Little did Ann and John Hearle realise what they were starting when they first noticed crop marks in and around their garden back in 1995. Since then they have gradually unravelled 10,000 years of previously unsuspected and undiscovered archaeology at their beautiful home on the Western edge of the Peak District. 

Privately funded excavation initially started to uncover what lay beneath the surface, but when it was realised just how important the site and the area around it would prove to be, they set up the Mellor Archaeological Trust to work in partnership with the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit to carry out further investigation.
Every year since 1998 the Trust has uncovered a little more of the story, supported and funded by the Friends of the Trust, the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Read the full story of the early days of the excavation.

 The Mellor Heritage Project
A substantial grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for three years has enabled us to develop this into the Mellor Heritage Project: which will enable us to research, investigate and record  the history of the whole  parish of Mellor, which includes Ludworth and Marple Bridge. This infomation will then be made as widely accessible as possible through books, leaflets and other publications, the website, our link with Stockport Museum, with Heritage Trails and information boards  throughout the area to share our discoveries about Mellor with the wider community. 

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