Marple Bridge sits low in the Goyt valley, and that position makes it one of the dampest spots in Stockport. Stone cottages line the streets around the bridge and Town Street, gardens run steeply down to the river, and mist sits in the valley on cold mornings well into the day. Anything stone here — walls, steps, setts, flags — will grow algae unless it is treated.
Because the older cottages are solid stone with lime or soft mortar, we use steam exclusively; pressure washing here causes damp problems rather than solving them. The other constant is roof and gutter work: valley humidity plus tree cover means moss establishes fast and gutters block from leaf fall every autumn, and on the steeper plots it needs proper access rather than a ladder propped against a wall.
