early nineteenth century.

Marple Bridge was easily accessed by canal and later, from 1865. by rail.  Despite the decline of the local textile mills, the village continued to expand throughout the  latter part of the nineteenth century as other industries were attracted to the area.

In late Victorian times the village had its own colliery and gas works.  Bottoms Hall colliery, situated to the west of Longhurst Lane. was opened in 1873, but had ceased operation by the end of the century. The gas works, located at the north end of the village, were originally owned by the Marple Gas Company.  Opened in 1845, they survived until 1976. In 1892, the Compstall Co-operative Society opened large premises in Marple Bridge, just to the north of the bridge.  Much of the housing along Longhurst Lane was built at about this time. Although the twentieth century has seen a decline in industry in the village, it has become increasingly popular as a residential area.

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