Oswald Carver hardly knew what he was starting when he built a gymnasium in Chadwick Street, Marple in 1898. He thought he was founding a Lads’ Club to keep the working class boys of Marple off the streets (and out of the pubs) and help them build strong and...
The theatre was founded in 1906 as the Marple Drama Society and lived variously in Shepley Hall, the Old Tannery and various church halls before finally settling in Thomas Carver’s Recreation Club, commonly known as the Carver Institute. This venue was gradually...