Exhibition of Macclesfield and Bollington railway photographs

Possibly the largest exhibition of railway photographs ever to go on display in Macclesfield will be held at Macclesfield Library between 1^st  and 16^th August – forming the last of the celebrations to commemorate the 150^th Anniversary of the opening of the Macclesfield, Bollington & Marple Railway which took place on 2^nd August 1869.

The exhibition, detailing the life of the line that closed in January 1970, has been assembled and mounted by Molly Spink on behalf of the Bollington Discovery Centre and admission is free.

Open during normal library opening hours more than 140 photographs will be on display – many in colour – spanning a period from the early 1870s through to the present day and featuring stations and scenes at Macclesfield, Bollington, Higher Poynton, Middlewood, High Lane and Marple (Rose Hill).

Included in the exhibition will be photographs of tickets, timetables and excursion notices.

Also on display are images of the two railcars – the “Bollington Bug” and the “Sentinel” – which worked the railway shuttle service between Macclesfield and Bollington during the 1920s and the 1930s – along with some fascinating photographs of the omnibuses which competed for custom with the rail services to Bollington and to Buxton and were introduced into the area after 1913.

The Exhibition will be formally opened by Councillor Janet Jackson, MBE, the Town Mayor of Macclesfield, on Thursday 1^st August at 5 pm.

The recently-published 56 page A4 book, Macclesfield, Bollington & Marple Railway – Remembered 150^th Anniversary by Basil Jeuda – priced at just £5 – will be available for purchase at the exhibition.

The book is also available at Macclesfield Visitor Information Centre in the Town Hall and at the Bollington Discovery Centre, Clarence Mill.

For visitors to the July Macclesfield Treacle Market  there’ll be a book signing session at the Visitor Information Centre on Saturday 3^rd August and another at Macclesfield Library on 10^th August.