Garden of Remembrance (Rose Garden) in Manor Park, Glossop
The Garden of Remembrance was dedicated in the rose garden at Manor Park in July 1931. It was opened in a grand ceremony at the Drumhead Service of the Glossop branch of the British Legion.
The garden contained about 1000 red roses. Irish yews had been planted around them to represent mourning. The seats in the garden were made of wood from HMS Powerful that had just been broken up in Northumberland.
Members of the Legion themselves worked at weekends to get the garden finished. The Manchester Evening Chronicle remarked:
“Even an ex-soldier tends to forget the war. That is quite natural; what is past is done with, and it is good that old sorrows should lose their sharpness. But for many reasons there is need for remembrance, and when that remembrance can be transformed into a lasting benefit it is to be doubly commended.”
Every year in August the British Legion held their Drumhead Service in the garden to remember those who had lost their lives in World War One.
In May 1944, Glossop suffered from a severe flood. Glossop Brook burst it banks and washed away a lot of the rose garden and Garden of Remembrance. The Second World War was still ongoing, and many areas of Glossop needed urgent repairs. In April 1945, the retaining wall to the rose garden had still not been fixed and another storm caused even more damage. Despite this the Drumhead Service still went ahead in August. Later in 1945 the retaining wall was rebuilt, and the bridges were moved to different positions.
In August 1946, the Welcome Home Committee requested to build a Garden of Remembrance with red roses, for the fallen of the Second World War.. This was accepted and they began work straight away. The Remembrance Gardens were maintained by public subscription.
In 1947 and 1949 money was gifted by the Welcome Home Committee and later the Co-operative Society to purchase red rose bushes for the Memorial Garden.
Drumhead Services
The British Legion carried on the Drumhead Service in Manor Park until the mid-1980s to remember those who gave their lives in both World Wars and more recent conflicts.
A Drumhead Service was also held in 2014 to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the beginning of World War One. There was a parade of about 200 to 300 people from the Town Hall to Manor Park. The Duke of Norfolk gave an address as part of the Service.