Compstall

File:Compstall Touchstone 0243.JPG

Compstall was first noted as a place where farmers would meet to trade and sell their sheep, which were held at Barlow Fold, Greave Fold, Ratcliffe Fold, Beacom Fold and Lower Fold. The Touch Stone in the market place marks where deals were made; it is a glacial erratic deposited during the last ice age. Once a deal was agreed, the parties would spit on their hands and hit the stone, sealing the deal.An interpretation board on site.

In 1804, the Andrew family established a water-driven calico printing business downstream from the present mill site.{{cite web|url=http://www.askaboutcompstall.co.uk/media/yyyyy2.pdf|title=Historic Development of Compstall and the mills estate|year=2008|publisher=Ask|accessdate=2009-07-27}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} In 1821, Thomas Andrew died; the Manchester Guardian of 22 September recorded "On Friday morning the 14th inst. suddenly of angina pectoris, under which he had laboured for some years, Thomas Andrew, Esq, of Harpurhey aged 68. He has left a widow and numerous family to lament his loss." His son, George Andrew I, reorganised the business. He built a water-powered cotton mill and a reservoir to power the wheels; he had a steam engine to provide backup power. The earliest workers' cottages had been built in the southern side of the bridge in 1806; in 1823, cottages were built along Market Street on the north side and this became the heart of the village. With further mills, further houses were added to the north of the village and, by 1839, the village was almost complete.

File:Compstall Mills 0161.JPG

A Co-op store was opened in 1851 and further shops followed. The first church was the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel. The Andrews family built the multipurpose Athenaeum in 1865. St Paul's Church of England church was built in the Early English style.

Steam and gas lighting were installed in the mill by 1890 and these were replaced by electricity in 1915.

File:Compstall - Montagu Street.JPG

George Andrew experimented with printing; then, on the death of his father, started on the mill complex on the site known today. Between 1833 and 1833, he built Old Mill, a five-storey L-shaped building that fronted on the river and on Market Street. At its north end, there was a four-storey building that housed the water wheel. During the six years from 1833 to 1839, the Scotland Mill, the Victoria Mill, Provans Mill and Noah's Ark weaving sheds were built. The first two water wheels, Old Josh and North Wheel, were supplemented by the giant Lily Wheel in 1838; this was {{convert|17|ft|m|abbr=on}} wide and {{convert|50|ft|m|abbr=on}} in diameter and was built by Fairburn and Lillie.

The North Mill was added between 1839 and 1847 and the mill office was extended. The Albert Mill and a range of riverside buildings, including the mechanics shop, were extended between 1847 and 1872. Over the next 25 years, many extra weaving sheds were added and extended. By 1907, a new engine house had been added.

After a long period of consultation, planning permission was sought in July 2009 to restore and redevelop the site. It was proposed that there should be 121 residential units and {{convert|25136|ft2|m2}} of commercial space. The Victoria and Albert Mills would be refurbished to create 58 apartments. The Engine House would be restored and house the existing electricity sub-station and provide industrial space. The boiler house, with its traces of the Lily Wheel pit, would be restored and be used as commercial space. The Scotland Mill would be demolished and replaced with the New Scotland Mill with 32 two-bedroom duplex apartments overlooking the Country Park. The building would mirror the length, height and form of the original mill, using complementary materials. New 3- and 4-bedroom terraced family houses would be built along the north bank of the river where the mechanic shop once stood. A new clubhouse for Etherow Country Park Sailing Club would be built on or near the site of the now demolished Noah's Ark shed.{{cite web |url=http://www.askaboutcompstall.co.uk/news.html |title=Ask about Compstall- News July 2009 |publisher=Ask Life |access-date=28 July 2009|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091002135759/http://www.askaboutcompstall.co.uk/news.html |archive-date=2 October 2009}}

As with any scheme, there would be landscaping, the site would be tidied, parking provided and public open spaces constructed.

Compstall Hall was built by George Andrew in 1825 in the Grecian Villa style, with an imposing driveway and entrance.{{cite web |url=http://www.compstallhall.com |title=Compstall Hall |access-date=11 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216215458/http://compstallhall.com/ |archive-date=16 December 2014 |url-status=dead}} It was owned by James Walton during the 1850s.{{cite book |page=308 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b1ZSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA308 |title=Montgomeryshire worthies |first=Richard |last=Williams |publisher=Phillips & Son |location=Newtown |date=1894}}

Compstall Bridge is a Grade II listed building and carries the B6104 road over the River Etherow.{{National Heritage List for England| num=1242008 |desc=Compstall Bridge |grade=II |access-date=11 December 2014}}

{{Main|Etherow Country Park}}

Etherow Country Park was established in 1968; covering 240 acres, it is one of the oldest country parks in England and one of the most widely visited in Stockport.{{cite web |url=https://www.stockport.gov.uk/etherow-country-park%20 |title=Etherow Country Park |website=Stockport.gov.uk |access-date=8 November 2024}} The park includes several millponds and other industrial relics alongside the River Etherow.

The Goyt Way starts in the park, running for a distance of {{convert|10|mi}} through Compstall, Marple and New Mills to Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire.

There is one main tier of local government covering Compstall, at metropolitan borough level: Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. The council is a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which is led by the directly-elected Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Compstall was historically part of the ancient parish of Stockport, which formed part of the Macclesfield Hundred of Cheshire.{{cite web |title=Compstall Township / Civil Parish |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10046865#tab02 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=28 January 2025}} Stockport parish was subdivided into townships; the western of part Compstall village was in the Romiley township, but the main part of the village to the east was in the Werneth township (not to be confused with the other Werneth, {{convert|8|miles|km|sigfig=1}} to the north in Oldham). The River Etherow formed the county boundary with Derbyshire; the area south of the river was in the Ludworth township of Glossop.{{cite web |title=Cheshire Sheet XI |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/102340984 |website=National Library of Scotland |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=28 January 2025 |date=1882}}

From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the poor laws, in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Stockport, the civil functions were exercised by each township separately rather than the parish as a whole. In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so Romiley and Werneth each became civil parishes.{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II, Northern England |date=1991 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0861931270 |page=xv}}

From 1877, the part of Werneth north of the hill of Werneth Low, which area included the village of Gee Cross, was included in the local government district of Hyde, which became a municipal borough in 1881.{{cite web |title=Local Government Board's Provisional Orders Confirmation (Hyde, &c.) Act 1877 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/40-41/230/pdfs/ukla_18770230_en.pdf |website=legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=14 February 2025 |page=3}}{{cite web |title=Hyde Municipal Borough |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10173802 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=14 February 2025}} From 1880, Romiley parish was included in the Bredbury and Romiley local government district.{{cite web |title=Local Government Board's Provisional Orders Confirmation (Abergavenny &c.) Act 1880 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/43-44/58/pdfs/ukla_18800058_en.pdf |website=legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=27 January 2025 |pages=10–13}}

The Local Government Act 1894 said that civil parishes were no longer allowed to straddle borough boundaries, and so Werneth was reduced to just cover the area outside the borough of Hyde. Compstall was thereafter the largest settlement in the parish, and so in 1897 the civil parish of Werneth was formally renamed Compstall.{{cite book |title=Annual Report of the Local Government Board |date=1898 |page=286 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Annual_Report_of_the_Local_Government_Bo/7REMAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA286&printsec=frontcover |access-date=28 January 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/stockport.html|title=Stockport Registration District|publisher=UKBMD|accessdate=1 November 2024}}

In 1902, Compstall parish was made an urban district. It was relatively small for an urban district; it had a population of just 865 in 1931 (the last census before it was abolished).{{cite web |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10046865/cube/TOT_POP |title=Population statistics Compstall Tn/CP through time |publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time |access-date=1 November 2024}} The parish and urban district of Compstall were abolished in 1936. Most of the area, including the village, became part of Bredbury and Romiley Urban District, and a smaller area was transferred to the borough of Hyde. Also in 1936, Ludworth was transferred from Derbyshire to Cheshire and incorporated into Marple.{{cite web |title=Ludworth Civil Parish |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10182712#tab02 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=28 January 2025}} Bredbury and Romiley Urban District was abolished in 1974 and its area became part of the metropolitan borough of Stockport in Greater Manchester.{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government Act 1972|year=1972|chapter=70|schedule=1|access-date=15 January 2025}}

There are regular bus services on a circular route to and from Stockport town centre: the 383 travels anticlockwise to Romiley, Bredbury and Portwood; and the 384 clockwise to Marple Bridge, Marple and Offerton.{{Cite web |title=Compstall bus services |website=Bustimes.org |access-date=8 November 2024 |url= https://bustimes.org/localities/compstall |quote=}}

Compstall does not have its own railway station; the nearest is over a mile away at {{rws|Marple}}. It is a stop on the Hope Valley Line between {{rws|Sheffield}}, {{rws|New Mills Central}} and {{rws|Manchester Piccadilly}}. Services are generally half-hourly on Mondays to Saturdays, hourly on Sundays.{{Cite web |title=Timetables and engineering information for travel with Northern |work=Northern Railway |date=2 June 2024 |access-date=8 November 2024 |url= https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/travel/timetables |quote=}}

{{portal|Greater Manchester}}

{{Commons category|Compstall}}

• Listed buildings in Bredbury and Romiley

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Category:Villages in Greater Manchester

Category:Towns and villages of the Peak District

Category:Former civil parishes in Greater Manchester

Category:Geography of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport