The busy market town of Glossop is situated towards the North West corner of the county of Derbyshire, and lies just outside the boundary of the Peak District National Park itself.

It is surrounded by lofty hills of millstone grit and bleak open heather-clad moorland, the latter is more commonly known as the Dark Peak.

Old Glossop, which is the former heart of the town, is situated just off the A57 to the east, and by taking Manor Park Road, the old town lies just beyond Manor Park with its children’s play area, miniature railway and formal gardens.

On the site of the original market, the visitor will discover a medieval cross, the top of which was added during the early part of the twentieth century to mark the coronation of king George V. There are many fine early architectural gems from the 17th century to be seen on Church Street South.

Glossop itself, took its own pride of place during the industrial revolution. With the coming of new road and railway systems, a plentiful supply of running water nearby, and the construction of more than forty mills, this offered and provided much needed employment to local people on a massive scale as the cotton spinning industry quickly began to grow.

A visit to Glossop’s Heritage Centre is an absolute must. Besides a wealth of exciting information on the region as a whole, the upper floor of this building houses an extremely fine museum of local photographs, artefacts and memorabilia, much of which was provided by local people.

This record of Glossop’s social history spans thousands of years from the time the Celtic peoples, through to the period of the Roman occupation to the west at Ardotalia, followed by the Norman conquest of Britain and on through to the present day.