Ian Littlechilds

The Peak District spa town of Buxton was hugely popular in the nineteenth century and the prospect of a railway line from Manchester to the town was desirable for railway companies during the railway boom in the Victorian age. The Manchester & Birmingham Railway opened its first Manchester station in 1840 and the line reached Stockport that year. By 1863 the London & North Western Railway finally reached Buxton, forestalling its rivals. This book follows the development of the line from today’s Piccadilly Station in Manchester to Buxton. The book examines the development of the line from its beginnings to the present day, stations and stops along the way, the lives of those who financed and built the line and rolling stock of the various companies operating the line through the years. Illustrated throughout with contemporary photographs, maps, tickets and other railwayana, the book is a fascinating portrait of what is today one of North West England’s busiest commuter routes.

Stockport sits on elevated ground 7 miles south-east of the city centre of Manchester. No part of Stockport is recorded in the Domesday Book but there are records that show a castle was built in the area in the late twelfth century and the first borough charter was granted around 1220. The town developed in size during the Industrial Revolution when its site at the confluence of the rivers Tame, Goyt and Mersey provided the water sources needed for the development of a number of mills. Today a walk around the narrow streets and passages of Hillgate provides evidence of Stockport’s rich history with the fifteenth-century Staircase House and the quaint cobbled streets surrounding the market sitting in the shadow of the historic Church of St Mary. Venture out of the centre, however, and you will find Stockport is rich in myth and legend. From the witch of Reddish Vale and ghosts of Bramall Hall to the beautifully restored, Art Deco Plaza Theatre, there is always something to catch the imagination of those visitors who wish to uncover the hidden secrets of this fascinating town.

Beautiful postcards capture the Four Heatons in all their glory.

A fascinating look at this industrial route from Bugsworth basin to Manchester

Explore Manchesterâ??s secret history through a fascinating selection of stories, facts and photographs.

'Water is Life and Heaven's Gift. Here Rivers Goyt and Tame Become Mersey. Flowing Clear From Stockport to the Sea' The Mersey springs to life in the centre of Stockport, fed by the Tame and Goyt rivers, which tumble down from the heart of the Peak District and the wild moors of the Pennines. Its 70-mile journey to the sea takes it through industrial and commercial landscapes, leafy residential suburbs, ancient water meadows, protected wetlands and the wide expanse of its tidal estuary. It enters the Irish Sea at Liverpool Bay, having emerged between the Port of Liverpool and the former seaside resort of New Brighton on the Wirral. This unique record, illustrated with new and original photographs, maps and old pictures, charts the journey of one of the world's most iconic rivers. It will appeal to all who live and work within its catchment, as well as visitors from the UK and abroad.