Glossop is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park" (from the east of the National Park) as it is surrounded by some of the most magnificent scenery of the Peak District.
History
Roman and Saxon
The name Glossop is thought to be of Saxon origin, derived from Glott's Hop - where 'hop' is a small valley and 'Glott' was more than likely a chieftain's name[3]. The area however was certainly inhabited long before the Saxons, as the Bronze Age burial site on Shire Hill (in Old Glossop) and the Bronze Age remains around Torside testify. When the Romansarrived in 78 AD the area was under the control of the Brigantes, a tribe whose main base was in Yorkshire. The settlement was known as Ardotalia. In the 19th Century the remains of a Roman-built fort, named Melandra Castle by modern historians. The fort was discovered by an amateur historian in the Gamesley area of the town. The fort was first built in the last quarter of the 1st century AD. It stands on high ground above the River Etherow. The main purpose of it was to subjugate the warlike tribes that existed in the area prior to their arrival [4].The extensive site has been excavated, revealing fort walls, a shrine and the fort headquarters. The site has been landscaped to provide parking and picnic areas. The area was settled by the Angles in the seventh century.
Norman
Glossop (as Glosop[5]) is mentioned in the Domesday survey completed in 1086 and ordered to be made by the Norman 'William the Conqueror' (William I of England). In the book, Glossop is referred to the town of "Glosop: King's land" as the area was confiscated from its Saxon Carl and incorporated into the Royal Forest of the Peak under the stewardship of William Peveril. This set back settlement and farming in the area for several hundred years, for farming and grazing of animals in the forest was forbidden, and much of the surrounding area was recorded in Domesday as 'waste'.
Medieval
In 1157 Henry II of England gave the manor of Glossop to the abbey of Basingwerke, which was based at Holywell in North Wales, and over the next 200 years the monks were responsible for steadily improving the agriculture of the area and encroaching on the royal forest. They also gained Glossop's first market charter in 1290[6], and one for Charlesworth in 1328.
Middle Ages
In the early 14th century the manor of Glossop was leased to the Talbot family, later Earls of Shrewsbury, who retained it until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1537. In 1606 it came into the ownership of the Howard family - the Dukes of Norfolk - who held it for the next 300 years with Glossop usually being given to the younger son of the family and still to this day have been closely involved with the town ever since.
As a result of this many of the street names and place name derive from the Christian/Surnames names and titles of the Dukes of Norfolk. This can be seen most clearly near to the town's railway station, with Norfolk Square and a cluster of residential streets off Norfolk Street that were named after Lord Henry Howard, the 13th Duke of Norfolk(see diagram below):
Diagram of the street around Glossop's railway station.
Civic and Industrial History
The town was then based around Old Glossop and in the 16th and 17th centuries it expanded considerably as the wool and cotton spinning industries developed, and a number of old weavers' cottages can still be seen in Old Glossop clustered around the Old Market Square and Cross.
Glossop's Cenotaph in Norfolk Square.
A two-storey Township Workhouse was built between 1832 and 1834 on Bute Street (grid referenceSK043952). Its administration was taken over by Glossop Poor Law Union in December 1837. The workhouse buildings included a 40-bed infirmary, piggeries, and casual wards for vagrants. The workhouse later became Glossop Public Assistance Institution and from 1948 the N.H.S. Shire Hill Hospital[7].
The town was incorporated at the Borough of Glossop in 1866 and around this period several fine buildings were constructed around the new centre of the town at Norfolk Square - the Town Hall and the Market Hall are primary examples of these.
The next expansion was powered by the machinery of Richard Arkwright and his son and since Glossop had a plentiful water supply the new cotton industry developed rapidly here in the late 18th and early 19th centuries - no less than 46 mills were built in this period, of which one of the first (1785) was Rolfes Mill in Wesley Street, which still stands opposite the school. The railway arrived in the 1840s - after a spur line was built by the Lord Henry Fitzalan-Howard, the 14th Duke of Norfolk - to complete a period in which the population of Glossop multiplied by a factor of six in less than 50 years. [8]
Modern (20th Century)
In the 20th century cotton spinning has declined and most of the mills have closed, the Howard family sold the Glossop Estate and donated large areas to the people of Glossop - Manor Park, the location of the family's Manor House and gardens.
Geography
Glossop nestles in the foothills of the Pennines, with Bleaklow to the northeast and Kinder Scout to the south. It lies on Glossop Brook, a tributary to the River Etherow, in the area commonly known as the Dark Peak. Glossop is the largest town within the borough of High Peak, and is very similar to other north Derbyshire towns in relation to its terrain and scenery.
The open moorlands of the Dark Peak lie directly to the east of Glossop and it is not surprising that the town is often dubbed "The Gateway to the Peak". The town is skirted on three sides by the Peak National Park and provides a convenient stopping place for the many thousands of tourists who visit the Park each year. The moorland setting is a haven for walkers of all abilities.
The town has a permanent Tourist Information Centre, which is currently located on Henry Street, sharing the Glossop Heritage Centre.
Government and Politics
Glossop Town Hall (with shopping arcade underneath).
Glossop is represented by three tiers of government, European Parliament ("Europe"), UK Parliament ("national"), and a multi-tier "local" level with High Peak Borough Council ("district") and Derbyshire County Council ("county") providing the majority of public services. The villages of Tintwistle and Charlesworth have a further level of local government in the form of Parish Councils, which have certain limited powers.
Glossop is located close to the county borders of Greater Manchester, and boasts good transport links to the city of Manchester, making the area popular for commuters. For these reasons, Glossop and the western area of High Peak (including such nearby towns as New Mills, Whaley Bridge and Buxton) fall within Greater Manchester's sphere of influence. However, the area maintains a degree of separation from this conurbation due to its somewhat rural location, and upholds its own strong identity in terms of architecture, dialect and geology (e.g. buildings made of characteristic Peak District stone).
Glossop was included in the "South East Lancashire Special Review Area" under the Local Government Act 1958, and the Redcliffe-Maud Report of 1969 recommended to include it in a South East Lancashire–North East Cheshire metropolitan area. Glossop was not ultimately included in the Greater Manchester area established by the Local Government Act 1972. Local people voted to stay within the County of Derbyshire in 1973 (Sharpe 2005). The county council, originally based in Derby, moved to Matlock in the late 1950s to facilitate easier travelling to the county hall from the northern extremities such as Glossop and the High Peak.
The Member of Parliament for the High Peak constituency since 1997 has been Tom Levitt MP, representing Labour. His majority in the 2005 General Election was 735 over the Conservative candidate Andrew Bingham.
In 1985The Glossop-Bad Vilbel Twinning Association was established in order to:
To promote and foster friendship and understanding between the people of Glossop and district and those of Bad Vilbel and district in Germany.
To encourage visits by individuals and groups to and from the linked towns, particularly by children and young people, and the development of personal contacts, and by doing so to broaden the mutual understanding of the cultural, recreational, educational and commercial activities of the linked towns.
In 1987 formal twinning ceremonies were held in both Glossop and Bad Vilbel. The ceremony in Glossop was marked by the planting of a tree in Norfolk Square in the centre of the town. The Twinning Association arranges visits for groups or individuals and can effect introduction between the various cultural, sporting or musical clubs in the two towns. Visitors are normally accommodated in private houses, living with the family. Language is not a major problem. [17]
The two signatories of the charter were:
Manor Park commands spectacular views of the surrounding countryside and is just a short walk from Glossop's centre. The park is a holder of the prestigious Green Flag Award, the national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales to recognise and reward the best green spaces in the country.[18]Howard Park, another holder of the Green Flag Award, is described by the Award organisation as "a good example of visionary layout from the Victorian era retaining many original features".[19]
Manor Park's rose garden.
Notice board at the North Road entrance to Howard Park.
Howard Park duck pond, taken in winter.
Norfolk Sq. in the town centre (opposite the town hall).
Rail
Glossop has regular train services operating from the town's station. The trains runs every half-hour (every 20 minutes during peak times) to Manchester Piccadilly and Hadfield along the remaining stub of the former Woodhead railway. This line has been electrified for over fifty years.
A recently formed Friends group, Friends of Glossop Station, is working to bring back the station into the heart of the community and encouraging greater use of environmentally friendly public transport. The group has already carried out many jobs to make the station more attractive, such as the installation of planting pots, re-painting the station railings and general tidy-up parties. The trains operated on the line are 3 car Class 323Electric Multiple Units built in 1992 - 1993 by Hunslet TPL just before its collapse.
See Derbybus or GMPTE.
There are infrequent Sunday services to local tourist attractions such as Chatsworth House and the local villages such as Castleton.
The Glossop Victorian Weekend, Glossop Carnival and Bank Holiday Markets are held annually in the town. The Victorian Weekend is the biggest weekend event in Glossop and was featured on the BBC's Songs of Praise. The weekend includes many activities, including a Grand Victorian Costume Competition and a Shop Window Competition.[20]
In recent years, Glossop has become quite well known musically for staging jazz and world music festivals.
In 2005 The Moon and Sixpence introduced the 5 daze in May festival to Glossop. Landlord Paul Keegan and Landlady Julie Gordon have now made this an annual event.
Glossop has a range of other cultural activities including Peak Film Society, an innovative new film club.
Glossop North End, the town's then professional football club, was the first football side in the world to play in, and register its strip as, all-white in colour, well before Real Madrid. The club were members of the Football league between 1898 and 1915. Glossop is one of the smallest towns in England to have had a Football League club.
Public Services
Calls for service in the rural areas usually increase during the summer as the population is boosted by approximately twenty million visitors each year to the Peak District and its surrounds. Winter weather on the unforgiving high ground around Glossop and Kinder Scout can also cause problems for traffic and residents.
Healthcare
State healthcare is provided for in Glossop and District by Tameside and Glossop NHS Trust The NHS trust operates Tameside General Hospital, a foundation hospital, in Ashton-under-Lyne.
The trust serves two separate communities because there are no district general hospitals (hospitals with Accident and Emergency Department) within the borough of High Peak, and patients would have to travel over 20 miles to another hospital within the county.
The North West Ambulance Service provides emergency medical services for the town from its Chapel Street Ambulance Station.
Police
Policing in Glossop and the surrounding area is provided by Derbyshire Constabulary. The force covers an area of over 1,000 square miles with a population of just under one million.
To police the county the force is divided into four territorial divisions. The territorial division for Glossop is B Division, based in the town of Buxton. The senior officer for this area is Divisional Commander Roger Flint.
Glossop's police officers are based at the new-look station on Ellison Street, which has a custody suite, five cells and a community room for meetings or for any major incidents. The senior officer for Glossop is Inspector Stuart Thompson.
In addition to statutory Police Officers and a team of volunteer Special Constables, Glossop has six Police Community Support Officers. As uniformed civilian staff, they do not have the powers of police officers but support the police in dealing with issues such as dropping litter, dog fouling, cycling offences and throwing fireworks.
Fire & Rescue
General fire and rescue cover is provided for by the Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.
More specialise search and rescue services are provided for by the volunteer Glossop Mountain Rescue Team - which is part of the Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation. Their remit is to to 'save lives in the mountains and moorlands'[22]. Most of their rescues are to help people who have become injured or lost in the Dark Peak region of the surrounding Peak District National Park.
"Glossop" is defined in The Meaning of Liff, by Douglas Adams & John Lloyd as a globule of hot food which lands on your friend's newly polished solid wood dining table.
Glossop is mentioned in the satirical book, England, Their England by A. G. Macdonell. The town and its fictional newspaper, the Glossop Evening Mail are described as the lowest rung in the journalistic profession.
Students from Glossopdale Community College appear in The League of Gentlemen, first season as audience to the Legz Akimbo theatre group in a play about homosexuality.
Students from Glossopdale Community College also appear in The League of Gentlemen second season, episode one as German students on an exchange program with their teacher, Herr Lipp.
J. W. Mettrick & Son butcher's shop in the High Street featured in The Independent's Saturday 50 Best Food Shops listing of 16-22 September 2006 (at number 2). The panelists were Sue Lawrence, one of Scotland's leading cookery writers; Dan Lepard, Britain's top baker; Roopa Gulati, Deputy Chanel Editor for UKTV Food; Lyn Hall, acclaimed cookery teacher; and Mike Cook, general manager of food importer and distributor R H Amar. The shop was also the 2005 winner of Best Local Retailer in BBC Radio 4's Food and Farming Awards.
Notable people
John Aston (b. 1947) — former Manchester United footballer who currently lives in the town and works in the market. He won the European Cup under the management of Sir Matt Busby and played in the era of Best, Law and Charlton.
Eileen Cooper (b. 1953) — an English contemporary painter and printmaker best known for her stylised paintings of women or couples, often featuring unexpected animals (particularly tigers)
Andy Crane (b. 1964) — a television and radio broadcaster
John Goodall (1863–1942) — described as soccer's first star player
Stuart Hall (b. 1929) — BBC Radio & Television Presenter
Paul Raymond (b. 1925-2008) — a billionaire English pornographer, property developer and owner of the Raymond Revuebar strip club and several major English erotic magazines such as Razzle and Mayfair.
Shaun Ryder (b. 1962) — an English singer and songwriter; lead singer of Manchester band Happy Mondays.
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