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 

Our History Is Being Rewritten | Glossop History

Our History is Being Written - But Do We Have a Chance to Shape It? 

I finally have an opportunity to sit a write through what can only be said as underrepresented times. I have been involved heavily with my other line of work which is assisting with end of life care and bereavement specialist. The world is changing and our social tendencies are changing forever. It might no be obvious from a closed door, or is it. the way we communicate strives of modern technologies, phones, iPads and computers. It is the way we react to other human being when we venture out, for those who seek their government guided walk or exercise. If you know your neighbor or the person you see the Glossop (Northern) way of greeting is an sincere hello and a smile. A resounding reassurance of our fellow neighbor has reignited the community spirit and is changing life forever.

We are reevaluating all aspects of life including, relationships, work, travel and most of all food. Many have taken the opportunity to use local produce, sellers and providers. I hope it will continue long after the storm but its not just that, its how we cook, the ingredients we use, how much and how we store them where the vast adjustments are being made. In the beginning of the outbreak people were hording or panic buying toilet rolls, hand wash and pasta. Along with tins and alcohol (where it was told it would kill the virus along with long lasting food, dried, tins and frozen. Some have gone back to having milk delivered along with bread and companies helping deliver hot meals and addition support to our most vulnerable. It its fantastic to see community groups strategically managing other organisations to help the most in need. The Bureau is doing just that, the headquarters of local operations. It sparks great reminisces of four local gents who I had the pleasure to work with who spoke proudly of being in the Home Guard in Glossop. I they let me document their stories and they were fantastic and I hope to transcribe them to share them with you soon. In addition I will be updating the website as I have been recording mini documentaries for you while you are staying safe at home at will be aired next week.

Some of the other stories they shared were of different training and preparation exercises, call outs and funny mishaps. They have shared some documents with me along with a small box of personal diary's which will take some reading as there is several of them. A document from the evacuation procedures in the town and a permit for a bike is among the items. Glossop was at the epicentre of both world wars because of its vast production power, range of equipment and techniques.

A part of history is repeating itself. The government announced within one of its daily televised updates for manufactures of all kinds to swap to making urgently needed supplies such as asking breweries for alcohol gel and others to make masks, face shields and ventilators. As part of one of my talks and guided tours I share the story of the admiralty walking through the large mills of Glossop and preparing just over 20 different war supplies. There is a fantastic picture in an archive in Cornwall (don't ask me how it got there) of just that. The powers that be stood for a very formal image of the secret war effort in Glossop. Join me on my mini documentaries to see more of this in more detail.

Now we do not hold the power of that but we do still hold the strongest of weapons, our community. So continue to do your bit and Stay at Home. This is our fight, the biggest fight of our generation. I will be continuing to care for our individuals and families that need support more than ever. It was pleasing to see carers from all walks of social care be recognised in tonight's briefing. To all my colleagues, clients, friends who risk their lives for the sake of others, take care and thank you for what you do so well.

On this day at the time of print 11.55pm Captain Tom Moore's 100th Birthday Walk for the NHS
He wanted to raise £1000 for the NHS for is 100th Birthday - Time of print 10.4 Million Great British Pounds had been donated, We as a family have contributed. Well Done Captain!




If you would like to see more see Website: glossoptours.co.uk
Mini Documentations and Tours from April 18th   Be Well Youtube Channel  https://tinyurl.com/u4zefol

A Moment in Time

Living In The Moment

We are all living in a unprecedented moment in time. We are living in a historic moment, where I hope we can pull together as a community, town, city or country.

Today marks the 55th anniversary of humans walking in space. 

We have shut down our main bread and butter of tours and public talks but this isn't stopping us from sharing our rich history along with improving our wellbeing, mental health and learning from behind closed doors.

We aim to achieve this in the coming days and weeks by voice, videos and posts that include, history, games, quizzes and lots of other possibilities.

We are going to look into the archives and share with you our findings of over a decade of research, discoveries and looking into private collections.

So share the links with family, friends  and loved ones. Read, comment and let us know your questions and what you might want to see next.

I never met any of my grandfathers but they have been my inspiration and fuel to do the things I do. One of I don’t talk much about simply because I don’t know much about him but in recent family chats it came to light that a hobby was to colour photographs in the 1960s. He would do them by hand with dyes and inks he would use them meticulously, precisely dropping ink to certain areas and bring a photograph to life. I will be sharing more of his hobby and him in general in a future post but its so easy to do them in an app or Photoshop these days but im going to have a go myself and have been playing around in a particular program to get an idea of  what I mean. You can see some of my efforts with this picture of the Old Cross, in Old Glossop around after 1912 marking the end of the original town centre, Howardtown became the new Glossop - Officially naming Old Glossop 'Old'.

I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge, findings as well as the mysteries and secrets our town has to offer.

Take care. Keep Safe and Speak Soon.

Don't forget to share with others, family and friends!

M.C

Announcement: Glossop History - The Way We Were

I have been working on a verity of different projects over the last twelve months. From documenting rare and previously undiscovered finds, rediscovering documents and artifacts in private or locked or away collections, providing talks to clubs and schools as well as providing assistance with the ever threat of damage to our local heritage.

This is around my other passion which working with individuals who suffer from dementia. I work closely with the community and provide a ward winging experiences and sessions to engage and enhance a person’s day. This enhances the opportunity to social interaction and the ideal environment to reminisce, remember personal memories and create new ones along the way.

There will be two presentations this year that will be of note and I cordially invite you to join us. The first is on the 26^th October 2019 at Partington Theatre, Henry Street, Glossop. This will be an evening presentation/ workshop titled The Way We Were. It is the perfect combination of both of my passions. We will have a brief look at our social history, local events and images that are proving to be somewhat iconic.

There will be more updates soon regarding the latest request for permission for more housing in the old part of the town which is set to destroy not only history of our town but the skyline forever.

Heavy Rain, Floods and Christmas

Back to normal with monthly posts yet this month is more updates. 

The last week or so has brought heavy rain and new things even I haven't seen in the town before. The weather is turning autumnal and with Christmas just around the corner my reflections always turn to Woolworths.

The store that sold everything was definitely the place to get your Christmas stock. It had a fantastic line of plastic Christmas trees and lights and going to Woolworths was a pure tradition. We lost our store in 2009 when the business closed around the country. You can read more here.

Glossop has gained a multitude of local shops and businesses over the last couple of years and as of next month we will be featuring several of them here as I make the final arrangements and filming for Glossop Tours big Christmas Special, Personal Stories. Over the last 12 months I have been working with a local film producer filming interviews with local people to feature part of an online mini documentary series and for the Christmas Special.  These not only feature local shops, businesses but local people and dignitaries. We are continuing filming right through to summer next year so if you or know of someone that you think will have something interesting to share then please get in touch.

I have also started a sister site that follows my travels around the local area, region and beyond. These include reviews of cafes and restaurants as well as history, walks and interesting hidden gems, this will go live at the event in December.

Soon you will be able to book our tours in Glossop it's self as we are looking at possibility of having a booking office in the town. There will also be a opportunity to see some of our history and possibly some of our collection from time to time.

This year has been a real roller coaster with health and work opportunities and things  are looking good for the beginning of 2018 and hopefully we will be opening up our own local office, so watch this space.

There have been fears of local flooding recently with heavy rainfall again in Glossop. Nothing has been done to create new flood defenses since the last major flooding in 2001. Again there was no inquiry into whether it was human error that caused the flooding as evidence did show Swineshaw Reservoir in 2001 as it is common by word of mouth in the town must of opened their sluice gates because there was a serious threat the reservoir was to burst, which would of caused more serious threat to the town. 

So to the Christmas Special, tickets and more details are to be released in October. It will be three evenings of history, workshops and discussions. As there has not been any event this year so far we are pouring all our efforts into this. But hang on what's new, that I have discovered recently, well a lot but if you follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook we're asking you to work out where we are in the town and the most right answers will put together and a random lucky winner will get two free tickets to our Christmas Special.

Looking forward to seeing you all very soon....  By Matthew Cox.

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Glossop Tours Update 2017

Hello to readers old and new I thought it was about time to give you an update of what is happening with me and Glossop Tours and plans for the coming months. I have not forgotten you or about this blog.

I have not posted anything here for over 12 months and it has just gone so fast. I really don’t know where it has gone and so much has happened in the past year. In that time I have had over 20,000 more readers topping over 50,000 in all which is more than I have ever thought. This blog was the stepping stones of my epic journey and I will be posting again very soon.

Over the past 12 months so much has happened yet I still have not to come to terms of losing my main inspiration three years ago. I am only realising the vast about of respect, knowledge and understanding of local cultures, community and history I was taught for over 12 years.

September last year held new possibilities for me I was given a new job using my local knowledge and links to work with people with Dementia and Alzheimer’s with that is opened up the opportunity to do more with Glossop Tours. In February this year I had to have evasive surgery after funding lumps that were classified as suspicious cancerous tissue  that left me out of action for a couple of months.

In the last few months I was approached by a production group to take vlogs of the travels I have been doing to various places around the area and beyond. It proved rather successful and I am going to carry out another series as from the end of September but linking it in with Glossop tours.

In recent weeks I have been offered space in Glossop to have weekends and evening of events and to do history talks.

With everything moving on I haven’t had time to think yet I will be moving house in a few weeks and getting married next year.

Glossop has always been my first love and always will be and will be back sharing more interesting and intriguing stories about the town and local area.

There are new updates at glossoptours.co.uk

And I will see you all very soon, thank you for reading. Matthew Cox  

The Glossop Connection - The Calvert Family

The Calvert Family

Charles Calvert the elder was born into a busy cotton family in 1754. Charles lived on Oldham Street in Manchester close to his father’s business.  At around the age of 25 at social gathering of lords and ladies he crossed paths with the Duke of Norfolk and became good friends. The Duke of Norfolk offered his help, when Charles had to sell his father’s factory, to come and be a personal steward to the Duke at Glossop Hall. Charles stayed at his family home in Manchester during the winter and served at Glossop Hall during the summer.

Glossop Hall where Charles Calvert served the Duke of Norfolk  

In 1793 Charles became a father to his son Frederick Baltimore Calvert who was born in Glossop Hall. There is very little known about Frederick’s mother apart from she also served at the Hall. Frederick was to become one of the greatest English actors. He was taught locally in Glossop before he entered Manchester Grammar School on 12 January 1804. Then he went to the Roman Catholic St. Edmund's College, in Hertfordshire, with a view to receiving Holy Orders.

However, he took to the stage, and in the course of his career alternated leading parts with the elder Edmund Kean who was regarded, in his time as the greatest Shakespearean actor. In 1829 he became elocutionary lecturer of King's College, University of Aberdeen and gave lectures on oratory, poetry, and other literary subjects in the large towns up and down the country. He later traveled to the US with Edmund Kean, featuring in Shakespeare and branching off to give lectures on the English poets.

In 1846 he was appointed master of English language and literature at the Edinburgh Academy. Some years after, he became lecturer on elocution to the Free Church colleges of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

He went on to be married, in 1818 to Miss Percy of Whitby, with whom he had a large family. His youngest son, Michael Talbot Calvert, made a reputation as a tragic actor, under the stage name of Henry Talbot. He died at his home, 2 West Newington, Edinburgh on 21 April 1877.

A boy who was born here in Glossop grew not only into one of the greatest actors of all time but a man of great literary and language refinement, a master of British history.

by Matthew Cox

Olive and Partington Paper Mills, Glossop

The Hidden Gems of Glossop and the High Peak

A brief look at Olive & Partington Paper Mills, Glossop

Glossop was once famous for producing endless miles of cotton products but it is often overlooked that the town produced some of the finest paper in the world. Its produce was used by some of the world leading brands and companies.

The Turnlee Mill stood on Charlestown Road, Glossop. It was bought by Edward Partington and his business partner William Olive around 1874 from Thomas Hamer Ibbotson. Edward Partington brought his flourishing business from Manchester to Glossop only to develop further. The paper mills at Glossop gradually incorporated several other smaller mills such as Tip Mill and Burymewick Mill in order to try and develop the modern method of paper manufacturing using the sulphite process.

The sulphur was brought by the railway to the goods yard in large barrels along with the vast quantities of logs. These were then loaded, by hand, onto the horse pulled flatbeds and trailers which were replaced later in 1917 by the famous fleet of Tiger tractors. Some locals still remember the huge steam tractors hauling many tons of logs and sulphur from the Railway Station up Victoria Street onto Charlestown Road, towards the Turnlee Mills.

One of the 'Tiger' Tractors (No.3) still remains today having been fully renovated by a group of enthusiasts and currently lives in New Mills and visits many national steam events throughout the year 

Guinness, Cadbury's & Women Magazine are just a few from the extensive list of companies that used the paper produced in Glossop. The mill provided over 1,000 jobs and offered “All the year round vacancies”- a slogan of the bygone era.

Disaster struck on 25^th June 1943 as one of the spherical boiling pans, weighing six tons and spanning twelve feet in diameter, exploded killing four men. There were numerous other injuries including burns from the boiling sulphur solution.  The steam Tiger traction engines were used to clear the debris. The appalling stench of the sulphur gases were reported all over the town.

Very little exists of the Olive and Partington Paper manufacturers at Turnlee Mills as many of the buildings have been demolished. You can still see some of the grand architecture such as the main gate stones and walls that still survive.

Today on the site, there are are a few small businesses flourishing from the ashes of what was one of Glossop’s greatest assets. The rest has recently been demolished to make way for a new housing estate but one corner of the original building has been saved and been converted into apartments. It is yet another gem of Glossop Dale that should never be forgotten.

Matthew Cox

Glossop Tours on Twitter

History of Glossop's Paths & Roads - Grab Alley

History of Glossop's Paths & Roads 

Part One - Grab Alley

There are many alleys and hidden roads in Glossop that people forget about these days, unless you are a Glossopian.  You will find that many of these alleys are public footpaths and can prove a great asset in order to get you from A to B in a very short amount of time.

One notorious Glossop alley is barely visible today yet many people use it without realising it. There is very little left of the original walkway which has now been replaced with a pedestrian crossing on the car park of Tesco in Glossop. The original walkway ran the full course of the new crossings today from the river on High Street West up towards the supermarket entrance.

The original path connected the lower part of High Street West, up towards North Road for easy access from the Wrens Nest Mills. It also connected with paths to Glossop, Whitfield & Simmondley used mostly by employees to and from home. The pathway was continuously used down the years as it became a handy access to the football at North Road and cricket matches which were played there. It was also a great link between The Hanging Gate Pub (now demolished) and the new Glossop North End football ground on Surrey Street when they moved in 1955.

This walkway was nicked named “Grab Alley” as young ladies who used this footpath were at risk of being “grabbed” by the young men of the town. It was also known for pickpockets to work this part of town.  The path was enclosed by a high wall either side that was topped with triangular capping stones. The original iron bridge matched the height of the wall but was badly damaged by the Whit Monday floods in 1944.  The house which stood next to the footpath, collapsed due to the damage by the flood.  The woman who lived in the house went to look at the damage from the bridge but it gave way into the water and she was swept away by the strong current. Her body was found in the River Etherow at Compstall the following day.


Today the same walkway is used by hundreds of people everyday as it is part of the Tesco Stores part of the pedestrian crossings but to many locals it will always be known as Grab Alley.

By Matthew Cox 

www.glossoptours.co.uk

Day Trip to Glossop? - Glossop Advertiser 1912

Day Trip to Glossop For a Sixpence

The summer is now not to far away, however, day trippers continuously pour into our town throughout the year. Things have not changed for well over a century because last summer I found a column in the Glossop Advertiser back in 1912, by a local columnist expressing his feelings about day trippers who came from Manchester to Glossop for a sixpence.  

"The summer season is now in full swing, that especially as regards the running into Glossop of cheap excursion trains on Sundays is concerned, a note of warning should be thrown out to certain visitors of both sexes who come into this pleasant Derbyshire town. Let it be clearly understood that there is not the slightest desire to put forth any argument against the introduction into Glossop of trippers. But we echo the public feeling that those cheap excursionists should behave themselves and that failing to do so the law should step in and administer a lesson not readily forgotten. It seems to have occurred to the minds of say Mancunian visitors that they are at liberty to turn Glossop into a bear garden and we are bound to say that the local justices have not as a rule made ‘the punishment fit the crime’.


It is true that, as the greatest of England’s poets says, “The quality of mercy is not strained”. That is the rule, but to most rules there are exceptions and we are inclined to believe that with regard to Sunday delinquents brought before the Glossop Police Court the merciful quality has distinctly been strained. There is a considerable proportion of these sixpenny trippers that can fairly and honestly be designated a nuisance. If people wish to escape on the Sunday from Manchester or elsewhere to healthful Glossop we admire their decision, but having arrived in the town, having availed themselves of the privilege of cheap access thereto, having left a smoke-begrimed city for the delights which Nature affords, the least they can do is to conduct themselves with propriety. But many of them do not, and they should be taught to recognise the force of the law.

Damaging grass lands, breaking trees, card playing, footballing in the public streets, and so on, are items of objectionable amusement that have been practised by a certain class of visiting hooligans, whose absence would be far preferable to their company. We want to see established by the magistracy the preservation of Glossop’s good name, and therefore we hope that stringent penalties will be in future imposed upon all offenders. Readers who revert to the report in other columns of this issue of the ‘Advertiser’ of the proceedings in the Glossop Police Court will see that the local Justices have made up their minds to stand no further nonsense. Their decision is quite right and proper, and we commend them for having arrived at it. The police have done, and are doing, their level best to stamp out the illegal and unwarrantable doings of the class of persons to whom we have so pointedly alluded. It has been pretty well accepted as a truism that there is a black sheep in every flock. Biblical instruction shows the vast difference and distinction between the sheep and the goats. In Glossop the sheep from Manchester are always sure of a cordial welcome, the goats – well, may either stay at home, or be sure either of being substantially fined or relegated to one of His Majesty’s hotels, which are usually designated by another expression."


Have things changed?

Complied by Matthew Cox