Mossley Heritage

Mossley Heritage Trails

A Goose's Gander

An image of George the Goose Micklehurst All Saints School's logo

George the Goose and Year 3 pupils at All Saints School took ‘A Goose’s Gander’ round Micklehurst and uncovered many weird and wonderful facts about people trading jars of wee for cloth and men who were dressed as shepherds but didn’t own any sheep!

Their trail takes you back to the very early days of Mossley when otters and eagles visited the valley bottom and stepping stones crossed the river.

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  1. 1
    Marle House (top of Micklehurst Road)

    George Meets George Lawton

    1850
    George the Goose was picking at the grass outside a rather posh building called Marle House when he heard a horse and carriage pull into the driveway.

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  2. 2
    Down the hill to Shepherd's Home (Huddersfield Road)

    George at the Shepherds’ Home

    1873
    George had waddled all the way to the top of Micklehurst Road and it was hot and he needed a rest. He noticed the big stone house on the corner that was called the Shepherds’ Home and that the door was propped open.

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  3. 3
    Mansfield Road Shops

    George visits the New Estate

    1946
    It was 1946 and George was watching some new houses being built on the estate – they were much bigger than the usual terraced houses of Mossley and they even had indoor toilets - what a treat!

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  4. 4
    Old All Saints Church.

    George visits the New Church

    1893
    It was 1893 and George had waddled over to watch a very important event. That morning the goose had seen 21 schoolboys from St James School pile into a horse drawn coach and set off on a trip to Belle Vue Zoo. That would be a long and bumpy ride!

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  5. 5
    Now to Old Micklehurst Station!

    George visits Micklehurst Station

    1946
    George was spending the day train spotting at Micklehurst Station. He liked the hubbub of the station and the goods yard next to it.

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  6. 6
    Now wander down to Bottoms Fold.

    George the Goose at the River

    1680
    George was making sure that no one came and stole apples from the orchard at Bottoms Fold. If any children came near, he would hiss fiercely and chase them back across the stepping stones that spanned the River Tame.

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  7. 7
    Head to the DIY shop on Manchester Rd.

    George the Goose Goes Shopping

    1872
    George crossed the River Tame via Red Herring bridge and hopped onto a horse drawn delivery wagon trundling up Waggon Road for a trip to the shops on Mossley Brow to see what tasty morsels he might find.

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  8. Now head to Mossley Heritage Centre & Emmaus!

Select a trail

Each trail was researched by one of Mossley’s schools and takes you across seven places exploring our local history!