Adventurer found ‘world’s wonder’ on home ground
SOME of you may recall a 1970s TV series Wild Wales about the travels of George Borrow, a Victorian adventure writer.
In one of his books Borrow wrote of a visit to see Marple Aqueduct, which he described as one of, “the seven wonders of the world.”
Marple Aqueduct rises 100ft above the River Goyt on three stone arches and took seven years to build and seven men were killed in the building of it.
When Borrow visited in 1812 (aged just nine) the aqueduct was only 12 years old.
He later wrote: “the stupendous erection filled my childish mind with wonder.”
Borrow’s father was a recruiting officer during the Napoleonic wars and toured Britain looking for men to take “the King’s shilling.”
After visiting Macclesfield Captain Borrow arrived at Stockport to recruit in the town between May 28 and August 2, 1812, accompanied by his young wife and two children.
At some point they visited Marple and inspected the flight of locks and the aqueduct, then busily carrying freight on horse drawn narrowboats.
Writing in his book Wild Wales Borrow had a chance to compare Marple Aqueduct with that at Pontcysyllte near Llangollen, somewhat higher and longer, but built of stone with an iron trough to carry the traffic.
Mike Kiernan also compares the two of them in the latest issue of Stockport Heritage Magazine and he asks why is Marple referred to as “the highest aqueduct” in Britain?
Borrow speaks of suffering vertigo as he walked across the aqueduct at Llangollen.
After the family visit to Marple Captain Borrow moved on to recruit in Ashton-u-Lyne, then crossed the Pennines to Huddersfield, where George briefly attended the Grammar School, and was bullied for not ringing the school bell properly.
Did he also attend the Grammar School whilst in Stockport?
If so we have no record of it.
After his best seller The Bible in Spain made him famous, Borrow indulged his eccentric interest in Gypsy culture.
He was a noted bare fist fighter (as his father had been) when this was a national sport, an expert horse rider, a scholar of languages and his two Gypsy books, Lavengro and Romany Rye, became classics.
Sadly, today he is more or less forgotten.
More information on Marple Aqueduct is in the current issue of Stockport Heritage Magazine on sale £2.80 in newsagents, WH Smith, Co-ops, bookshops and back copies at www. stockportheritagemagazine.co.uk