Rose Hill gets it's name from Rose Hill House which stood until 1945 where the Drive now runs. It is unclear when the locality itself became known as Rose Hill; in pre-1870 records, references to Rose Hill invariably meant just the house and its lands; but it could well have been as a result of the opening of the station on the Marple, Bollington and Macclesfield Railway in 1869. This line, which linked with the Sheffield and Midland Joint Railway at Marple Wharf Junction just northwest of Marple Station, ran through land which had belonged to Rose Hill House and the adjacent station was named Rose Hill Station, to distinguish it from Marple's other station on the older line. Thereafter, references to Rose Hill tend to denote the area rather than the house.
Dan Bank
The Dande family purchased land in Marple in the middle ages. The first time the name appeared on records was 1578 when an Ottiwell Dande was mentioned. In 1637 a John Dande promised Henry Bradshaw to keep the highway in good repair. A Henry Dande married Elizabeth Hibbert and today the Dande name survives as Dan Bank. Travelling the highway from Stockport to Disley would have taken you up Dan Bank. Teams of five horses drew heavy wagons to Manchester from Strines Printworks, and at the bottom of Dan Bank, the horses were regularly changed so a fresh team could pull the load up the lengthly incline. Samuel Oldknow improved the road in 1797 and it became a toll road in 1801. The tollhouse stood on the corner of Dooley Lane until demolition in the 1920s, due to road widening. A little way along Dooley Lane is the Hare and Hounds pub. In the 18th century it was one of a row of cottages, but only the pub remains today. The lay-by on the opposite side was the site of the old road before it was relocated to remove a dangerous bend. Further along Dooley Lane, towards Wyevale Nurseries, there used to be an entrance to the start of a carriage entrance to Marple Hall.
Marple Hall
The date of building on the site of Marple Hall is uncertain, but it's believed to have been by the Vernons of Haddon Hall during the reign of Henry VII. Henry Bradshaw built the hall in 1659, the construction incorporating part of an original farmhouse. Together with its estate, the hall passed from the Bradshaws to the Isherwood family. It was a family home for over 300 years, until a sale in 1929 saw the disposal of most of the china, tapestries and furniture. Falling victim to the times, the hall was vandalised, stripped, and left in such a dangerous condition that it was demolished in 1959. The estate did not lie unused for long - Marple Hall School opened on the site the following year. Links are kept with the past as the school has a Bradshaw building and an Isherwood building. There are now 1,600 pupils - the largest number of entrants to date.
Rose Hill House
Standing where The Drive now runs in the 1820s, you'd find yourself outside a country house by the name of Rose Hill, in the possession of Edward Waine. 1823 is the earliest reference to the house by name; but there's no evidence to whether it was built or merely renamed at this time. Edward Waine lived at Rose Hill until 1840 and by 1848 Alice Waine was the landowner. Rose Hill House was approached by a drive leaving Stockport Road west of Cross Lane and to the east of this stood Rose Hill Cottages. The house was set in a seven acre park and attached to it were a further 16 acres of land. By 1891, Oswald Carver was residing at Rose Hill House and bought Hollins Mill in 1859. During the next decade the estate changed hands three times and the stable block was extended and two glass houses were built in the garden. Rose Hill Cottages were demolished to make way for a new drive and a lodge was built on the foundations of one of the cottages. The last owner of Rose Hill House, Joseph Johnson developed housing between The Drive and the station and gradually along The Drive itself. By 1945, the house had gone and in its place stood five family homes. In June 1957 Manchester Corporation won an order to build over 400 council houses at Rose Hill and Hawk Green and all traces of Rose Hill House are now gone. Forever.