Trips 2023 - 2024
The Society's trips began this season with an outing to the soon-to-be-closed Robinson's Brewery in Stockport.
Eighteen members of Marple Local History Society enjoyed a very interesting and informative tour of Robinson’s Brewery on Friday 3rd November. We learned that what is now Robinson’s can trace its history back to the opening of the Unicorn Inn on Lower Hillgate in 1722. At that time Hillgate was on the main road from Manchester to London. William Robinson became the landlord of the Unicorn in 1826 and bought the pub in 1838. Like many pubs at that time, it brewed its own beer. The brewing side of the business was run by William’s son Frederic, who started selling to other pubs in the area. Robinson’s soon started buying up some of these pubs, the first being what is now the Royal Scot in Marple Bridge. From these beginning the business has grown to owning around 250 pubs across the North West and North Wales. It has remained a family business and is now run by the 6th generation of Robinsons.
- Category: Trips 2023 - 2024
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This cemetery is the largest in the country and reputed to be the second largest in Europe. The site was established in 1872 when Manchester Corporation bought 100 acres of land for £38,340. Our guide, Jonathan Schofield, pointed out that at that time the water table was at a depth of only 3 feet which made it a little problematic for 6 feet deep graves! A further 90 acres were added in 1926 and opened in 1943. The cemetery buildings (now listed) included three service chapels for Anglicans, Nonconformists and Roman Catholics designed by architect H J Paull but only one of these is still used, the others being semi-derelict. There is also a Jewish chapel to the west of the site and Muslim area to the east. The cemetery layout is attributed to City Surveyor James Gascoyne Lynde, and a few days after its consecration by the Bishop of Manchester, it was formally opened on 9 October 1879 by the Mayor of Manchester Charles Grundy.
- Category: Trips 2023 - 2024
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