Homeward Bound: Bringing Glossop's History Home

Hello, it's been a while.  Thank you for being here. Being back in physical archives, collections and long lost boxes of stuff seems better than ever. It feels like stories are pouring out of every corner and I am making  new discoveries on a daily basis. I have so many  projects to complete and lots to share. The last two years, however, have allowed me to venture far and wide, dipping my toe into collections and archives from around the world. Yet nothing beats finding something and getting up close and personal with it.

I now have access to over 300 items that have all got association with our town. These come from an array of locations from all over and during the last 8 weeks I have carefully coordinated and negotiated the release of these such items. My plan is to return them to Glossop for a set period of time. This would allow locals and visitors to see some of our lost artifacts, discover their stories attached to them and you get to see my life's work coming into fruition once again.

Where have I been? I have been working hard on bringing history to life through social history. I have continued my work throughout the pandemic and extended my sessions, presentations and experiences to people all over the High Peak as part of a project to combat loneliness, online sessions for schools, in and out of care settings and using the power of reminiscence to people in our community who suffer from dementia. I am very proud of the success I have had and even kindly received awards for my unique experiences. I have lots of great opportunities ahead to explore further. 

I am now opening back up to the wider community but I don't expect to pick up where I left off. During the early part of 2020 right up to two days before lockdown I had 4 sessions where I had just over 500 visitors, locals, schools and partners joined me for presentations and experiences. I hope to gradually grow to that potential again but as always I want to improve how to deliver things. One of the major downfalls is I can't seem to find anywhere suitable to build a ground floor space to call 'home'. Over the past 6 years I have even had full support from businesses and private backers to provide a full 2 years of rent to enable me to build the foundations but to no avail. All I need is some space. So I have to think outside the box again as I cannot wait around as there is so much for you to see, feel, do and discover. 

I have been returning to the archives both in a personal and national capacity. From cool cupboards to vast catacombs of interlocking vaults that emanate a real  Da Vinci Code vibe! So I have found some real gems during lockdown and now to not only see some of them in person but to grant the door to be wedged open to allow their birthplace to see them is monumental. This is just what I have aimed for my entire working career and passion to achieve. There is a world of items that haven't seen the light of day, some more than half a century and some have never been in the public eye. I am planning to show some of these items over my next series of talks and presentations, starting with 'Glossop's Fading Footprint'  and 'Stepping into History' . As soon as I can find suitable premises I now have permission from 6 archives to loan items to go on show. 

What is there to see? There is a wide range of items from documents, images, buttons, badges to paintings, personal accounts, patterns, cotton, grand chests and even a silver casket! There are remains of a ship that was contracted by the Woods family, that would ship cotton which I stumbled across in a shed when I was on holiday! All the items have a personal link to the town. There are even some items of great historical importance like a personal letter from the Duke of Norfolk while he was residing at Glossop during the summer. That's right the Norfolks spent time in the summer here! The letter is over 160 years old and mentions grand parties and new roles for the servants. More importantly it reveals the true position and freedom of Thomas Ellison. There is a diary linking Glossop and a visit from William Wordsworth. Personal items from Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Glossop. The list is growing daily and I hope that I can shed light on them for you too in the not so distant future.

Before I go, there is a bear on the hill! Sounds like a children's book doesn't it? But there really is a brown bear right here in Glossop. Why? Well I am just about to write his story as requested. So hold tight for more soon. But unlike my other artifacts, he is still here in his home from home surroundings. 

Sorry it has been so long but health has tried to get in my way but resilient as always I pledge my life to the town. I have strong and deep roots in Glossop but I'll  continue to open up the past though new innovative ways and means to allow you to step inside, to get a unique glance at the past!

Thank you for your time,

Kind Regards Matthew.  

Want to know more? Get in touch, involved or know of some space I can use or rent? 

Let me know at glossop6@googlemail.com 

Glossop Connections - Charles Calvert, Raisley Calvert & William Wordsworth

Glossop Famous Connections
The Calvert Family - A Celebrated Artist. Charles Calvert Junior.

In my last post I had mentioned that Charles's first son, was Frederick Baltimore Calvert but it is in fact it was his second. I have managed to trace that Charles had in fact eight children. His first child was also born at Glossop Hall and was named after his father on 23rd September 1785. Records show that Charles Calvert Junior was taught at the hall itself in Glossop, Derbyshire. He became an apprentice to his father within the family cotton business. He seems to become a very successful cotton merchant until, however, he abandoned cotton for art and became a landscape painter.

His influences for this drastic change of mind came from his uncle, Raisley Calvert who was a renowned sculptor. Raisley Calvert, was in fact, the Steward to the Duke of Norfolk, and looked after his estates at Greystoke. Raisley not only had a great career but great connections as he was a close friend and admirer of William Wordsworth. They were at Cambridge University together where they became very good friends, this is their story...

William & Raisley 

William Wordsworth

William was sent to school at Hawkshead where he made friends with a boy from Cockermouth called William Wordsworth. The two boys were the same age and from similar backgrounds. Wordsworth’s father was an agent for Sir John Lowther, the Earl of Lonsdale. When they left school Wordsworth went to Cambridge, travelled abroad and lived for a while in London while William joine
d the Duke of Norfolk’s Regiment (then known as the 12th Regiment of Foot) of the Militia. In 1791 William’s father died, and he and Raisley inherited a sizeable fortune.

In July 1793 William Calvert invited Wordsworth to accompany him on a tour of the West Country, all expenses paid. Wordsworth wanted to become a poet but had no job and no income. He eagerly accepted William’s offer and the two young men set off. They spent about a month on the Isle of Wight where they watched the English fleet preparing for the war with France. They then headed west, but near Salisbury their horse dragged the carriage in which they were travelling into a ditch and it broke into pieces. The two men decided to separate. William took the horse and rode home to Keswick while Wordsworth set off on foot and walked across Salisbury Plain. He travelled through very bad weather, rested at Stonehenge and had some visions: an experience which led to the writing of his poem ‘Salisbury Plain’. Later that year he visited William and his brother Raisley at their family farm at Windy Brow on the slopes of Latrigg near Keswick. 

In early April of the following year William invited Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, to stay at Windy Brow. Wordsworth and Dorothy were delighted. They had been separated since childhood. After the death of their mother in 1778 Dorothy had been sent away to live with relatives. They had met up again in Halifax for six weeks but now they looked forward to a holiday together. They travelled by coach to Kendal then walked the eighteen miles to Grasmere and a further fifteen miles to Keswick. William Calvert was away with his regiment but Wordsworth and Dorothy stayed with his tenants at the Windy Brow farmhouse (Right). Dorothy loved staying at Windy Brow. She wrote to her friend, Jane Pollard, saying how delighted she was with the situation of the house.

She described, in glowing terms, the view from her window which looked out over the River Greta, Keswick town and Derwent water. She described how cheaply she and her brother could live, with milk for breakfast and supper and mainly potatoes for dinner. There was a terrace path on the slopes of Latrigg, above the house, where Dorothy enjoyed walking and admiring the view of the vale of Keswick . They spent a month at Windy Brow and it was during this time that Dorothy first started to copy out Wordsworth’s poems: a job which she would continue to do for the rest of her active life. 

Later in 1794 Wordsworth returned to Windy Brow to find that William’s brother, Raisley, was very ill with consumption. William was with his regiment in Tynemouth, Northumberland. Wordsworth suggested that he might accompany Raisley on a visit to Portugal to improve his health if William would cover the costs. At the same time Raisley decided to write a will. He left everything to his brother except for a £600 legacy (later increased to £900) to Wordsworth. Wordsworth wrote to William asking for money for the trip to Portugal. William responded immediately and offered to pay all costs. Wordsworth and Raisley set off but they only got as far as Penrith and had to turn back the next day because Raisley was worse. Wordsworth stayed to nurse Raisley at Windy Brow but Raisley died in January 1795. Raisley’s legacy was a valuable asset for Wordsworth at this time.

There are records to show the visited family and went to a "hunting lodge" which is strong evidence that they visited Glossop at this time. During the early periods of Glossop Hall it was used as a holiday home and a hunting lodge. it is just wonderful to think that this great man made his presents in Glossop itself.

This friendship was so strong that William Wordsworth visited Raisley on his deathbed and personally cared for him right up until his death in 1794. Unknown to William, Raisley had left him a legacy of nine hundred pounds, a small fortune of the day, as a mark of gratitude. William never forgot this as he wrote later:

 Manchester and Liverpool Railway in 1825 by Charles Calvert

"Calvert! It must not be unheard by them
Who may respect my name, that I to thee
Owed many years of early liberty.
This care was thine when sickness did condemn
Thy youth to hopeless wasting, root and stem."

Charles Calvert Junior became a great landscape painter and teacher of art. One of his most famous paintings was of the Manchester and Liverpool Railway in 1825. He was one of the founders of the Manchester Royal Institution now the Manchester City Art Gallery. He gained the Heywood gold medal for a landscape in oil, and the Heywood silver medal for a landscape in watercolour. He loved to spend his spare time in the Lake District. When he died he was buried at Bowness-on-Windermere.

Compiled By Matthew Cox

In Addition:

William Wordsworth died in 1850. A few years later the Greta Bank estate was sold to Mr Anthony Spedding. The house at Greta Bank was substantially rebuilt and has now been converted into apartments known as ‘Brundholme Country Houses’. Calvert’s Bridge has given its name to the nearby ‘Keswick Bridge’ Timeshare Lodges. In 1978 John Fryer Spedding set up the Calvert Trust to provide outdoor adventure activities for people with disabilities. The name was chosen in memory of Wordsworth’s benefactor, Raisley Calvert, ‘to represent friendship, support and the desire to help somebody to fulfill their potential’. The Windy Brow Farm where Wordsworth nursed Raisley is now owned by the Trust. Calvert was an interesting character. He had some influence on the Lake Poets, he took a keen interest in agricultural development and he was a kind and generous friend to those around him.

More Information & Sources

Calvert, Charles (1785–1852), landscape painter, born at Glossop Hall, Derbyshire, on 23 September 1785, was the eldest son of Charles Calvert (1754–1797), land agent, and his wife, Elizabeth Holliday (1751/2–1842). His father was agent of the duke of Norfolk's estate in Derbyshire and an amateur artist. Charles Calvert senior died on 13 June 1797 and was buried in St Mary's churchyard, Manchester. Calvert began business as a cotton merchant in Manchester, having been apprenticed to the cotton trade, but abandoned commerce for art and became a landscape painter. He was instrumental in the foundation of the Manchester Royal Institution (which later became Manchester City Art Gallery) and gained the Heywood gold medal (awarded to local artists) for a landscape in oil, and the Heywood silver medal for a landscape in watercolour. The Manchester Courier reported in 1828 that, of local artists, Calvert's paintings were the most consistently sold. He was not well known outside his region, however, and exhibited only two works in London, one of which, at the British Institution in 1825, was entitled Near Rustom, Cheshire.

Calvert devoted much of his time to teaching, and spent the remainder painting in the Lake District. Although confined to his bed in later years, he continued to paint landscapes from memory. He died at Bowness, Westmorland, on 26 February 1852, and was buried there. Examples of his work are in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and Manchester City Galleries.

Charles Calvert's brothers included , actor and lecturer on elocution, , surgeon, Henry Calvert (1785–c.1869), sporting and animal painter, and Michael Pease Calvert, painter. He was father-in-law to the portrait painter .

In the Dictionary of National Biography Raisley Calvert (bap. 1773, d. 1795), friend and benefactor of William Wordsworth, is incorrectly described as Charles Calvert's younger brother. Raisley Calvert was baptized on 16 September 1773, the younger son of Raisley Calvert senior (1728/9–1791), steward of the duke of Norfolk's estate at Greystoke Castle, near Penrith, Cumberland. His elder brother was William Calvert (1771–1829), who was at school with Wordsworth at Hawkshead, Lancashire, where he later became schoolmaster. On the death of his father, William Calvert became a man of independent means, inheriting, with other property, the estate of Bowness on the east shore of Bassenthwaite, near Keswick. Raisley Calvert inherited from his father several farms near Keswick, the income from which was held in trust until he attained his majority in 1794. He was admitted to Magdalene College, Cambridge, on 14 February 1793, where he became friends with Wordsworth, but left soon afterwards with a resolve to educate himself by travel on the continent. Though described in the Dictionary of National Biography as a sculptor, no evidence has come to light of any works sculpted by Raisley Calvert. On falling ill with consumption, he returned to the Lake District, where he died at Penrith after 7 January 1795, when Dorothy Wordsworth mentioned that he was ‘barely alive’ (Letters of William and Dorothy Wordsworth, 139). He was buried on 12 January. In his will, signed on 23 October 1794, Raisley Calvert left £900 to Wordsworth. The poet subsequently wrote a sonnet, ‘To the Memory of Raisley Calvert’, and later mentioned him in lines 349–67 of the thirteenth book of The Prelude:

A Youth (he bore

The name of Calvert.

(lines 349–50)

Sources  

W. E. A. Axon, rev. L. R. Houliston, Art Journal, 14 (1852), 150 · S. Urbans, GM, 2nd ser., 37 (1852), 630 · T. Fawcett, The rise of English provincial art: artist, patron and institution outside London, 1800–1830 (1974) · G. Meissner, ed., Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon: die bildenden Künstler aller Zeiten und Völker, [new edn, 34 vols.] (Leipzig and Munich, 1983–) · M. Hall, The artists of Cumbria (1979) · D. Child, Painters in the northern counties of England and Wales (1994) · Bryan, Painters (1903–5) · Redgrave, Artists · Mallalieu,Watercolour artists · M. H. Grant, A chronological history of the old English landscape painters, rev. edn, 8 vols. (1957–61) · IGI · H. M. Cundall, A history of British water colour painting (1908), 193 · The letters of William and Dorothy Wordsworth, ed. E. De Selincourt, 2nd edn, rev. C. L. Shaver, M. Moorman, and A. G. Hill, 8 vols. (1967–93), vol. 2, pp. 81, 97, 126n., 139–40 · W. Wordsworth, Poems, in two volumes, and other poems, 1800–1807, ed. J. Curtis (1983), 151–2

Glossop Cotton Queens - From Miss Glossop to Miss England 1930

The Cotton Queens 

According to a recent survey over 18 million people attend music festivals here in the UK every year. Music, arts and film festivals are on the rise and now attracting global attention bringing in the biggest names. History festivals are now starting to crop up here and over thirty took place over the summer.

There have always been festivals in Glossop some festivals have survived the test of time and some have now faded. It was not up until recently that we celebrated the May Cotton Queens. This festival celebrated just one thing, cotton. This one day in May was dedicated to a huge, colourful parade throughout the town. It was not only to celebrate the towns industry but an advertisement! A huge competition would take place between all the mills in the valley to determine the best cotton queen. The mill owners would choose the fairest girl within their business to showcase their finest product, similar to the Miss World competitions today.

They would parade through the town on the back of rickshaws and flatbeds and later vans. Some would depict a moment in history and others would show fashion, similar to the floats we have today at carnivals. It would then be up to a panel of judges normally including the Mayor to announce and crown “Miss Glossop”.

Then later in June it would go National a massive competition to find the “Cotton Queen of England”. I have found a report in a 1930s National newspaper, a truly fascinating little piece of our history, how “Miss Glossop” got to the final.

Cotton Queen 1930 Miss Glossop to Miss England  

In May 1930 Cotton Queen Festivals took place all over the North West of the country. Glossop held one of the largest; over 60 queens were presented that year from far and wide. The competition was fierce; competitors came from Manchester, Hyde and Cheshire. The competition was won by Miss F. Lockett who came from Newton Moor Mills of Hyde, a weaver aged 20. Miss Lockett was crowned ‘Miss Glossop’ and was paraded through town and was done so with,  “full of delight and splendor” according to a local reporter.

In June following on from the regional events, the Nationals took place. As I mentioned last week, I have found a report in a National newspaper that covers the Final in 1930. The Grand final of the search for “Miss England” took place in the Tower Circus, Blackpool. A total of 40 queens made it to the final stage where they were put “on display” and asked to do a variety of task, properly just walking round!

The panel of judges cut the 40 queens down two and took time to select a winner. The two finalists were, “Miss Salford” Miss E. Knox a clerk from Ordsall Dye Works in Salford and “Miss Glossop”.

The winner was selected by the Mayoress of Blackpool and was crowned “Miss England”. The top prize was given to “Miss Glossop” and was put on the grand throne in the centre of a massive parade. According to the news article, “ over 400,000 people flocked to see the Cotton Queen of England, the storm clouds retreated and the glorious sun shone over the queen of queens and her people”.

More than 20,000 people lined the streets when Frances Lockett returned to Hyde after being crowned the first Cotton Queen of Great Britain. Such was the town’s pride that she was treated like a member of the Royal Family.

Yet Frances was actually a Derbyshire girl. At the time of her success she lived, quite aptly, on Queen Street, Hyde. But she was born at a house on Gladstone Street, Glossop, and spent her infancy there.

Indeed, because of the way the competition was organised by the Daily Dispatch (a newspaper which folded in 1955 and was ultimately absorbed by the Daily Mail she won her title as Miss Glossop and Hyde.

"The final took place at the Tower Circus, Blackpool, on 28th June, 1930. Frances, wearing an ivory-coloured ball sheen gown designed in the latest Parisian style by Kendal Milne of Manchester, was described as tall, slim and pretty. She certainly made her mark on the judges – the Marquis of Donegal, Lord Inverclyde and JW Tout MP – and there was a huge roar when it was announced that Miss Glossop and Hyde had beaten the other 17 entrants.

Before the crowning ceremony, Frances changed into a gown that was 50 per cent cotton and 50 per cent satin, with red Lancashire roses forming a line from the shoulder."

The train was white-edged with ermine, caught at the neck with golden cords. The lining was golden also.

Mrs GW Gath, the Mayoress of Blackpool, placed the crown on Frances’s head. Made of gold lined with red velvet, it was set with rubies and diamonds. She also received a portable gramophone, and a silver dressing case on behalf of Blackpool Corporation. The people of Hyde were ecstatic and thousands lined the streets for the victory parade, which began at Frances’s place of employment, J and J Ashton’s Mill, off Ashton Road.

Overnight, Frances went from mill girl to celebrity. A cotton queen waltz was written in her honour and her likeness appeared on specially produced Queenella handkerchiefs. However, she was much more than a clothes horse. As articulate as she was elegant, Frances wrote and delivered speeches promoting the value of cotton produced by British workers.Drawing huge crowds wherever she went, Frances spoke at West End theatres, the British Fashion Ball at Covent Garden and British Cotton Textile Exhibition at White City.

A Clip of 1936 Cotton Queen Final can be seen here: http://www.britishpathe.com/video/cotton-queen-aka-blackpool

By Matthew Cox

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A Brief History of The Oakwood, Glossop

The Oakwood public house sits proudly on the corner of High Street West and George Street in Glossop. There has been a building on this site since 1844. The original inn was owned by George Pye and remained in his family till 1875, when it was sold to John Gardener Sykes who had it demolished.  The original Public House was named The Surrey Arms, in connection to the Lord Howard’s family relations. However, it was know locally as “The Big Surrey” to distinguish between the other Surrey pub on Victoria Street. Mr Sykes made plans to build a guest house or hotel on the site.

The building work began on the plans to build a “Grand Style” hotel in 1878. In local papers in November in the same year is said that “A large and handsome hotel to the cost of £6000 is to be erected on the site of the present Surrey Arms with work in progress”. The building had many rooms for guests as well as a hall and billiard rooms upstairs. It possessed a spire with a flag pole that was eventually removed in the 1940s but can be seen on the 1910 tram footage of Glossop featured on the Times Past DVD from the Glossop Heritage Trust.

Eventually in 1901 it was bought by Robinsons Brewery and it remains with the same brewery to this day.  It had a major renovation in 1991 where it uncovered the original oak panelling on the first floor. Robinsons renamed the pub The Oakwood in relation to their findings. In more recent times it has undergone more renovations, however it still possess the fantastic glass windows that advertise the billiard rooms and Burton Mild and Bitter Ales. It also has a castle carved into its stonework but can you find it?

The Oakwood still uses the hall upstairs for music, concerts and theatre performances. So next time you are in town, take a look for yourself at Glossopdale’s fantastic history.

A huge overhaul has just taken place bringing the public house right up to date but with plenty of historic charm. A big highlight of the High Street today.

www.glossoptours.moonfruit.com

Matthew Cox

A History of Glossop Railway Line & Beyond...

A History of Glossop, Manchester & The Woodhead Railway Line

"The One at the End" - Part One of Six

Glossop Railway Station opened on 9th June 1845 and grew to be one of the biggest assets to the town providing an essential link “to the outside world” a direct link to both Manchester and Sheffield. The railway was responsible for the massive Industrial Revolution that took place within the Glossopdale and Longdendale Valley so much so the Duke of Norfolk commissioned a goods yard just a year later.

Glossop Station in the 1950's

At the highest point during the 1800s Glossop had over 15 different industries including cotton, rope and paper. The railway brought endless amounts of raw material into the town such as raw cotton from North America and thousands of logs from Scandinavia.

Glossop Station has been invaluable over the years providing many different services for a variety of different needs. The railway transported local soldiers, some of which were in the first wave of the Dunkirk landings and brought evacuees from Lowestoft during the Second World War. The first Electric train arrived in 1956. There are many other stories to tell including more recent events in 2009 when thirteen passenger carriages arrived at Glossop to take the team and fans of Glossop North End Football Club on a direct route to Wembley for the FA Vase Final.

Part 2 - "A Noble Beginning" I will post next week.

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