Welcome to the web site of Mellor Archaeological Trust

The Mellor Hillfort – 2004 Open Day

The current church in Mellor sits atop a hill – the graveyard and well-manicured lawn of The Old Vicarage concealed a history dating back thousands of years – until recently. Once the thin layer of top soil was scraped back, diggers found themselves staring down at a wealth of evidence for human occupation, previously unrecorded.

Mellor Hillfort is one of the most important recent prehistoric discoveries in the NW of England. The first traces of the hillfort (which is located a little way to the east of Stockport) came to light in 1998 when unusual parch marks were observed in the fields around The Old Vicarage. Shortly afterwards, the first trenches were opened and it was confirmed that ditch was indeed an Iron Age structure.

In an attempt to raise funds to expand on the early work, The Mellor Archaeological Trust was set up by the owners of the Old Vicarage, Ann and John Hearle. In 2001 The Trust successfully applied for a grant from the Local Heritage Initiative which secured the immediate future of digging at the site. From this funding came the annual open days.

Mill Mill Landscaping (2018)

Photos from Arthur Procter

Mill Landscapin...

Trial Dig 2009

Mellor Mill Postcard: The University of Manchester Archaeological Unit (UMAU) and Mellor Archaeological Trust (MAT) carried out an archaeological evaluation in April/May 2009 at the site of Mellor Mill, Marple Bridge, Stockport (centred on the National Grid Reference of SJ 9670 8845). The evaluation was carried out as part of the Mellor Heritage Project (MHP); a three-year Heritage Lottery funded community archaeology project.

The evaluation proved successful in establishing a substantial level of surviving structural remains associated with the 18th century cotton mill in both trenches, as well as an early 19th century corn-drying kiln within Trench 1. Trench 1 also revealed the ground-floor remains of a late 19th century brick structure to the southeast between the southern elevation of the cotton mill and the mill pond which possibly served as a warehouse. A large assemblage of artefacts predominantly associated with a gassing frame were also recovered.

Read the full article here

Click here to read a full pdf copy of the 2009 Archaeological Evaluation report.

Old Vicarage Site

Mellor Mill 1792-1892

Shaw Cairn

Where is Mellor?

Now on the edge of Stockport in Greater Manchester, Mellor's location is historically important.

On the south-west and north-west, it is bordered by the two great rivers, Goyt and Etherow, which drain the SW Peak District and join to form the Mersey at the lowest point of Mellor.

On the east, a high ridge overlooks a valley, behind which is Kinder Scout. Three spurs, separated by brooks, project west from the ridge.