Longdendale Tales Summer Series brings five unique arts events to the unusual venue

‍

Driving along the Woodhead Pass, many of us will have noticed the little chapel on the hill, but few of us have been inside. That’s all about to change, thanks to a collective of local artists and creatives from Glossop.

‍

The ‘Longdendale Tales Summer Series’ is bringing the old Woodhead Chapel back to life throughout July, with five unique, creative events blending music, photography, poetry, history, theatre, textiles and more.

‍

The events at the unusual venue near Crowden - which is really called St James’ Church - are being curated by local sound artist Clare Savory, who started her creative journey uncovering the stories of Longdendale as part of her 2022 Pairings Project with Glossop Creates.

‍

‍

Clare was commissioned by Glossop Creates and the Peak District National Park to make a series of 28 walking podcasts exploring the chain of reservoirs near Tintwistle and Hadfield.

‍

After researching for many months, discovering stories - including whispering chimneys, plane crash survivors, world firsts and UFO sightings - and walking the well-trodden paths of the reservoirs, Clare pulled together all of her research into an online hub, which can be found at www.longdendaletales.co.uk

‍

“We’re throwing open the doors to welcome you in, to entertain and educate you and leave you as spellbound as we are, to want to know more about this incredible valley” says Clare.

‍

“I just fell down a rabbit hole. There is so much hidden history in this area, I met so many fantastic people and I wanted to put on a series of events to explore that. We have a wealth of artists living locally so I reached out and we’ve managed to pull together an incredibly diverse line up. We’re repurposing forgotten poems and songs from Victorian mill workers into songs, plays and comedy shows for a 21st century audience!”

‍

Every Monday evening across July, the events will premiere a selection of new works especially created by local artists and performers to celebrate the valley’s people and places.

‍

Amongst those bringing their expert local knowledge are archaeologist Tim Campbell-Green, National Park Ranger Matt Ross and Kate Raine from Glossop Heritage Trust. Performances will come from actors Cordelia Howard and Amy Skogen with music and songs courtesy of Arnfield Brass Band, Matt Hill, Rum Baba and Mr Magpie.

‍

The Dark Peak Photography Festival will be curating a photo exhibition and textile artist Sue Reddish will have work displayed throughout July. Clare herself will be performing a piece of live sound art, drawing from her extensive archive of interviews and field recordings as part of the podcast series.

‍

Volunteers from the Friends of St James’ Church (Woodhead and Crowden) have spent the last 12 months rescuing the chapel from dereliction. The first concert in nearly a decade was held for local residents just before Christmas. Now they’re looking to open up the venue to the wider public to help fundraise further works - this is a rare opportunity for those curious to finally see what the chapel looks like inside…

‍

During the summer series, the chapel will also be open to the public to visit for free duringMondays from midday to 4pm, where they can meet Clare, dip into her maps and books forming the ‘Longdendale Library’.

‍

Tickets are just £10 and are available online from https://longdendaletales.eventbrite.com/ All events will begin in Crowden Car Park at 7.30pm sharp and will end in time for sunset (around 9.30pm). Further information and restrictions on Eventbrite.

‍

The first event on Monday 1st July is called A Trip Through Time, and will feature archaeology with Tim Campbell-Green and landscape songs from Matt Hill.

‍

For more information, and to listen to Clare’s original podcasts, visit www.longdendaletales.co.uk

‍