A Virtual History Tour of Marple and District

Brabyns Hall & Estate During the Great War Brabyns Hall was used as a Military Hospital. Sadly, plans to turn the Hall into an Art Gallery, Museum, Reference Library or Assembly Hall, as a memorial to the local men who died in the war, were to fail, and it was demolished in 1952. The estate was turned into a public park in 1949 and today is owned by Stockport Metropolitan Council, and is a thriving asset, extensively used and highly valued by the people of Marple.

Marple's Iron Bridge Although Brabyns Hall did not survive the destructive period in the 1950s and 60s, when many of Marple's historic buildings were demolished, the Iron Bridge did. Between 2001 and 2008 the bridge was the subject of a community driven restoration campaign led by The Marple Website that successfully raised £556,000 to restore the bridge to its former glory. Click here to read more about the Iron Bridge Restoration Project.

Iron Bridge Restoration This album is a photographic record of the restoration of the Iron Bridge in Brabyns Park. The Iron Bridge Restoration Project was a partnership between the Marple Website, Marple Local History Society and Stockport Council. For more information about the Iron Bridge and the campaign for its restoration visit The Iron Bridge Project Diary.

Scroll Bridge Restoration The Scroll Bridge was originally built a few years before the Iron Bridge, in 1804. That's around the same time that the Marple Locks were being completed. The bridge was badly damaged and partially demolished in 1991, when the Bailey bridge was installed. These photos chart its restoration in 2007.