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  

History Snippets of Glossop 1986

Here a series of historical snippets describing Glossop life in 1986.



Shirehill Hospital
Shirehill Hospital was opened in the 1800's as a workhouse. It is now a long stay hospital for the elderly. It does not have a casualty Department. There are 8 large rooms and a few rooms where equipment is stored. Four of the rooms are bedrooms and four are day rooms. The women's rooms are on the bottom floor and the men's rooms are upstairs. There are 60 beds in the hospital and all are filled. All the rooms are fully decorated and carpeted to make the patients feel more at home. The patients may do basket making, sewing, knitting, play dominoes or just sit and talk. In the summer the patients can sit out on the verandah. They say it is just like being at home.


The patients at Shirehill Hospital get their first drink at 6.30am. They can get up anytime between 8am and 10am. Breakfast is served at 9am. The patients are expected to get dressed when they get up. At 11am they have another cup of tea and biscuits. Dinner is served at 12 noon and afterwards they can go over to the day centre where they can make baskets or do other activities. On Mondays a lady comes from the library and the patients can loan books. If they feel tired then the patients can go to bed. Those who are bedridden have their own radio and there are televisions in all wards. At 5.30pm tea is served and after the patients may stay up until about 11pm.


The Commercial Inn
The Commercial Inn is a public house in Old Glossop. It is a typical pub which has a games room with a pool table and a darts board. The pool and darts team play other pubs on saturday nights. There is also a domino's team. Upstairs there is a room for hire. It has a small dance floor and a bar. This costs about £25 for one night. The most popular drink is handpumped bitter,which is kept downstairs in the cellar. The pub also sells food,ranging from pizzas to fish fingers and chips. They also do a special childrens menu.All these meals are eaten in the dining room. They also have lots of activities to do with music,for instance they have a disco,live music, and organ playing


Old Glossop Sub Post Office
Old Glossop post office is a sub post office on Manor Park Road. It sells stamps, National Savings Certificates, Premium Bonds,and you can use the National Savings Bank. You can also buy T.V., car and dog licences. The shop also sells gift tokens,sweets and cards. One person works there and he is expected to be efficient in handling money.Approximately 350 pensions and 290 family allowances are paid out each week. Some people travel from Chunal, Hadfield and Old Glossop to use the post office. Thursday is the busiest day because of the pensioners. The next nearest post office is on Victoria Street,Glossop. The Post Office is considering closing many small sub post offices like this one. Two in the Glossop area were closed in 1984.


Glossop Carnival
Glossop Carnival is held on the first Saturday in July. The procession leaves Hadfield School about 1.30pm and goes down Newshaw Lane, then along the A57 through Glossop and finally up Manor Park Road ending in Old Glossop. There are about 40 floats, 6 troops of dancers and 4 bands, including Glossop Band, Tintwistle Band and the Girls Brigade. Each local village sends their May Queen and individuals can enter in fancy dress. The fancy dress entries and the floats are judged by the Mayor of High Peak. A float is a car or lorry decorated specially for the occasion. This year floats included Alice in Wonderland, Fiddler on the Roof, and Victory in Europe Day. The winning float was the Rocky Horror Show. People throw money onto the floats and this is given to local charities.


Glossop Water Supply
Glossop's main water source is the reservoirs. The reservoirs were built in this area because of the high rainfall of over 1,000 mm per year and the impermeable rock. There are two reservoirs, one called Hurst opened in 1961 and one called Swineshaw opened in 1972. Hurst Reservoir has an area of 13.5 acres and a capacity of 36,500,000 gallons. The depth of the water is 25 feet, and it is 588 feet above sea level.Hurst's treated water output is 1.749 mega-litres per day. Swineshaw Reservoir has an area of 21 acres, and a capacity of 56,300,000 gallons. The depth of the water is 34 feet,and it is 558.6 feet above sea level. It's output is 3.04 mega-litres per day.This area is part of the North West Water Authority.


Industry in Old Glossop
Union Carbide is an industrial plant which is located in Old Glossop . Forty one people are employed,most of these are men.The average age of the workers is roughly fifty years old, but the office staff are much younger. The present plant was opened in 1950 and is one of the most modern in Europe.The workers in the warehouse (the main building) all wear protective clothing. Union Carbide produces briquettes of different kinds. This is the only Union Carbide plant in England to make these. To make the briquettes chromium, silicon and manganese are needed. These raw materials are imported from Zimbabwe and Canada.

These and more can be found on various websites. Many have been collated on the reloaded Doomsday Book on the BBC.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-404000-393000/page/1

Complied By Matthew Cox

Will Your Vote Change the Country and Glossop?

Do people realise just how important this vote is?

Personally I don't think there has been any true leader during the latest campaigns. The fights between the leaders have all been seen by us all but why don't they fight like that each and every day in our own and european parliaments? We might of never needed this referendum in the first place.

Why have a referendum? Was there concern about our european status in the first place?

I don't know what the verdict will be but I just hope it gives a boot up the government to show, we the people really do care, hear and work for our country and yes we do have a voice. I hope everyones voice is heard come the result. That would be one of the best things to come of this.

Enough with the politics....

Will it change the Glossop landscape?

Yes. Still holding a very deep breath for the chimney to come down, work should of started this month. I don't think there will be a bypass any time soon... Plans have been in the works for 80 plus years so why would they start now?


Do you think Glossop will change and develop for the better?

The History of the Chimney

Hidden Gems of Glossop

Figureheads of Glossop

Glossop 1912

We are continuing into 1912....

At the heart of some of the world’s most devastating events, shocking incidents and even the greatest achievements, are the people from Glossop in the year of 1912. Over the coming weeks I will reveal a whole host of staggering facts, stories, eyewitness accounts, and sporting achievements that took place over one hundred years ago.

I would like to first turn to one of the oldest parts of the original village of Glossop. The stone shaft that makes up the main frame of the Old Cross has stood the test of time. It thought to have been placed here around 1157 when the parish of Glossop was granted to hold a court, a fair and a market around the stone cross. Over the centuries it became custom to announce the new kings and queens and other important messages from the cross, after all it was the centre of the town. It was not until the early 1800s when the cotton industry began to develop further down the river when plans were put in place to pursue a new town centre. It was when the new complex at Howardtown was built in 1838 when things really began to change. Over the next few years it was clear the offices and court room along with the fast development of the new cotton mills, Howardtown, by far superseded the original part of the town. Glossop was granted a borough in 1866 and people began to regard Howardtown as the centre of Glossop.

In 1910 it was moved to where it stands today

The Old Cross never bore the Celtic stone cap to begin with. 1910 saw the reign of George V which was announced at the cross like the many Monarchs before him. The officials of the Borough of Glossop wanted to place a cap on the stone cross not only to mark the coronation of the king but to symbolise the unity of faiths. The cross was moved from its previous position as it was tight against the house behind, to where it stands today. The Celtic cross was finally placed on top of the ancient cross in 1912.

The Old Cross in Old Glossop

Olympic Games 2016 - Throwback Football Heroes 1912

Throwback Football Heroes 1912

The country is making final preparations for one of the greatest sporting events, the Olympic Games.  As the last adjustments are being made in Brazil, however, preparations around the country are taking place in order to select the British Olympic Team.

One hundred and four years ago the Olympic Games in 1912 were to be held in Stockholm and in April that year the British Team were to be selected. At that time the sportsmen who were selected were mostly amateur and unpaid, never the less they were the very best of their field.

Glossop has always been highly active in sport over the years and 1912 was no different. April 8^th saw Glossop FC (formally Glossop North End) grab a vital point against Grimsby Town as Glossop battled against relegation in the Second Division.

Towards the end of the season, two men attend a match at North Road to observe the team. It is believed they were “tipped off” maybe by a current or ex player of Glossop that the team had obtained some “legend” players. Olympic records show that one of the men was Terry Graham, a man who worked for the British Olympic team as a sort of scout.  No one knows for sure but it is likely that the “tip off” came from Samuel Hill-Wood himself as he still owned the club although he was no longer manager. He was in London most of the time, as he was standing for MP for the High Peak.

By the end of the season Glossop FC just managed to scrape out of the relegation zone by goal difference. Immediately after the season had finish the British Olympic Football Team was announced and on the team sheet were players from Glossop Football Club.  Stockholm 1912 saw many great achievements let’s hope Team GB can do the same this year.

 By Matthew Cox

To Be Continued…