Derbyshire County stretches northwards from the Midlands
to the outskirts of Manchester, and enjoys some of the most spectacular and varied scenery in England.
It hosts market towns, of which Glossop is one, spas, delightful stone-built villages, impressive Churches and Stately homes.
Glossop has its roots deep in English history, with evidence of occupation during Roman, Saxon, Norman and medieval times.
Known as the "Gateway Town" to the Peak District, it is bordered on three sides by open countryside-much of it in the Peak
National Park.
The Romans came to Glossopdale about 79AD when they built their fort at Melandra. By 140AD, the
fort was abandoned. Later on, between 410 and 850AD, the first settlements were made. One of the settlers was called Glott, and
the valley where he worked the land became known as "Glott's Valley". The Anglo-saxon word for valley was "hop" so the place was known as Glott's hop,
from which Glossop was derived.
The main street of Glossop in the late 1800's.
Glossop main street and Glossop Square
Glossop Cenotaph in the town centre
One of the most famous Pennine passes, the notorious Snake Pass
outside Glossop, with an early car negotiating a tight bend. So different from the heavy
traffic today.
This is Old Glossop-the original Glossop-and once known as Howardtown.
Glossop lands were given to the Talbot Earls of Shrewsbury. The Earl's youngest daughter married
A Thomas Howard in 1606, and hence the Glossopdale Estate passed into the Howard family. Over
100 of these 17th century houses still survive today.
Below, the same row of cottages as they were in the 1700's, used by the old
yeoman farmers. The large house at the top of the street was the home of the Bailiff of the Duke of
Norfolk.
Typical cottages along the main street of Glossop in 1905 to the present day
Here, in 1944, where two streams meet, the water used to overflow onto the main road intoGlossop.
Below is a picture of recent floods to devastate many homes along the same stretch of the main street.
The Deep Cutting
One of the main roads from Manchester to Glossop, formed by a deepcutting through the hard rock. Still the same today,
but one of the busiest roads out of the town.
Glossop is famous for it's Bank Holiday markets, and popular Victorian weekend. Shops dress their windows with a Victorian theme, and people dress
in costume to parade the streets amid a hive of Victorian activity. We even have our own Queen Victoria!!
Black and white photographs by kind permission of Edith Bennett "Compilation
of Archive Photographs Series"
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