FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Charlotte Coull Magic and Science in the Stone(s) of Alderley Edge . Alderley Edge may be a Site of Special Scientific Interest, but it has also inspired a number of fantastical myths. Its geology has been exploited by mines since the Bronze Age, and studied since the nineteenth century, but the unusual rock formations have also given rise to a rich variety of interpretations that have been woven into local folklore. How can a place be half magic and half science? How can we reconcile these two different ways of understanding an area?

Covering people and organisations from Victorian archaeologist William Boyd Dawkins to modern day fantasy author Alan Garner and the Derbyshire Cave Society, and drawing on psychogeography and phenomenology, this talk explores Alderley Edge as a place where imaginative subjectivity meets scientific objectivity. There’s also a wizard, a stone with a golden aura, and the devil himself to add to the mix. So, can we unpick this chaos to explain why Alderley Edge has been the subject of this enduring fascination?

Charlotte Coull is an independent scholar and public historian with a PhD from the University of Manchester. Her thesis examined the agency of stone in the development of British archaeological practice in India and Egypt and her research interests include

  materiality, environmental history, colonial knowledge creation and public engagement. Find her on Instagram @drcharlottecoull and YouTube @appliedhistorian.

We will be taking part in these celebrations and as soon as more details are available they will be posted.

As part of our 20th anniversary celebrations in 2025, Holcombe Moor Heritage Group are planning to organise a Local History Fair on Sunday 16th March 2025, at Greenmount Old School, Greenmount, Bury, BL8 4DS. The event will be a range of displays from various local history organisations and attractions and will be open to the public to find out more about the amazing local history groups, events and places in the area. We are planning for the event to run from 11.00am until 4.00pm. We will be serving light refreshments and are hoping to have a stall selling books about history. Exhibitors may also sell their publications if available. The event will be widely publicised and we are hoping it will attract a large number of visitors interested in finding out more about local history. We are hoping to have up to forty exhibitors.