The Mellor Heritage Project
Little did
Ann and John Hearle realise what they were starting when they first noticed
the crop marks in and around their garden back in 1995. Since then they have gradually unravelled
10,000 years of previously unsuspected and undiscovered archaeology at their beautiful home on the Western edge of the Peak District.
From�2006 to 2009, thanks to John Hearles very hard work and dedication to the research at Mellor we were awarded a substantial grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This grant, which follows two previous HLF grants, enabled the Trust to extend its activities from the archaeological excavations near Mellor Church to a wider area and over a longer period of time.�
The Mellor Heritage Project included the�
Whole Parish of Mellor, which lies between the Goyt and the Etherow and includes Marple Bridge,�comprising the ancient townships of Mellor and Ludworth.�Historical studies covered the scattered farms of Norman and later times, the coming of the textile mills at the end of the 18th century and their decline and closure in the 19th century, followed by the growth of a tourist attraction and a commuter community.
Teams of volunteers carried out desktop research using�historic documents and maps of the area, fiedwalking, doing geophysical investigation,�studying and recording old buildings and of course planned seasons of excavation, where permission was gained, to follow up archaeological investigation. The collected information will be made available to the community by publishing books, information leaflets, a new DVD and also�information boards and trails around the area, as well as being recorded here on our website.