1790 Date stone, after the fire at Mellor Mill

SPRING 2018 Mellor Archaeological Trust Newsletter

Dear Friends,

I thought it time to update you on what has been happening at Mellor Archaeological Trust.

Throughout the winter the Mellor Mill Delivery Team have been working hard, with consultants, to put together a robust Planning Application to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council planners. The planning application is necessary to allow us to install pathways, signs and interpretation boards on and around the Mellor Mill site.

I am delighted to say that yesterday, 5th April, the submission was made and we can now keep our fingers crossed for a favourable outcome around mid-May. Once planning permission is granted contractors will move onto site to mould it into the smart mini Country Park open to the public for all to enjoy.

(left:Demolishing the remains of Mellor Mill)

 Now that the prolonged winter is at an end volunteers will have the opportunity to carry on with the consolidation works started last autumn. One of the main tasks will be to continue with the stabilisation of the masonry, especially the brickwork elements, using lime mortars.

So we are now hopeful that we will see the successful conclusion of the Oldknow’s Legacy project by early to mid-summer. This, of course, is only part of the whole Mellor/Marple heritage story being told by this project. If you haven’t already visited it is well worth going to Marple Lime Kilns to see the completed landscaping there and of course take a wander down to Marple Aqueduct where there is even a place for you to rest or maybe open that flask of coffee and reflect on the amazing achievements of our very own Samuel Oldknow.

Further information about the Oldknow’s Legacy project is available on the project website  http://www.oldknows.com/. Here, from the comfort of your armchair, you can learn about Mellor Mill, Marple Lime Kilns and Marple Aqueduct, see a photographic archive of the artefacts, take virtual tours of the sites and much, much more. I do hope you enjoy this important aspect of our local Cultural Heritage.

Since June 2016 Mellor Archaeological Trust has been a key partner in an EU funded project called STORM (Safeguarding Cultural Heritage through Technical and Organisational Resources Management).

This is a 3 year, 100% funded programme looking at the effects of Climate Change on our Cultural Heritage. MAT is one of 20 partners, working across Europe, to put in place innovative and leading edge solutions to mitigate the effects that climate change has on our Cultural Heritage.

As we now enter the second half of the project we will be focussing on obtaining data sets from our sensors and weather stations at the UK sites. We are collecting data from Shaw Cairn – a Bronze Age burial mound, Mellor Hilltop - an Iron Age Fortified Settlement and Mellor Mill – an Industrial Revolution site. Weather events of particular interest to us are increased rainfall, prolonged freeze/thaw action, winds, flooding, storms, fires, land slide and changes to the natural habitat.

We are proud to have been chosen as the UK site and hope to build on the success of this project. Other sites in Europe are Troia in Portugal, Diacletian Baths in Italy, Ephesus in Turkey and Rethymno in Greece. For further information is available on the project website at http://www.storm-project.eu/

Nearer to home members have given a number of presentations to local societies, interest groups and schools. This work is important in promoting the aims and objectives of the Trust. Should you be a member of a group or organisation that is interested in having an illustrated talk please get in touch at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss what we can offer.

We are pleased to announce that the British Archaeological Report (BAR) on the 12 years of excavations at the Old Vicarage site is nearing completion and we expect to publish this year. This is an important publication which means that the details of the excavations will be available at universities and institutions for academics to refer to and use in their research.

It is also worth browsing our website at http://www.matrust.org.uk/ for the latest news.
Our Annual FACT and FUN day, based at Roman Lakes, will take place on Sunday 9th September 2018.

Finally THANK YOU for your ongoing support of the Trust and I hope to meet you at one of our events this year.

Best wishes

Bob Humphrey-Taylor
Chair
Mellor Archaeological Trust

For a pdf newletter click here