A Goose's Gander — Stop 6
George the Goose at the River
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.
Illustration by children of Micklehurst All Saints
George often played with the otters that swam in the river but he made sure to hide in the trees that lined the banks when the sharp eyed eagles hunted overhead.
When he’d finished his guard duty he went over to the flour mill. There he saw the corn was being ground with a big round mill stone made of local rock, known as gritstone.
There weren’t many people who lived in Mossley, only a few hundred, and George’s mill was the only one in the area. At the mill he was given a grist of grain as a reward for keeping the apples safe from scrumpers!
Floods are nothing new in Mossley.
In 1851 a great thunderstorm caused the river to rise and a child was swept away.
In 1856 the river flooded so badly that several bridges and 3 houses were destroyed.
In 1866 another flood claimed the life of James Whitworth who drowned at Scout.
However in 1868 the summer was so dry that the town’s water supply ran out!
This date stone from Bottoms Fold is the oldest found in Mossley.