The Mass Trespass

On 24th April 1932 500 men and women mostly from Manchester defied the law to walk up Kinder from Hayfield. Imprisoned trespasser Benny Rotham said at his trial: “We ramblers, after a hard week’s work, in smoky towns and cities, go out rambling for relaxation and fresh air. And we find the finest rambling country is closed to us… our request, or demand, for access to all peaks and uncultivated moorland is nothing unreasonable.” The case turned public opinion in favour of the right to roam, one we treasure still.

We found this Slack & Cox bottle on Kinder in 2013. They were fizzy drinks distillers based in Ardwick, Manchester, and they were still making lemonade, ginger beer and seltzers in the ’30s at the time of the Mass Trespass.