Glossop
Glossop | |
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Approaching Glossop from the north | |
Population | Expression error: "32,428 (2001 Census)" must be numeric |
OS grid reference | SK0393 |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | GLOSSOP |
Postcode district | SK13 |
Dialling code | 01457 |
Police | Derbyshire |
Fire | Derbyshire |
Ambulance | North West |
UK Parliament | |
Glossop is a historic market town within the High Peak borough of Derbyshire, England. It has a total resident population of 32,428.
Lying about 14 miles (23 km) east of the city of Manchester and 24 miles (38.6 km) west of the city of Sheffield, Glossop is close to Derbyshire's borders with South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, and Cheshire .
Glossop is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park" (from the east of the National Park) as it is surrounded by some of the most magnificent scenery of the Peak District.
History
The town was initially developed by the Romans, and was known as Ardotalia. In the 19th Century the remains of a Roman-built fort, named Melandra Castle by modern historians. The fort was discovered by an amateur historian in the Gamesley area of the town. The fort was first built in the last quarter of the 1st century AD. It stands on high ground above the River Etherow. The extensive site has been excavated, revealing fort walls, a shrine and the fort headquarters. The site has been landscaped to provide parking and picnic areas. Glossop is mentioned in the Domesday Book and became the property of the monks of Basingwerk Abbey in North Wales. Later on, it became the property of the Dukes of Norfolk who have been closely involved with the town ever since.
Old Glossop is the name given to the original old town (Glossop itself was formerly Howard Town). This most attractive area has some fine 17th- and 18th-century cottages clustered around the Market Square and Cross. The church is Norman in origin and has an 18th-century sundial (and reputedly a ghost in the vicarage). Glossop Brook runs through the centre of the village. There is a history trail around Old Glossop, which is also the starting point of "Doctor's Gate", which is a bridleway leading from Shire Hill up to the Snake Pass and Pennine Way. In the early part of the 20th century, the Glossop Estate was sold by the Duke of Norfolk, and Glossop became a town in its own right.
A two-storey Township workhouse was built between 1832 and 1834 on Bute Street (grid reference SK043952). Its administration was taken over by Glossop Poor Law Union in December 1837. The workhouse buildings included a 40-bed infirmary, piggeries, and casual wards for vagrants. The workhouse later became Glossop Public Assistance Institution and from 1948 the N.H.S. Shire Hill Hospital[1].
On 6 April 2007 a huge blaze devastated the Wren's Nest mill in the centre of the town. It restarted around 7am after originally breaking out the previous night, allegedly through suspicious circumstances. The apartments were only recently converted from its former use as a (disused) cotton mill by a local business tycoon. Ironically, the Mill building is only the surviving half of the original mill complex, the other half of which was destroyed in a blaze in 1995.
Geography
Glossop nestles in the foothills of the Pennines, with Bleaklow to the northeast and Kinder Scout to the south. It lies on Glossop Brook, a tributary to the River Etherow, in the area commonly known as the Dark Peak. Glossop is the largest town within the borough of High Peak, and is very similar to other north Derbyshire towns in relation to its terrain and scenery.
Places and Villages within Glossop:
- Old Glossop
- Whitfield
- Dinting
- Hadfield
- Padfield
- Tintwistle
- Charlesworth
- Gamesley
- Simmondley
Demography
Glossop has a population of 32,428 according to the 2001 census[2][3]
Government and Politics
Glossop is represented by three tiers of government, European Parliament ("Europe"), UK Parliament ("national"), and a multi-tier "local" level with High Peak Borough Council ("district") and Derbyshire County Council ("county") providing the majority of public services. The villages of Tintwistle and Charlesworth have a further level of local government in the form of Parish Councils, which have certain limited powers.
Glossop is located close to the county borders of Greater Manchester, and boasts good transport links to the city of Manchester, making the area popular for commuters. For these reasons, Glossop and the western area of High Peak (including such nearby towns as New Mills, Whaley Bridge and Buxton) fall within Greater Manchester's sphere of influence. However, the area maintains a degree of separation from this conurbation due to its somewhat rural location, and upholds its own strong identity in terms of architecture, dialect and geology (e.g. buildings made of characteristic Peak District stone).
Local
Glossop has a two-tier local government, with a county council based in Matlock, namely Derbyshire County Council and a borough council based in Chapel-en-le-Frith, namely High Peak Borough Council.
Glossop was included in the "South East Lancashire Special Review Area" under the Local Government Act 1958, and the Redcliffe-Maud Report of 1969 recommended to include it in a South East Lancashire–North East Cheshire metropolitan area. Glossop was not ultimately included in the Greater Manchester area established by the Local Government Act 1972. Local people voted to stay within the County of Derbyshire in 1973 (Sharpe 2005). The county council, originally based in Derby, moved to Matlock in the late 1950s to facilitate easier travelling to the county hall from the northern extremities such as Glossop and the High Peak.
High Peak Borough Council
The High Peak Borough Council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.[4]
Derbyshire County Council Derbyshire County Council is responsible for education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning. [4]
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