Outside Mellor Church looking towards Mellor and Greater Manchester
St Thomas’ Church in the parish of Marple and Mellor is a fine, stone, grade II listed building. It contains a 12th Century Norman font and the oldest wooden pulpit in England, dating from the time of Edward II. Over the centuries, walls have been rebuilt, a tower and porch added, galleries constructed and then demolished, and the roof replaced. More recently, the screen was moved from the front of the nave to the rear creating a new chapel at the west end, and a new organ was installed in 1977.
The Church was the setting for two minutes silence, when sixteen East Cheshire Ramblers commemorated Armistice Day on a recent eight and a half mile walk, led by Ann Thompson.
Starting near Hague Bar, and following tracks and paths on the Goyt Way towards Brook Bottom and Mellor, the walkers completed most of the walk’s 1,200 ft of ascent in the first twenty minutes! Their efforts were rewarded by a lovely view south towards Disley and the Macclesfield canal. With impeccable timing, they reached the south side of St Thomas’ Church just before 11 o’clock. Their silent reflections ended appropriately with chiming of the church clock, and were followed by a coffee break, enjoying the view over Mellor and Greater Manchester. At the nearby archaeological site, they learned that the Romans had introduced some features typical of an English garden, including roses, lilies, box hedging and lavender – and the common snail!
The weather was rather dull with occasional drizzle, but this didn’t dampen the spirits of the enthusiastic rambler group, as their onward route took them to the village of Thornsett, where they descended picturesque stone steps between houses, and onto the Sett Valley trail. They continued to the Torrs Riverside Park, with its amazing gorge and the Torrs community owned and funded hydro-electric scheme. Past old mills, and along the impressive Millennium Walkway on stilts above the River Goyt, the walk finished along the river path back to Hague Bar.
Shan Bristow
Walking along the Millennium Walkway