The start of 'Revealing Oldknow's Legacy' project is imminent

Although it was announced last year that the £1.5m bid for HLF  funding for the Revealing Oldknow's Legacy had been successful, the start date has been delayed because of contractual issues dealing with the lease on the land at the Mellor Mill site. 

However, the formalities are now complete and permission given to start the project. Very soon the project officer, Fiona Turpin, will be officially in post and we can expect to see the start of community activity by September of this year.

The society contacted Fiona Turpin today and this is what she had to say:

"After making so many discoveries and developing so many ideas in our prolonged development phase it is very exciting to at last be on the verge of beginning to deliver this project which will celebrate Samuel Oldknow, a significant figure of the early textile industry. The project will offer a glimpse of the industrial revolution in the North West of England and its effect upon the region and nation's social, economic and political history: from mechanisation and how people earned their living to international trade and war. The stories will be brought to life in Mellor and Marple's picturesque landscape setting using the Aqueduct, Canal, Lime Kilns and Mill sites in particular to show how it was modelled to accommodate the activities of the day and how Oldknow's legacy still very much exists. The project will offer many avenues for everyone to get involved, learn skills or have fun whilst gaining an understanding of our shared heritage and learning more about the area's history and the next three years looks set to create some great activity in the area and leave its own mark for visitors and locals alike for some time after that".

Due to the delay in the start of the project a community archaeological dig at the Lime Kilns is unlikely to take place this year. Nontheless, work has commenced with vegetation being removed earlier in the year and survey work carried out funded by English Heritage (EH). This important structure is on the EH 'Heritage at Risk' register and after many years of little work or maintenance the Lime Kilns are now getting the attention they deserve. A topographic survey and geophysical survey have been carried out which will provide a greater understanding of the site and inform a programme of community activity. The survey findings and results will be presented at the Civic Society Social Evening on Thursday 9th October this year.