Mellor, Greater Manchester facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mellor
View of Mellor from Mellor Churchyard
Mellor
Population	2,394
• Density	2,771/sq mi (1,070/km2)
OS grid reference	SJ990880
Metropolitan borough	Stockport
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	STOCKPORT
Postcode district	SK6
Dialling code	0161
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
EU Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Hazel Grove
List of places UK England Greater Manchester 53°23′46″N 2°01′41″W / 53.396°N 2.028°W / 53.396; -2.028

Mellor is a lovely village located in the Stockport area of Greater Manchester, England. It sits right between Marple Bridge and New Mills, which is in Derbyshire.

In Mellor, you'll find St. Thomas' Church, a primary school, and a golf course. There's also a sports club, a riding school, and three pubs: the Royal Oak, The Devonshire Arms, and The Oddfellows Arms. You can also see the historic Mellor Hall, which dates back to the late 1600s.

Mellor used to be part of Derbyshire until 1936. Then it moved to Cheshire. Finally, in 1974, it became part of the Stockport area in Greater Manchester.

What's in a Name? The Meaning of Mellor

The name Mellor first appeared in the 1200s. It was spelled Melver or Meluer back then. The name comes from old British words that are similar to modern Welsh words. Moel means "bare," and bre means "hill." So, the name Mellor once meant "the bare hill."

Mellor's Past: A Journey Through Time

The village of Mellor isn't mentioned in the Domesday Book, which was a big survey done by the Normans. However, a nearby place called Ludworth was listed. It's possible that Mellor was once part of Ludworth and they later became separate places.

Ancient Church and Pulpit

The Saxons built a church in Mellor around the 7th or 8th centuries. This was at the southern end of an even older Iron Age settlement. The church was rebuilt several times over the years.

St. Thomas' Church is home to the oldest known wooden pulpit in Britain, and possibly the world! It was made during the time of King Edward II (between 1307 and 1327). This special pulpit is octagonal and carved from a single piece of wood. The church also has a font that is over 800 years old.

Mellor Hall and Important Figures

Local stories say that Mellor Hall is built on the remains of a Norman nobleman's house. During digs at the Iron Age hill fort, a hall from the 1200s was found.

During the English Civil War, a nearby town called Marple became very important. John Bradshawe, who was a judge and lived at Marple Hall, was the first person to sign the death warrant for King Charles I.

A model of Mellor Mill and the 'Roman Lakes'

The Industrial Revolution in Mellor

Samuel Oldknow was a very important businessman in Mellor during the Industrial Revolution. He owned a large mill. Just across the River Goyt are the "Roman Lakes." These lakes aren't from Roman times. Instead, they were built to hold water for Samuel Oldknow's Mellor Mill. This cotton mill was a huge employer in the area. Sadly, the mill was destroyed by a fire in November 1892.

Another key person in Mellor during this time was William Radcliffe. He was also a mill owner and invented many things to make the textile industry better.

As the Industrial Revolution grew, coal power became more important than water power. Mellor had coal seams that could be mined. More recently, British Coal dug up the coal that was still useful.

Before the Victorian era, Mellor was a tiny village with only a few houses. This included a small group of homes called Moorend, which is now part of Mellor.

Mellor's Landscape: Geography and Geology

Mellor is located in the lower parts of the Pennines mountains. It's just outside the High Peak area of Derbyshire. Nearby villages include Rowarth, Marple Bridge, Ludworth, and Mill Brow. The town of Marple is across the River Goyt. A bit further away are Romiley and New Mills, and the villages of Hayfield and Strines.

Mellor Church and Mellor Hall are on a high piece of land. A small valley and stream separate them from the main part of the village. The oldest part of Mellor runs along the River Goyt. It stretches up the hill from Marple Bridge and spreads out where the ground becomes flatter. Newer parts of the village are along Longhurst Lane, an old road. This area used to be farmland.

At the very top of Mellor is a crossroads called Five Ways. One road goes to Mellor, another to Rowarth, a third to Strines and New Mills, a fourth to a water treatment plant, and the fifth to many farms. You can see piles of leftover rock from old mining operations here. Coal was mined in this area during the Industrial Revolution.

Because of its location, Mellor is one of the easier places to enter the Pennines from the Mersey Basin by road or on foot. It's also under the flight path for planes flying into Manchester Airport.

Mellor's Rocks and Soil

Mellor is in a gritstone area. This part of the Peak District is called the Dark Peak. The limestone area of the Peak District is known as the White Peak. The rocks under Mellor are from the Carboniferous period. They are called the Millstone Grit series. Below these are shales, mudstones, and older gritstones.

Boulder clay, left over from the Ice Age, is usually found just below the topsoil. Long ago, the entire Peak District, including Mellor, was covered by warm water. We know this because the limestone in the region contains fossils of coral and other creatures that lived in shallow, warm water.

The gritstone formed from deposits laid down about 300 million years ago on top of the limestone. Shallow coal deposits are found on top of the gritstone, but most of these have been mined out. Very deep coal deposits are further into the Pennines, but many of these have also been used up.

The soil in Mellor has a lot of peat and can get boggy easily. However, there are no permanent peat bogs in Mellor itself. One interesting fact about Mellor's geology is that it has very little iodine, especially in the water of the River Goyt. If people don't get enough iodine from other foods, it can cause a swollen thyroid gland. This condition used to be known as "Derbyshire Neck" or goitre.

Neighbouring districts and places.

	Marple Bridge	Ludworth	High Peak
	Marple		High Peak
		Mellor
	Marple	New Mills	New Mills

How Mellor is Governed

Mellor used to be a small area called a township and a chapelry within the larger parish of Glossop. In 1866, Mellor became its own separate civil parish. On April 1, 1936, the parish was combined with Marple and became part of the Marple Urban District in Cheshire. In 1931, Mellor had a population of 1,712 people. Finally, in 1974, it became part of the Stockport district in Greater Manchester.

People of Mellor: Demographics

According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2001, Mellor had a population of 2,394 people. There were slightly more females than males. Out of people over 16, about 18.8% were single, 54.6% were married, and 6.6% were divorced. This was different from the wider area, with more married people and fewer single people in Mellor.

Mellor had 1,070 households. About 27.4% were single-person homes, and 43.5% were married couples living together. A small number were couples living together without being married (5.7%) or single parents (5.9%). About 20.9% of people aged 16–74 did not have any formal school qualifications.

In 2001, most of Mellor's residents (88.4%) said they were Christian. A small number were Muslim (1.0%) or Hindu (0.2%). About 5.8% said they had no religion.

How Mellor's Population Changed

Mellor's Economy: How People Work

A few small businesses operate out of the old mills scattered around the countryside. There is also some farming, mainly raising sheep and beef cattle. Horses are very common in Mellor, and horse-riding is a popular activity. The area has many old paths perfect for riding.

In 2001, many Mellor residents worked in manufacturing (18.3%), retail (16.3%), and health and social work (12.2%). Education (12.0%) and business services (11.7%) were also common jobs. Mellor had more people working in education, farming, and public administration compared to the national average. It had fewer people working in finance and transport.

Sports and Fun in Mellor

Mellor is a great place for sports!

Lacrosse

The Mellor Lacrosse Team has been very successful for over 80 years. They have won the North of England men's championship many times, most recently in 2006. The club has three men's senior teams and a junior section for younger players. They recently started a ladies' team too. The club often hosts visiting teams from the US for both junior and senior games.

Football

Mellor Football Club started in 1923. Their home ground is Wood Lane in Marple. The club currently has four teams for adult players. Mellor's first team plays in the Premier Division of the Lancashire & Cheshire League. They won the Stockport Senior Cup in the 2004–05 season.

Cricket

Mellor Cricket Club used to have two senior teams that played in the Derbyshire and Cheshire League. Before that, they played in the Glossop and District League and the High Peak League. Now, they play in the Cheshire County League 3rd XI Saturday Division 2 under the name "Marple-Mellor."

Tennis

The tennis club was formed between 1945 and 1950. It started with just one grass court. Later, it added two shale courts and then two all-weather courts. These were eventually replaced with astroturf. The club has three men's and three ladies' teams in the Slazenger North East Cheshire League.

Badminton

Mellor's badminton club has eight teams. Two teams play in the Tameside Badminton League, and three play in the Stockport Badminton League. They also have three Junior teams in the Stockport Badminton League.

Golf

The golf course winds through a quiet part of Mellor. From the course, you can see amazing views over Greater Manchester. On a clear day, you might even spot the Welsh Mountains!

Community Groups and Events

Mellor has many different societies and groups. These range from church activities to painting and walking clubs.

Some of these groups organize charity events. For example, every four years, local residents open their private gardens to the public. This event is called Mellor Open Gardens day. It raises money for Cancer Research UK and helps support the local Parish Centre. Another event is the Mellor March, where people do a sponsored walk around the edge of Mellor to raise funds.

Getting Around: Transport in Mellor

Mellor has three bus routes. The 375 bus, run by Little Gem, goes to Stockport by way of Marple and Hazel Grove. This bus runs once an hour on weekdays. There are also two school bus services, the 802 and 819, which come to Mellor from Rose Hill and Harrytown.

The village does not have its own train station. The closest one is Marple station.