Ashton-under-Lyne.com Photo Blog

Prince of Orange

2012-01-30T21:02:00.000Z

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows the Prince of Orange pub on the corner of Warrington Street and Wellington Road, in Ashton.

A public house by that name has existed in this location since before 1817. However, a quick look at the building's architecture will tell you that the building is more modern than that. Indeed, it was rebuilt in 1926, after the pub was taken over by Robinson's Brewery. Its design features mock-Tudor timbered gables, which were fashionable in that period.

The Prince of Orange pub is near Ashton Railway Station that was featured here last week.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Prince of Orange" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Hello, I'm on the Skyline...

2012-01-26T20:14:00.000Z

Hello dear. I'm on the skyline! No, the skyline. You know - the horizon.

Yes, I'm just taking the dog for a walk up near Hartshead Pike. Would you believe it - there's some bloke crouched down in the grass over there taking a photo of me. Or maybe he's trying to photograph the sunset. I'd better get out of his way, otherwise I might spoil his photo by making an interesting silhouette against the colourful sky.

Okay dear, I'll be back home in about ten minutes....

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Please leave a comment below and please rate this photo using the 5 star system below. The highest-ranking photos will be considered for the Photo of the Year at the end of 2012!

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

ABC Wednesday: Bridge

2012-01-24T18:59:00.000Z

Today's post for ABC Wednesday is B for Bridge.

Like last week's photo, this is another image showing the Ashton Canal. This location, on the boundary between Ashton and Audenshaw, shows a disused railway bridge crossing the canal.

In the background is Guidebridge Mill, the largest cotton mill to have been built in Ashton. The photo was taken last year before the trees shed their leaves!

See Birds Eye View of this location.

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"Bridge" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "B" posts from around the world please follow this link.

Please leave a comment below and please rate this photo using the 5 star system below. The highest-ranking photos will be considered for the Photo of the Year at the end of 2012!

Railway Station

2012-01-23T20:10:00.000Z

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows Ashton under Lyne railway station. Some of you will be pleased to note that I haven't followed the trend of calling it the Train Station!

The train that has pulled up at the platform is heading for Manchester Victoria.

There were at one time three railway stations around Ashton's town centre. This station was originally known as Charlestown station, while the two that have closed now were Park Parade and Oldham Road stations. The station has two platforms on an island between teh tracks. The ramp leads down to the subway that leads out towards Wellington Road.

The building visible in the background is Tameside Council's administrative office block, which was also seen in the background of the photo that appeared here two weeks ago.

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"Railway Station" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Mill Chimney

2012-01-19T21:19:00.000Z

You can't help but look up towards the sky as you pass the subject of today's Sky Watch image, the Junction Mill Chimney in Ashton.

Junction Mill itself has now gone and has been replaced with blocks of apartments overlooking the canal. However, the unusual octagonal chimney has been retained as a reminder of Ashton's industrial past.

The chimney is 210 feet high and was built in 1867. Instead of being round in profile, it has eight flat sides and is topped with a crenellated crown.

This photo was taken from the same spot as this photo of the Ashton Canal which appeared here a couple of days ago, but looking in the opposite direction.

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

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Please leave a comment below and please rate this photo using the 5 star system below.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

ABC Wednesday: Ashton Canal

2012-01-17T23:16:00.000Z

We're back with ABC Wednesday after a break. Another round is starting and the subject of today's post is A for Ashton Canal.

When it was opened in the 1790s, the canal was officially known as the Manchester, Ashton under Lyne and Oldham Canal, but these days it is simply known as the Ashton Canal. The main part of the canal ran the 6 miles eastwards from Manchester to Ashton. There were several branches of different lengths leading off the canal, including one to Stockport and one to Hollinwood in Oldham, but the branches are now closed. These canals were built to carry coal from the area around Ashton down into Manchester.

The elegant stone arch on the right carries the towpath over a junction which leads to the Peak Forest Canal. The Ashton Canal continues ahead for a further half mile to to Whitelands, where it joins the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. The wide area of water on the left is known as Portland Basin. The old cotton mills that once stood on each side of the basin have now gone and have been replaced with apartment blocks.

See Birds Eye View of this location.

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"Ashton Canal" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "A" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below and please rate this photo using the 5 star system below.

Ashton Infirmary

2012-01-16T19:57:00.000Z

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows the former Ashton under Lyne District Infirmary building.

The building, which is on Darnton Road, was built in 1861. Behind the Infirmary was Ashton's 1847 Workhouse. The parts of the Infirmary and Workhouse buildings that still stand are now part of Tameside General Hospital, along with a number of large, modern buildings.

No longer being suitable for medical purposes, the Infirmary building now houses administrative offices. The building had large wings containing wards on each side which have been demolished in recent years as part of the modernisation of the hospital site.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Ashton Infirmary" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Market Place

2012-01-10T07:03:00.001Z

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows some of the stalls on Ashton Market.

Even on a Winter's day there is plenty of colour to be seen on the stalls of the open market.

In the background are the unloved council offices. Rumour has it that the council may be contemplating the idea of redeveloping the site of these offices as much of the office space is now empty.

Ashton has had a market since the year 1284!

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

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"Market Place" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

The Bird Tree

2012-01-05T20:46:00.000Z

Today's Sky Watch image looks up into the branches of a tree in Warrington Street, at the side of Ashton Market Ground.

The tree may not have many leaves left - I can see only around a dozen - but it more than makes up for this in birds! In fact, the tree is so popular that one bird has found itself a perch on a pole that is used for floral displays in the warmer months!

The birds are nearly all looking the same way. My guess is that they are watching the pictures on the large display screen above the entrance to the Ladysmith Centre!

Fans of Roald Dahl might wonder whether Mr Twit has passed this way recently!

The photo was taken on one of the bright but cold days that Ashton has had in between the wet and windy days.

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Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Photo of the Year 2011

2011-12-31T21:56:00.001Z

During the year, many of you have been rating the photos that have appeared on this blog using the 5-star system below each post. Having now looked at the ratings for all of 2011's posts, I have found that the clear winner was this atmospheric evening view of Hartshead Pike:

Just for a change, this is the first time that the Photo of the Year has not been a snow scene! However, Hartshead Pike is always a popular subject and last year's Photo of the Year was a snow scene that included Hartshead Pike!

Sorry, but I didn't have time to draw up a short list of photos this year and had to rely entirely on the 5-star rating system, so please don't forget to rate the photos during 2012!

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View the Photos of the Year on other photo blogs by visiting City Daily Photos.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Thank you for visiting this blog during 2011. I wish you all the best for 2012 and hope to have the pleasure of your company here during the year.

A Happy New Year to you all!

Old Railway Line

2011-12-26T20:34:00.000Z

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows this bridge that carries Cranbourne Road across an old railway line.

The railway line was the Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Railway which opened in 1861 with stations at Ashton, Oldham Road (where Monk's Garage is) and at Park Bridge, where a 12-arch viaduct carried the line high above the Medlock Valley.

Passenger trains ceased in 1959 but the railway carried freight until 1967, after which it was dismantled. In recent years the trackbed has been given a good surface and is now a cycle way and foot path from Ashton to Park Bridge. The path starts at Turner Lane, not far from the town centre, and is a good and easy route out into the countryside.

Few of the people who drive or walk across the bridge on Cranbourne Road realise that they are crossing such a smart 3-arch brick viaduct.

I showed you a view of this bridge from the other side in 2008.

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

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"Old Railway Line" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Ashton Town Hall at Christmas

2011-12-24T23:19:00.000Z

Today's photo shows Ashton's Town Hall at Christmas, complete with tree and decorative lights. It is seen looking from the front of the Market Hall.

A Merry Christmas to all followers of this blog! Thank you for visiting.

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Next week I will show the Photo of the Year for 2011, which will be decided by you, the visitors, according to which photos have received the most support from the 5-star rating gizmo at the very bottom of each post (just above 'Add your comment'). Please don't forget to rate the photos, especially if it is one that you like! If you are bored over the Christmas holiday, you could always browse back through the photos and rate those that you like, if you have not been doing this at the time!

Heyrod and Millbrook

2011-12-23T08:51:00.000Z

Today's Sky Watch photo shows the scene looking across the Tame Valley at from Heyrod. Above the rooftops of houses in Heyrod, we see Millbrook on the other side of the valley, near the entrance to the Brushes Valley.

Near the centre of the photo is the chimney of Oakwood Mill, seen here in 2009. To the right of that, beside a pylon, Staley Hall can just be seen.

The rounded outlines of Harridge Piker and Hollingworthall Moor shape the boundary between land and sky in a satisfying way.

Heyrod is on the fringe of Stalybridge about four miles east of Ashton.

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See Google Street View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Snow Angel

2011-12-19T21:54:00.001Z

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows you a Snow Angel, or rather, an Angel in the Snow. However, this is no angel shape made in the snow by someone lying on the ground, but Ashton's Angel Hotel on a snowy day!

Yesterday began with an unexpected thin covering of snow, which quickly disappeared from the town centre although, away from the roads, the white covering lingered on through the day. Today saw a thaw and most of the snow has now gone, except on the higher ground.

The Angel Hotel, seen here in more detail, was built in 1868, but this replaced an earlier inn nearby. To the left is St Michael's Square, built on the site of Ashton's original Market Place and the heart of the old town. In the background, silhouetted against the low winter sun, is the Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Snow Angel" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Winter is coming!

2011-12-15T19:59:00.000Z

If today's Sky Watch image doesn't make you feel chilly....

Yes, it's a reminder that Winter really is upon us. A small number of hardy leaves still cling forlornly to the trees as we look out across the damp and chilly landscape of the Tame Valley in Mossley. Although Mossley is only 4 miles from the centre of Ashton, it is surrounded by hills, with a thin coating of snow on the higher slopes.

Just add a thin, miserable sleet falling and a chill wind and the warm days of Summer are nothing but a distant memory!

It seems to be such a short time ago that this same view was so very different. Such is the turning of the seasons....

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See Google Street View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Roxy Shops

2011-12-12T22:30:00.000Z

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows you this row of shops on Queens Road at Hurst Cross.

They are known as the Roxy Shops because they stood opposite the Roxy Cinema. The cinema has long-since gone and a small Asda store now stands on the site. However, the name of the cinema lives on with Roxy Angling Supplies.

The shops were built with a surprisingly attractive frontage, featuring mock timbered gables. However, this is marred by the metal roller shutters that are probably a necessity for shops all over the country these days.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Roxy Shops" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Brick Wall

2011-12-05T18:58:00.001Z

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows you a brick wall. However, Ashton being an interesting town, you would expect this brick wall to be rather interesting.

It is the front wall of the former Wesleyan Methodist Sunday School on Mill Lane, which we saw back in October, and of which I promised to show you more.

The school was built in 1877 as indicated by the date stone and, as you would expect from a Victorian building, includes some fanciful decoration, which is in the form of inlaid stone bands, window pillars and keystones, along with arches formed from tapering bricks and stone hoodmoulds above to direct dripping rain away from the windows. The lettering "Wesleyan Methodist Schools" is carved into the stone band.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Brick Wall" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Getting Dark

2011-12-01T20:15:00.001Z

Today's Sky Watch image looks towards Mossley Library across the former Market Ground.

The gathering darkness of a late Autumn evening is highlighted by the lights shining from the windows of the library and from the three bus shelters.

To the right are the near-silhouettes of the towers of the fire station tower and of St George's Church.

One of the street bights has come on but the Christmas lights attached to the lamp posts have not yet sprung into action.

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See Google Street View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Old and New

2011-11-28T23:27:00.001Z

Today's view shows the changing world of Ashton under Lyne.

The recently-completed Tameside Centre for Enterprise building sits on the corner of Old Street and Bentinck Street, in the St Petersfield re-generation area.

To the left of it can be seen Good Hope Mill, built in 1824, the oldest cotton spinning mill in Ashton to survive intact.

To the right, behind the trees, is the Witchwood pub. This was built some time before 1850 and has previously been named the Painters Arms, the Rifle Brigade, the Globe and the Gamecock. The Witchwood now has a widespread reputation as a music venue.

Beyond the pub, to the right, can be seen The Armoury and the Central Library. Old Street, as the name suggests, was the original main throughfare through the town of Ashton.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Old and New" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Reach For The Sky

2011-11-24T19:58:00.001Z

Today's Sky Watch image shows the view across Manchester Road in Mossley towards the steep slopes of Noonsun Hill.

Reaching for the sky in the foreground is a council workman who is taking a break from his normal job of replacing street light bulbs and is attaching Christmas lights to the lamp posts. They may only be humble Christmas lights in comparison with other towns but they add a touch of cheer and jollity.

If you click the image to see the larger version, you will just see on the far skyline, to the left of the lamp post, the tall shape of the Saddleworth war memorial at Pots and Pans Rocks.

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See Google Street View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Former Bank

2011-11-21T23:09:00.001Z

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows a building that was once a bank on Stamford Street in Ashton.

There is lettering on the walls saying "County Bank". It later became the Trustee Savings Bank until a newer building was opened on Old Street (now Lloyds TSB).

Since ceasing to be a bank, this attractive building has had a number of uses, including a bar, as was seen when I last showed a photo of this building.

It appears to have been divided into two units, with a new door below the window on the front of the building. Signs show that sunbeds and a tattoo parlour are to be found within. A notice over the corner door announces the "Amazing Good News Gospel Church".

Stamford Street was once the main shopping and commerce street in Ashton but, as the shops have migrated northwards into the Ladysmith Centre and the "Arcades" mall, the street has had to re-invent itself as the buildings find new purposes.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Former Bank" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Hartshead Pike Again

2011-11-17T20:28:00.001Z

For today's Sky Watch image we pay a return visit to Hartshead Pike.

This photo was taken on the same evening as last week's photo, but looking in the other direction, away from the setting sun. The only tree anywhere near the summit of Hartshead Pike bends its barren branches towards the sky and the pointed tower.

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Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

A New Supermarket

2011-11-14T20:35:00.001Z

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows the newest supermarket to open in Ashton.

This is a mini-Asda store that has opened a week ago on Queens Road, Hurst Cross. The building was originally a Co-op supermarket and I showed this picture of it in 2008.

The Co-op kept it's "Late Shop" open round the corner on Kings Road, which may have reduced the profitability of the store on Queens Road. The store was bought by Netto just before Asda took over all of Netto's UK stores, which is why it has now become an Asda, even though Asda have a large superstore on Cavendish Street.

When I took this photo last week the car park was pretty full suggesting that the new store is attracting a lot of interest. I have a feeling the Co-op may regret having sold the shop, as the Late Shop seemed pretty quiet that day.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"A New Supermarket" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Hartshead Pike

2011-11-10T18:49:00.001Z

Today's Sky Watch image shows the tower on the summit of Hartshead Pike.

It is a long time since I included a photo of this well-known local landmark, which stands on the hill between Ashton and Mossley. Hartshead Pike commands a wide view westwards and is a wonderful spot for watching sunsets.

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Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

P.S. Apology to last week's visitors: I am sorry to say that there was a broken link to the larger version of last week's photo. The link is now mended but, if you missed it, the larger image can be viewed here. Sorry if this spoiled your enjoyment of last week's Sky Watch contribution from this blog.

Stamford Park Conservatory

2011-11-07T20:00:00.000Z

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows the "Conservatory" in Stamford Park, on the border between Ashton and Stalybridge.

This is not your average conservatory added on to the back of a house. This is the John Nield Conservatory, which is effectively a hothouse in which exotic plants grow. A sign over the entrance tells how it was "erected and furnished with plants from the legacy left to Stamford Park by the late John Nield Esq. J.P. Apsley House, Ashton under Lyne, Opened 3rd Oct 1907."

I showed you a photo looking up at the roof structure inside the conservatory three years ago.

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

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"Stamford Park Conservatory" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Golden Evening

2011-11-03T19:49:00.000Z

Today's Sky Watch image shows the view along Argyle Street in Mossley on Thursday evening.

The golden sky was made more striking by the glowing clouds reflecting the sun, which had already set below the hill. The cupola and spire of St Joseph's Church add interest to the silhouette of the buildings.

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See Google Street View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Red Railings

2011-11-01T01:04:00.001Z

November's Theme Day is on the subject of "Fences". I imagine that railings count as fences? I do hope so, as I want to share this rather neat square of red railings around the War Memorial in Globe Square, in Ashton's neighbouring town of Dukinfield.

The railings, like the flower planters and the street lights, are painted in the distinctive browny-red with which all Dukinfield's street furniture is painted.

In a few days time the memorial will be adorned with wreaths of poppies to commemorate the men and women of Dukinfield who have fallen in the service of their country.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Red Railings" is my contribution to this month's City Daily Photo Theme Day of "Fences". Please check out the other blogs taking part. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Leaves in Stamford Park

2011-10-31T23:30:00.000Z

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows autumn leaves in Stamford Park, on the border between Ashton and Stalybridge.
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Is it really Autumn? The leaves have certainly been falling but then the temperature rises again and plants continue to grow. We have seen some of the warmest October days on record this year. It must be confusing for the animals and plants!

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Leaves in Stamford Park" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Dawn over Buckton Moor

2011-10-27T20:22:00.003+01:00

Today's Sky Watch image shows the golden dawn lighting up the sky over Buckton Moor, as seen from Mossley.

The view is eastwards across the Tame Valley and just right of centre is the prominent outline of the hill atop which lie the remains of Buckton Castle. It is possible to make out the silhouette of the earthworks that formed the ramparts of the castle.

The castle was probably built in the 12th Century but was in ruins by 1360. Excavations show that it had stone walls 10 feet thick, with a tower and gateway. Little can be seen these days apart from the earthworks. The prominent hilltop on which the castle stood makes an interesting silhouette skyline.

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Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

War Memorial

2011-10-24T20:49:00.000+01:00

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows Ashton's War Memorial which commemorates those who have given their lives for their country in various conflicts in the last hundred years. It is situated in the Memorial Gardens beside Crickets Lane.

The Memorial is built of 50 tonnes of Portland Stone, topped with a bronze statue showing a wounded soldier and an angel of peace. On each side are statues of lions. The two simple blocks on each side of the path in the foreground commemorate those who have fallen in recent conflicts.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"War Memorial" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Rainbow

2011-10-20T22:57:00.003+01:00

Today's Sky Watch image shows a rainbow over Mossley, about 4 miles from Ashton, earlier in the week.

Because Mossley is the steep-sided valley of the River Tame, you can see the hills and houses through the rainbow! Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, the sky appears darker than the hillside!

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Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Decorative Window Surround

2011-10-19T21:12:00.002+01:00

As promised, here is a close-up of some of the detail of the former Wesleyan Methodist Sunday School seen earlier this week..

These are the central windows on the ground floor of the western end of the building. Even with the windows boarded up, the decorative stonework and tapering brickwork look magnificent in the sunshine.

More to follow.

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Wesleyan Methodist Sunday School

2011-10-17T20:25:00.001+01:00

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows one of Ashton's splendid old buildings. Sadly it is one that has been disused for some years.

This is the former Wesleyan Methodist Sunday School on Mill Lane, just off Stamford Street, in Ashton town centre.

The school was built in 1877 but there just isn't the same demand for Sunday Schools these days. It is understood that the building has planning permission to be turned into apartments, which woul dbe a good use of the building, as long as the attractive exterior is retained.

The building actually appears to be in a better state than when I photographed it in 2008. There is less foliage sprouting from the roof and many of the boards covering the windows have been renewed.

I will show some close-ups of some of the decorative brickwork in future posts.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Wesleyan Methodist Sunday School" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

St Michael's Church

2011-10-13T20:08:00.000+01:00

Today's Sky Watch image shows Church of St Michael and All Angels, the Parish Church of Ashton under Lyne.

There has been a church on this site before the Norman Conquest, as the Domesday Book of 1088 mentions a St Michael's Church in the east of the ancient parish of Manchester. Parts of the present building date from the fifteenth century but most of the structure was re-built in Victorian times.

The church is seen from the other side of Ashton town centre's bypass. The shiny pointed obelisk is a sort of sculpture to indicate that the building behind me (the former Labour Exchange) is now an apartment block known as The Point.

The obelisk and the points on the church tower all draw the eye to the sky with its thin, wispy clouds.

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See Google Street View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Old Street

2011-10-10T21:40:00.003+01:00

Today's photo shows Old Street in the centre of Ashton under Lyne. Old Street is appropriately named as it follows the line of the original road that ran through the town from Manchester towards the Pennines for at least 800 years.

The buildings along Old Street are not that old but some of them are several hundred years old. One of the buildings, just out of sight around the corner, has a date of 1744 on it. [See this post from last year.]

Old Street may not be the hub of the town's activity any more but is still fairly busy and the central section is pedestrianised, creating a more relaxing environment for shoppers.

See Bird's Eye View of this location. (The Google Street View car has not managed to cover this pedestrianised street!)

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"Old Street" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Albion Church

2011-10-06T22:12:00.000+01:00

Today's Sky Watch image shows the roof and spire of Albion Church, near the town centre of Ashton.

The church was built as the largest Congregationalist church in the north of England. The Earl of Stamford had refused to sell the Congregationalists land to build their new church, so a Congregationalist member sold them this land which faced St Michael's C of E Parish Church across a slight dip. The spire was deliberately built to be 2 feet taller than the tower of the nearby Parish Church as a gesture of defiance!

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See Google Street View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Market Avenue

2011-10-03T22:09:00.000+01:00

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne is looking along Market Street towards the Market Hall. The photo was taken on Saturday when we were 'enjoying' record high temperatures for October. You can almost see the slow way that the people in the picture are moving about. It was too hot to be energetic!

Market Street was originally called Dungeon Street as there was a prison lock-up there. It was re-named in the 1820s when the market was re-located here from St Michael's Square.

See Google Street View of this location (or as near as the Google car could get).

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"Market Avenue" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

My World visitors may like to read yesterday's post about a piece of Ashton's history that has been saved for the local people.

Court Leet Chair

2011-10-02T23:50:00.000+01:00

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This is Ashton under Lyne's Court Leet Chair. It was on display on Saturday during the Tameside Heritage Fair at Albion Church. It is the first time it has been on public display.

A Court Leet was a manorial court dealing with feudal issues that came under the jurisdiction of the Lord of the Manor. It generally dealt with civil matters but could sometimes deal with petty criminal offences.

This was the official chair in which the steward would sit to preside over the court. This particular chair dates from the early nineteenth century and bears the coat of arms of the Earl of Stamford.

Ashton's Court Leet met twice a year until the 1880s in the Court Leet House which stood in the old market place in St Michaels Square. It then continued to meet annually until the 1950s.

The chair was recently bought at auction by the Tameside Local History Forum for the people of Tameside. The forum is glad to have been able to retain a part of our local heritage but would welcome donations toward the cost of buying it! It is hoped that a place can be found where it will be on permanent public display.

Crime Lake

2011-09-29T20:01:00.000+01:00

Today's Sky Watch image is looking across Crime Lake, between Ashton and Oldham.

The weather has been rather hot lately, so the sky is rather hazy even though it was sunny. The hazy sky is reflected hazily on the surface of the lake.

In the distance can be seen the former cotton mills in Hathershaw. Apart from these distant glimpses of industry, you could imagine yourself to be miles from a town here.

Crime Lake was formed when the Hollinwood Canal was built on an embankment over a small valley, which was then allowed to fill up after a culvert collapsed. In Victorian and Edwardian times the lake was a popular destination for Sunday afternoons out.

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See Bird's Eye View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Pie Shop

2011-09-26T20:17:00.000+01:00

Today's photo from the world of Ashton under Lyne shows the pie shop on Kings Road at Hurst Cross.

Right in the middle of this block of terraced houses in the Hurst Cross area of Ashton is Bradley's Bakery. Not only do Bradleys sell bread, cakes and the most delicious pies, but they also bake them on the premises. You can catch a glimpse of the wonders of the bakery through a doorway behind the shop counter.

This photo is unusual in that it shows some parking spaces available in front of the shop. There is usually a queue of customers inside the shop, several of them people who were passing by on their cars. At ;unchtime the queue can be out of the door. That has to say something about the products on sale!

The family business began in Oldham in 1960, moving to the present location in 1981. The delicious range of pies on offer include Pork, Beef, Steak & Cowheel, Cheese & Onion and Pork & Bury Black Pudding! If you want to see photos of these pies, they why not indulge in a little food porn by visiting the Bradley's Bakery web site?

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Pie Shop" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Towards Carrbrook

2011-09-22T20:16:00.000+01:00

Today's Sky Watch image is looking across the Tame Valley towards Carrbrook. The photo was taken on the slopes of Luzley Brow, on the hill between Ashton and Mossley.

The band of houses visible across the middle of the photo are in Carrbrook and Buckton Vale, both in Stalybridge.

The hill behind them is Harridge Pike, with Hollingworthall Moor in the background to the right, separated by Brushes Valley.

The photo is taken from a footpath which curves away to the left, leading towards Bottom Mossley.

The rounded hills are echoed by the clouds floating above them, linking the sky with the landscape.

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See Google Street View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Bowling Green

2011-09-19T20:12:00.000+01:00

Today's photo from the world of Ashton under Lyne shows the Bowling Green at the bottom of Penny Meadow.

If you were expecting to see a bowling green like this one in Stamford Park or this one at King George's Playing Fields, then I am sorry to disappoint you. This particular Bowling Green is a pub in the centre of Ashton, close to the Market Hall. It stands on the corner of Penny Meadow and Market Street.

It is one of Ashton's oldest pubs, dating from at least 1792. Like many of Ashton's pubs, it has had a few changes of name. It was originally the Hare and Hounds, then the Bridge End, although there is no bridge nearby. By 1803 it had become the Bowling Green, a name it has kept ever since. Oddly, I can find no evidence that there was ever a bowling green here although it is possible that one existed in 1803 before the Penny Meadow area was built up.

As well as having had several changes of name, while the pub has remained in the same spot for 220 years, it has had several changes of address in that time - Marland Square, The Pingot, Cowhill Lane, Katherine Street and, finally, Penny Meadow.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Bowling Green" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Monochrome Moment: Tudno Mill

2011-09-17T14:44:00.000+01:00

After a little holiday break, the photo blog returns with another "Monochrome Moment".

Today's photo shows the Tudno Mill, in Smith Street, off Manchester Road in Ashton. This was originally Ryecroft Mill No. 3 and was built in 1845 as part of the huge Ryecroft cotton spinning mill complex. It is now a biscuit factory, as can be detected by the nostrils of those passing through the area!

The building's clean lines and angles make it appear particularly dramatic in black and white.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Tudno Mill" is my contribution to "Monochrome Weekend". Please follow the link to visit other sites taking part.

The Hillgate

2011-08-16T22:07:00.005+01:00

Today's glimpse at the world of Ashton under Lyne shows the Hillgate pub in the Hurst Brook area of Ashton.

The Hillgate stands on Pot Hill, which was once Hillgate Street, a densely-packed area of Victorian terraced housing. Apart from 4 houses on Union Road, the pub was the only building left standing when the area was re-developed in the 1960s.

It is a splendid brick building with stone banding, constructed in 1899. It replaced an earlier pub on the site called the Old Original Colliers Arms, which was build some time before 1812. The name reflects the history of small-scale coal mining that had taken place in the area. The re-built pub was still known as the Colliers until 1973. The building was sold recently and appears to be no longer a pub.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"The Hillgate" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

I apologise to regular followers of this blog that I am currently not able to post images as frequently as normal.

Greenfield

2011-08-08T20:07:00.005+01:00

For today's photo we open the world of Ashton a little wider with a visit to nearby Greenfield in Saddleworth.

If you take a train eastwards from Ashton, towards Huddersfield, the third stop (after Stalybridge and Mossley) is Greenfield. The railway here is winding along the side of the valley as it clims into the Pennines, so it is not surprising that this view, from just across the road from Greenfield Station, is looking down over the village of Greenfield itself.

The photo is looking along Chew Valley Road, running towards the distant steeple of St Mary's Church, with the steep hills surrounding Dovestones Reservoir in the background.

To the right, the modern building facing this way is The House That Isn't, featured on this blog three years ago..

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

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"Greenfield" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

St George's Church

2011-08-04T19:47:00.001+01:00

Today's Sky Watch image shows St George's Church in Mossley, with its tower and steeply pitched roof reaching for the sky.

The first church here was built in 1757 for just £600! They got quite good value for money as the church lasted 120 years before it began falling apart.

It was replaced by the present church, which was opened in 1882, with the tower being completed 5 years later. St George's parish covers the part of Mossley that was historically in Lancashire. The church is situated in Top Mossley, close to the road coming over the hill from Ashton.

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See Google Street View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Ashton Market

2011-08-01T20:16:00.001+01:00

Today's glimpse at the world of Ashton under Lyne shows the Market Place. In the foreground is Ashton's large open market. In the background on the right is the tower of Ashton's Market Hall. On the left is the Victorian Town Hall.

Ashton has had a market since 1284. it was originally located around the Old Cross where St Michael's Square now stands. The market has been in its present location since 1829.

The market ground is open for business six days a week, plus a Farmers' Market every fourth Sunday.

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

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"Ashton Market" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

"Ashton Market" is also my contribution to the City Daily Photo theme day for August. This month's theme is "Postcard-worthy". Click here to view thumbnails for all participants. Perhaps some of you would have liked to see an image of some of our nearby pleasant rural scenery but what better subject for a postcard from Ashton than the Market which is at its heart?

White Horse

2011-07-25T20:51:00.001+01:00

Today's glimpse at the world of Ashton under Lyne shows the White Horse pub at Cockbrook.

The White Horse opened in 1868 as a beer house but its licence was upgraded to allow it to sell wine four years later. It didn't get a full licence (i.e. to sell spirits as well) until 1956.

It would be an unremarkable building if it were not for the splendid glazed tiles that embellish the lower storey.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"White Horse" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

I apologise to regular followers of this blog that I have not been able to post many images in recent weeks.

Hartshead Inn

2011-07-14T22:37:00.002+01:00

Today's Sky Watch image shows the Hartshead Inn, situated off Mossley Road in Ashton, with Hartshead Pike on the skyline in the background. The pointed tower which sits atop the pike is echoed by the picture on the pub sign. The tower and the chimney both draw the eye to the cloudscape above.

For most of its life the building was known as Tongue Bottom Farm and this name is inscribed on the stone mill wheel seen below the sign. The original Hartshead Inn, on Lees Road, was always known as The Red House and changed its name to just that. Tongue Bottom Farm was converted into a pub with large dining areas and it is a popular place for Ashtonians to drive up to for a meal.

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See Google Street View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Bank Top

2011-07-04T19:50:00.001+01:00

Followers of this blog may be surprised that today's photo is of a location in Ashton. Not only that, but the location is only a quarter of a mile from the Parish Church!

Bank Top is a little oasis of green sandwiched between the residential area of Currier Lane and the industrial area of Whitelands Road.

The area was known as Bank Top because to one side it dropped away steeply towards the River Tame. It was in between two sets of railway tracks (one of which is longer there) which separated it from developments on either side, so that the area was not built on. For some years the land was used as playing fields by the nearby Parochial School (the primary school of the Parish Church).

In recent years the area has been planted with trees and has completely changed in appearance.

It is hard to believe that this island of greenery is so close to the houses of Currier Lane and to Ashton's busy town centre.

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

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"Bank Top" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Whit Walks

2011-06-21T19:27:00.001+01:00

"W" is for "Whit Walks" and today's photos show scene's from Ashton's Whit Walks, which took place on Sunday afternoon.

Members of churches from different parts of Ashton process to the town centre, each accompanied by a band. The churches assemble for a united service of witness. Then all the churches walk together around the town centre before splitting and and returning to their starting points.

Other townsfolk turn out to watch the walk and listen to the bands. It is not at all a solemn religious procession - it is a very jolly affair, with the bands playing bright marches and people waving and calling out to other people they know.

In the past, when money was even more scarce than it is now, Whitsun may have been the only time in the year when people got to wear new clothes. This custom actually did have a religious origin, as Whitsun celebrates the time when the Apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, went out and recruited the first Christians. The new clothes are symbolic of starting a new life.

This year, for a change, Ashton's Whit Walks once again took place on the traditional date of the Sunday after Whit Sunday - but only because that coincided this year with the third Sunday of June, which is now the fixed date for the walks. Nearby Mossley and Saddleworth still have their Whit Walks on the traditional Whit Friday, as reported here yesterday.

Above: Walkers from St Gabriel's Church, Cockbrook. Below: Dobcross Band

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See Bird's Eye View of this location.

"Whit Walks" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "W" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Whit Friday Band Contests

2011-06-20T20:32:00.000+01:00

Whit Friday is a bit special in this part of the world. Many of you have probably never heard of Whit Friday but in the areas around Saddleworth and Mossley it is one of the highlights of the year! Traditionally for many people it is a day off work. In the morning, the churches of the area hold services of witness and then parade through the streets accompanied by brass bands. This is still an important event in Mossley although it is even more spectacular in nearby Saddleworth.

Then, in the evening, hundreds of brass bands from around the country, along with some from overseas, tour round as many of the band contests in the area as they can manage. There are a number of contests throughout Tameside, including at The Broadoak Hotel and at Hurst Cross in Ashton, and in Mossley, as shown in these photos. There are even more contests in the various villages of Saddleworth. Some people like the crowds in the popular venues, such as Uppermill and Delph, while others prefer the more intimate atmosphere of the smaller contest venues.

Each contest sees at least 40 bands during the six hour event, while some see as many as 80! It is also a good evening out for anyone keen on coach-spotting!

The photo at the top shows the superb band from Wardle High School in Rochdale playing and marching along Market Street in Mossley towards the contest venue.

The photo below shows Mossley Band on home turf performing their set piece in front of the adjudicator's caravan on St Joseph's School playground. Not a very colourful photo, I'm afraid, but Mossley Band's uniform is black and the evening was a little grey!

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"Whit Friday Band Contests" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Please look back in tomorrow for another "Whit"-related post.

Volunteer Inn

2011-06-14T19:11:00.000+01:00

"V" is for "Volunteer Inn" and today's photo shows the door of Ashton's former Volunteer Inn. The Volunteer Inn stood on Old Street, opposite the Armoury, which was a drill hall for the volunteer regiment, which is how the pub got its name.

The pub has now closed and is used as the offices of a funeral director. The Armoury is now home to Ashton's Territorial Army. However, the glazed door of the pub, showing the words "Volunteer Inn" has been re-located in the mess bar inside the Armoury building.

A photo of the former Volunteer Inn featured as a "V" post a year ago.

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"Volunteer Inn" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "V" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Ugly Face

2011-06-07T19:31:00.000+01:00

"U" is for "Ugly Face" and today's photo shows a stone carved with an ugly face, which can be found in the Dingle in Stamford Park (see photo below).

Ashton Parish Church was partly rebuilt several times in the Victorian period and it is thought that some of the old stones that were not re-used found their way here and were used to build rustic walls in the valley known as the Dingle when Stamford Park was being created.

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See Bird's Eye View of this location.

"Ugly Face" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "U" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Theatre

2011-05-31T19:26:00.002+01:00

"T" is for "Theatre" and today's photo shows Guide Bridge Theatre, which is situated in Audenshaw, just a few yards outside the boundary of Ashton.

At first sight the building looks more like a warehouse than a theatre, which is not surprising, as it was built as a warehouse for Fox's Glacier Mints!

Ashton Repertory Club was formed in 1942 and converted a store-room at the Co-op shop in Hillgate into a small theatre where 12 plays a year were staged! In 1971 the club bought the warehouse at Guide Bridge and transformed it into the theatre. The club re-named itself Ashton and Audenshaw Repertory Club but is now known simply as Guide Bridge Theatre. Major alterations were carried out in 1986 and the stage was renewed in 1996. In 2009 a new entrance corridor was created. Although the Theatre became a Limited Company in 2010 it is still completely run by volunteers.

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See Google Street View of this location.

"Theatre" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "T" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Skew Bridge

2011-05-24T19:31:00.001+01:00

"S" is for "Skew Bridge" and today's photo shows a skew bridge across the start of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Whitelands in Ashton.

When I showed you a wider view of this canal bridge back in February, I promised that I would say something about the design of the arch when we got to "S"!

A skew bridge is one which crosses at an angle other than a simple right angle. When this bridge was built in around 1797, engineers were still trying to perfect the art of building skew bridges, so this is a fairly early attempt. If you look at the larger view (by clicking on the photo) you can see that the courses of brick at the side of the bridge are horizontal, with a distinct boundary where they meet the bricks forming the roof arch, which are "winding courses" laid in a helicoidal fashion, perpendicular to the outside face of the bridge. Some of the photos here will explain this.

The first perfectly constructed skew bridge in the country, where all the bricks are laid in winding courses, with none laid horizontally, was built only a few miles away at March Barn Bridge on the Rochdale Canal in 1797. This design has a lot more strength than earlier attempts.

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See Bird's Eye View of this location.

"Skew Bridge" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "S" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

In The Pink

2011-05-19T19:30:00.004+01:00

Today's Sky Watch image shows a patch of sky framed by trees that still have bare branches and by cherry blossom trees that are in full flower.

Sorry - I should have brought you this photo a few weeks back but I didn't have time to post it then. I hope you enjoy the reminder of this lovely short-lived moment!

This corner of Mossley, off Hanover Street, is always a good spot to see the cherry blossom. There was only a brief window of opportunity this year as the strong winds quickly parted the blossoms from their branches.

The chimney of Woodend Mill is visible just right of centre.

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See Google Street View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Richmond Street

2011-05-18T06:46:00.000+01:00

"R" is for "Richmond Street" and today's photo shows this elegant terrace of brick three-storey houses on Richmond Street in Ashton.

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See Google Street View of this location.

"Richmond Street" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "R" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Quick Edge

2011-05-10T16:44:00.000+01:00

"Q" is for "Quick Edge" and today's photo shows the hill of that name above Mossley, four miles from Ashton. The hill has a very steep slope on its western side although from this angle it appears as a rounded hump.

Quick Edge is seen here from Luzley Lane at Mossley Cross. St George's Parish Church, Mossley, is seen to the right.

The part of the hill that is visible in this photo is in the borough of Tameside whereas the part you can't see is in the borough of Oldham. Both were in Lancashire before becoming part of the Greater Manchester area. Yet, before the township of Mossley was established in 1885, the whole of Quick Edge was in the West Riding of Yorkshire! The area was in a part of Saddleworth called Quickmere. Quick Manor was situated in what is now known as the Roughtown area of Mossley.

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See Google Street View of this location.

"Quick Edge" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "Q" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

A Bit Wet

2011-05-09T22:54:00.001+01:00

Today My World was A Bit Wet. Today's photo shows Market Street in Ashton in the rain.

Some cynical people might say that, since it is near Manchester, it must be a bit wet most of the time! However, today's rain has made a welcome change after weeks of warm and dry weather. It may not be nice getting soaked on the way back from the shops but the rain is needed - April was one of the driest Aprils on record!

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"A Bit Wet" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.
(from 8 pm UK time)

Weekend Reflections: Canalside Houses

2011-05-07T18:43:00.000+01:00

Canals are often a good place to find reflections. As they have no noticeable flow the, unless the wind is blowing ripples across the water, the surface of the canal can be smooth and reflective.

These new canalside properties are in Mossley, four miles east of Ashton. The canal is the Huddersfield Narrow Canal which runs for 20 miles between Ashton and Huddersfield.

The photo would have been almost perfectly symmetrical had th elamp posts not been placed to one side of the footpath!

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See Bird's Eye View of this location.

For more Weekend Reflections from around the world, visit Newtown Area Photo.

Providence House

2011-05-03T17:03:00.001+01:00

"P" is for "Providence House" and today's photo shows the larger-than-average house of this name which stands on the corner of Cowhill Lane and Albemarle Street, close to the centre of Ashton.

The house was built in 1899 and stands amid smaller terraced houses which were built earlier. On a grassy knoll to the north stands St James' Church, which has appeared here several times.

If anyone knows any more history connected with this house, I would be pleased to hear it.

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See Google Street View of this location.

"Providence House" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "P" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Oddfellows Arms

2011-04-27T10:24:00.000+01:00

"O" is for "Oddfellows Arms" and today's photo shows the pub of that name on the corner of Kings Road and Alderley Street in the Hurst Knoll area of Ashton.

The pub opened in 1827 as the Banksmans Arms but changed its name to the Oddfellows ten years later. It originally occupied half of the building but later expanded into the two neighbouring houses.

The Oddfellows was (and still is) a Friendly Society, a sort of pre-runner to the welfare state, offering social benefits to members. Local Oddfellows societies often held their meetings in pubs so that would seem to be the likely reason for the change of name. There was another Oddfellows Arms in Ashton, on Kenyon Street, as well as the Oddfellows Hall on the corner of Booth Street and Stamford Street.

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See Google Street View of this location.

"Oddfellows Arms" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "O" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below.

Taste of the Past

2011-04-25T18:56:00.002+01:00

Today's photo shows a Taste of the Past! The writing is definitely on the wall on the corner of Market Avenue and Wellington Street.

The shop, currently for sale was a branch of Millets outdoor wear shop for many years. However, the fading paintwork on the wall, unseen by many of the people walking past, tells us that it was once the location of "Burrows Bros. Tea Blenders".

Tea became increasingly popular during Victorian times, partly because it was seen as healthy, as the chemicals in the tea counteracted some of the impurities common in the water at the time. Only 150 yards from this building was the shop where Arthur Brooke sold his blends of tea. Arthur called his company Brooke Bond - a made-up name, since there was never a Mr Bond! Brooke Bond is still in existence today as of the world's best-known names in tea.

Burrows Tea is no longer available.

The small figure in front of the window shutters is a statue of a girl making faces!

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Taste of the Past" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.
(from 8 pm UK time)

Overcast

2011-04-21T16:22:00.002+01:00

Today's Sky Watch image shows an overcast sky over the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in Mossley. There is plenty of colour, however, in spite of the greyness of the sky.

The chimney of Woodend Mill, the last remaining mill chimney in Mossley, points skywards, as does the spire of St John's Church, Roughtown, on the hillside.

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See Bird's Eye View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Newton Hall

2011-04-20T15:43:00.000+01:00

"N" is for "Newton Hall" and today's photo shows the interior of Newton Hall, situated alongside the busy A627 road one mile north of Hyde and two miles south of Ashton.

Newton Hall is a cruck-framed medieval hall built around 1380. It would have been home to the de Newton family. The cruck style of building is of Celtic origin and was often used in Western and Northern parts of Britain. It consists of huge cruck-frames attached to oak-framed walls with wattle and daub infill panels.

The building had undergone some modernisation and it was not realised that the structure was so old. In 1968 the site was being cleared for re-development and demolition of the building started. When the timbers were discovered the demolition was halted.

The later additions were carefully stripped away and the building painstakingly restored using as much of the original as possible. Around 35 percent of the timbers are original with English Oak being used for replica parts. The structure is fastened together in the traditional manner using mortice and tenon joints fixed with oak pegs.

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"Newton Hall" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "N" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Watching the Setting Sun

2011-04-14T20:13:00.001+01:00

Surely one of life's little pleasures must be sitting on a hill watching the sunset? If you are in Ashton there is no better place to do this than Hartshead Pike, just a couple of miles north east of the town.

As a recent gorgeous sunny day drew to an end, I went up to "The Pike" to see the sunset. Unsurprisingly I was not the only person to have that idea. This couple and their dog had walked up from nearby Mossley to enjoy the spectacle.

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Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Motorway

2011-04-12T16:03:00.000+01:00

"M" is for "Motrway" and today's photo shows the M60 motorway as it sweeps through the Guide Bridge area on the western edge of Ashton.

In the background to the left of the photo is the blue roof of Assheton House, near the bus station. To the right of that are Portland House, Welbeck House and Margaret House.

The tower of St Peter's Church is just visible hiding behind the chimney and tower of "Tudno" Mill (Ryecroft Mill No. 3). The top of the tower of the Old Baths can just be seen behind the new houses that stand on the site of the Birch Hotel. To the right are Grosvenor House and Rycroft House, off Stckport Road.

In the far distance looms Alphin Pike and the high Pennine moorland to the east of Mossley and Stalybridge.

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See Google Street View of this location.

"Motorway" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "M" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Sky Watch: Vapour Trails

2011-04-07T19:25:00.001+01:00

Today's photo shows traces of at least seven vapour trails in the same area of sky. (If you check the larger view you will see a small one, just left of centre, in the process of being made!)

The view is looking across the Tame Valley in Mossley, near Ashton, towards the Pennine moors. Most of the vapour trails in the picture have been made by planes flying from east to west across Northern England, probably originating from Europe. The trail visible in the top right corner is being made by a plane heading north-westwards from London towards North America.

Occasionally, when there is a blue sky with lots of trails and I have nothing else better to do, I zoom in on the map on this fascinating site to see where the planes making the trails have come from and where they are going.

What could be more appropriate for Sky Watch?

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See Google Street View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Limited Outlook

2011-04-05T19:59:00.000+01:00

"L" is for "Limited Outlook" and that's exactly what the occupants of this house can enjoy!

This well-cared-for semi-detached house in on Stockport Road in Ashton, almost at Guide Bridge. Above the doorway is a fanlight window and a semi-circular arch of tapering bricks with a a stone keystone.

There is also a brick single bay window allowing splendid views of, er... the back of a bus shelter!

I'm not sure how long the bus shelter has been here, as I seem to remember the bus stop being closer to the Corporation Arms a few years ago. I don't know whether the occupants had any say in the matter or whether they drew back the curtains one morning and there it was!

Of course, as Stockport Road is a very busy thoroughfare they may have welcomed the shelter as a screen although I must say I would find it somewhat claustrophobic myself.

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"Limited Outlook" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "L" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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The Key Holder

2011-03-29T17:42:00.000+01:00

"K" is for "Key" and today's photo shows the stone head of a lion, with a key in its mouth, above the door of the NatWest Bank on the corner of Warrington Street and Old Street in Ashton.

I have tried in vain to find some meaning to this. Presumably there is something symbolic about a lion with a key in its mouth, as there is a similar one in Stalybridge. The back of the old five pound notes at one time showed a lion with a key, although the key was attached to its mouth by a chain. Perhaps someone reading this can offer an answer?

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A close-up of the lion can be seen in the photo below.

See Google Street View of this location.

"The Key Holder" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "K" posts from around the world please follow this link.

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Crown Street

2011-03-28T19:30:00.000+01:00

Today's photo shows Crown Street, just off Stamford Street, close to Ashton's town centre.

Crown Street was originally part of Church Street, which ran parallel with most of Stamford Street in the town centre, but was re-named when it became separated from the rest of Church Street by the building of an office block and the Post Office Sorting Office.

The houses in Crown Street are among the few remaining terraces of residential property still left in the town centre. Even the houses on the opposite side of the street have been demolished to make way for a car park.

The building at the far end is the former Wesleyan Methodist Sunday School, seen here in 2008 looking for a new use.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Crown Street" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Weekend Reflections: Mill Race

2011-03-25T19:35:00.002Z

This delightful scene with its watery reflection is in the village of Delph, in Saddleworth, around 7 miles from Ashton.

The tranquillity of the scene belies its industrial origins. The waterway on the left is an artificial mill race or leat, created to provide power for a woollen mill a little further downstream.

The water comes from the River Tame, which runs unseen below the bank on the right of the photo. A couple of hundred yards upstream, just below Delph Bridge, a weir across the river helps to divert some of the water into the mill race. By the time the channel reached the mill, its height above the river meant that it was able to drive a water wheel that could power machinery.

Waterside mills were very common in the hilly area to the east of Ashton before coal-powered steam engines were able to power a greater number of machines, giving rise to the large multi-storey mills built in Ashton and other towns throughout the Victorian era.

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See Google Aerial View of this location.

For more Weekend Reflections from around the world, visit Newtown Area Photo.

St James' Church

2011-03-22T22:38:00.002Z

"J" is for "James" and today's photo shows the church of St James the Apostle in Ashton. St James' Church is notable for its twin spires and stands in a prominent position at the highest point of Cow Hill.

Another view of this church, featuring a closer view of the twin spires, was seen here two years ago.

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"St James' Church" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "J" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Sky Watch: Woodend Mill

2011-03-17T19:58:00.001Z

Woodend Mill sits alongside the River Tame in Mossley with its tall stone chimney pointing towards the glow of the evening sky.

At one time there were more than 40 mills in Mossley. Woodend Mill is one of those remaining and its chimney is the only mill chimney remaining in Mossley. The interior of the mill is split up now and occupied by small businesses and by art and music enterprises.

As most of Mossley is situated in a steep-sided valley, it is in the shade of the hill while the low evening sun still illuminates the hills on the far side of the valley, with the clouds also taking on a slightly golden glow.

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See Google Street View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

In The Way

2011-03-15T20:11:00.001Z

"I" is for "In The Way" and today's photo shows a building that finds itself in the way of a new road.

The building was originally St Mary's RC Primary School and continued in use as such until 1970. The school relocated to a new building on Holden Street (now Our Lady of Mount Carmel School) and the old building was re-furbished and given a new life as the Markazi Jamia Mosque.

Now it is the Mosque's turn to move to a new building in Hillgate Street, just off Holden Street. When the new Mosque opens this building will be demolished to make way for Ashton's new Northern By-pass.

It would be difficult to describe it as an attractive building but it will still be a pity to see something with so many people's memories, as a place of education and a place of worship, become reduced to a pile of brick dust in the name of "progress"!

A view of this building from the other side of the railway cutting was seen here almost a year ago.

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"In The Way" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "I" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Trans-Pennine Express

2011-03-14T20:02:00.002Z

Today's photo shows the Trans-Pennine Express passing through Guide Bridge Station at the western boundary of Ashton. The train is heading for Manchester's Piccadilly Station. Being an express, the train doesn't actually stop here at Guide Bridge, but has to slow down where the line from Stalybridge joins the line from Glossop. (The junction can be seen in the distance if you look at the larger version of the photo.)

We saw a view of the station from the road bridge a couple of weeks ago.

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

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"Trans-Pennine Express" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Sky Watch: St Stephen's Church

2011-03-10T19:45:00.000Z

Reaching for the sky this week is the steeple of St Stephen's Church at Guide Bridge. Although it is situated in Audenshaw, the church is just a few metres from the Ashton boundary.

St Stephen's Church was built in 1845 and like many English churches built at that time is in the early Gothic style with simple lancet windows rather than the elaborate tracery found on windows built in the later Gothic style.

The church, which is now a Grade 2 Listed Building, was built at a cost of £2,900 to accommodate a congregation of 750.

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Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Harper Mill

2011-03-08T23:58:00.000Z

"H" is for "Harper Mill" and today's photo shows the rear view of this former cotton mill in Ashton.

Cotton was one of the main industries in Ashton, with many spinning and weaving mills around the town. The first mill here on Mossley Road was built in 1855 and was unusual at that time for not being built near the canal. After a serious fire, the building was re-built and enlarged in 1873. It was then occupied by the Harper Twist Company and, by 1900, had over 40,000 mule spindles in use.

The mill ceased cotton production in 1920 and was used for other industrial purposes until seriously damaged by another fire. However, much of the shell of the building remained in good shape so the mill was developed into apartments.

Previously this blog has shown views of this building from Mossley Road and from the railway line.

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"Harper Mill" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "H" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Dingle Terrace

2011-03-07T20:10:00.001Z

Dingle Terrace is an unusual location. It is a short street comprising two terraces of elegant brick houses. However, rather than being located, as you might expect, in a town setting, Dingle Terrace is in a remote rural setting at Park Bridge, just within the northern boundary of Ashton.

Park Bridge today is a quiet backwater, accessible only along narrow and bumpy roads. However, when these houses were built it was a busy industrial setting with coal mines and the iron works of Hannah Lees and Sons, which supplied rivets for the Eiffel Tower. Most of the buildings of the iron works have now gone and their sites landscaped. The stable block has become a Heritage Centre and Park Bridge these days rings not to the sound of hammers on iron but of to the sound of walking boots on cobbles!

The houses of Dingle Terrace and nearby Dean Terrace were built to accommodate employees of the the iron works but these days are sought-after properties because of their enviable location.

See Bird's Eye View of this location to really appreciate the rural setting.

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"Dingle Terrace" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Guide Bridge Station

2011-03-02T00:01:00.000Z

"G" is for "Guide Bridge Station" and today's photo shows this railway station which is on the western boundary of Ashton.

The train in the photo is on its way from Glossop to Manchester Piccadilly. At one time the line continued through Woodhead Tunnel to Sheffield. The Trans-Pennine Express trains pass through the station without stopping, turning left a quarter of a mile on, towards Stalybridge.

This station was the first railway station to open in Ashton and was originally called Ashton and Hooley Hill. It took its later name from the adjacent bridge over the Ashton Canal (not over the River Tame, as suggested in Wikipedia). The canal runs behind the trees on the left of the photo.

The station is a shadow of its former self, with the remaining platform-side buildings sealed up. Only the trains on the Glossop line stop here now. The regular service between Stalybridge and Stockport has been replaced with a so-called "parliamentary" train, running one journey a week in one direction only, from Stockport to Stalybridge, stopping at the platform on the "wrong" side here at Guide Bridge after emerging from the Stockport line.

A footbridge between the platforms burnt down five years ago and has not been replaced, necessitating a long walk round from one platform to the other.

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"Guide Bridge Station" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "G" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Portland Basin

2011-03-01T00:01:00.002Z

Portland Basin is my favourite part of town! It is at the junction of two of the canals that radiate from Ashton.

The basin itself is the wide part of the Ashton Canal in front of the Portland Basin Museum, which started life as the Ashton Canal Warehouse.

An arm of the canal leads off under the magnificent stone footbridge, across an aqueduct over the River Tame, leading to the Peak Forest Canal.

The photo shows how this is a favourite location for fishing, boating, walking or just hanging around by the water. Not bad for a corner of an industrial northern town!

See Bird's Eye View of this location.

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"Portland Basin" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

"Portland Basin" is also my contribution to the City Daily Photo March Theme Day of "My Favourite Part of Town".
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in the March Theme Day.

Footpath to the Hills

2011-02-22T19:33:00.002Z

"F" is for "Footpath to the Hills" and today's photo shows a group of walkers heading up into the hills at Dobcross in Saddleworth. They are on a walk that will follow old packhorse tracks and early turnpike roads to Bleak Hey Nook and over the moors at Standedge to the village of Marsden.

Those with an interest in slightly newer forms of transport may notice, running across the middle of the photo, the Huddersfield Narrow canal as it climbs Diggle Locks and the Manchester to Huddersfield railway line, just behind the canal.

On the skyline above the walkers, you can just see (on the larger version of the image) the obelisk at Pots and Pans, on the edge of Saddleworth Moor.

This splendid Pennine countryside is just 7 miles from Ashton and provides an excellent excuse to go out and get a bit of exercise.

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See Birds Eye View of this location.

"Footpath to the Hills" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "F" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Sky Watch: Roughtown

2011-02-17T21:38:00.002Z

This picturesque scene beneath a nearly blue sky doesn't seem to match the title "Roughtown" but that is the name of the area of Mossley on the hillside. The spire of St John's Church, Roughtown, points skywards, already having a head start as it was built high on the valley side.

The Roughtown area of Mossley was in the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1847.

The water in the foreground, which reflects today's lovely blue sky, looks as if it might be part of a canal, but is in fact a pond that has formed in the old clay workings that were once here. A total of 32,350 cubic metres of clay from these pits was taken by a narrow gauge railway to construct the dam for Chew Valley Reservoir which at over 1500 feet above sea level was, at the time of its construction in 1912, the highest reservoir in England.

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See Bird's Eye View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Escape Ladders

2011-02-15T19:00:00.000Z

"E" is for "Escape Ladders" and today's photo shows the fire escape ladders at the back of Oxford Mills in Ashton's West End.

The Oxford Mills complex was built around 1845 by Thomas Mason, the father of philanthropist and MP for Ashton Hugh Mason.

These mills, like others in the area, were built alongside the Ashton Canal to enable the easy delivery of coal and raw cotton to the mills and the easy dispatch of cotton cloth.

In the days before the present awareness of Health and Safety issues, the mills were built without fire escapes other than the normal internal staircases, and these external escape ladders were added later. The ladder on the right is accessed through doorways in the bricked-up loading doors, which had enabled goods to be hoisted in and out of the upper floors of the building. Fire was a particular danger in cotton mills as the air was full of combustible cotton dust.

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"Escape Ladders" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "E" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Waterloo Plaque

2011-02-14T22:46:00.000Z

Alongside the main Oldham Road that passes through Ashton's northern suburb of Waterloo, is this embossed plaque, mounted on an attractive wooden structure with a tiled roof.

Anyone pausing to take a closer look will be impressed to see that the plaque features historical information about the northern part of Ashton, including Waterloo, Taunton, Fairbottom and Park Bridge.

Tameside Council started to commission these plaques, intending to have one for each of the 19 council wards in the borough. Unfortunately, with only a few made so far, the economic climate means that no more will appear, at least for the time being, which is a shame, as the plaques seem to me to be an excellent way of helping people to know more about their local history.

Below is an image of the whole plaque. Click photo for larger version. (Press Back button to return here.)

In future posts I will show close-ups of the features on the plaque along with more information about the places concerned.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Waterloo Plaque" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Sky Watch: Branches

2011-02-10T19:38:00.000Z

There is more sky visible at this time of year, as you can also see it between the bare branches of the trees!

This photo shows the sky above Mossley as seen through these branches. The spire of St John's Church, Roughtown, is picked out by the late afternoon sun, while the foreground is already in the shadow cast by the hill that separates Mossley from Ashton.

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Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Dukinfield Old Chapel

2011-02-08T17:54:00.003Z

"D" is for "Dukinfield Old Chapel" and today's photo shows this magnificent building situated at the top of Crescent Road in Dukinfield, less than a mile from Ashton under Lyne Parish Church.

Constructed in 1840 as a re-building of Dukinfield's older Unitarian chapel, the building is strikingly tall for its footprint. Built at the highest point in the central part of Dukinfield the chapel made a landmark clearly visible on the skyline from Ashton and is in a far more prominent position than the nearby St John's Church of England church. This reflects the competition and politics that went on between the established and non-conformist denominations at that time.

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"Dukinfield Old Chapel" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "D" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Sky Watch: Bailey Mill

2011-02-03T19:25:00.002Z

Bailey Mill makes an interesting outline against the sky, with its assortmentof shapes and its gables and chimney leading the eye upwards.

This former woollen mill is in the village of Delph, in Saddleworth, about 7 miles from Ashton. In contrast with the red-brick cotton mills of Ashton, the woollen mills of Saddleworth are nearly all constructed of stone.

The collection of buildings were added to over the years but the mill finally closed in in the 1990s. No future for the building has been decided but Delph is now a popular residential village so it is possible that the mill could be converted into apartments.

The mill was conveniently situated alongside the railway sidings close to Delph Station, at the end of the so-called "Delph Donkey" branch line.

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Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Canal Bridge

2011-02-01T18:36:00.000Z

"C" is for "Canal" and today's photo shows the point where two of Ashton's Canals meet.

The Ashton Canal terminates here at Ashton Old Wharf and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal begins, heading under Whitelands Bridge to the first of 74 locks between here and Huddersfield. The wooden lock gates are just about visible through the arch.

The white oval plate to the left of the arch shows that this is Bridge Number 111 - the numbering starts at the Huddersfield end, whereas the locks were numbered from both ends, with this one being 1W (for "west").

The smaller arch to the right was built to allow boat horses to pass under Whitelands, wearing their harnesses, while their boats drifted through the main arch. At the time when the canal was opened, in the 1790s, all canal boats (and other vehicles) were horse-powered!

The design of the canal arch is interesting in itself but you will have to wait until we get to "S" to find out why!

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"Canal Bridge" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "C" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Gloucester Place

2011-01-31T20:00:00.001Z

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Gloucester Place is the grand name given to this fine pair of houses on Portland Street in Ashton. On the gable wall above the doorways is a stone bearing the name Gloucester Place and the date 1880.

The houses are in a part of Ashton which is mostly made up of small terraced houses so these larger semi-detached houses come as a surprise. There are two other pairs of semi-detached houses here, each pair of a different design, all facing Holy Trinity Church.

Some of the terraced houses close by are also of a larger and grander design than usual. It is possible that, while most of the houses were built for the mill workers, these houses may have been built for those of slightly higher status, although not of sufficiently high status as to be able to afford to live in a house with gardens.

The three pairs of semi-detached houses on Portland Street, although they have no front gardens, do have fairly long back gardens, which is unusual for this part of Ashton, where a small yard is the norm.

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"Gloucester Place" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Riversvale Bridge

2011-01-25T22:02:00.003Z

"B" is for "Bridge" and today's photo shows Riversvale Bridge, which crosses the River Medlock to the north of Ashton.

If you thought that Ashton under Lyne was completely made up of cotton mills and terraced brick houses then it may come as a surprise to find that this picture was taken within the boundary of Ashton.

The bridge at one time carried the winding main carriage road between Ashton and Oldham across the River Medlock, between Taunton and Bardsley, before the straight Turnpike road was built through Waterloo, taking a direct route.

These days the road across the bridge is used only by walkers, cyclists and horses making use of the network of paths in Daisy Nook Country Park. To the right of where I was standing to take the photo once stood the imposing Riversvale Hall demolished in the 1940s.

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"Riversvale Bridge" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "B" posts from around the world please follow this link.
Please leave a comment below and click on the 5 stars to rate the photo.

Sky Watch: Heyrod

2011-01-20T20:02:00.002Z

The village of Heyrod is on the side of the Tame Valley, halfway between Stalybridge and Mossley, just over the hill from Ashton.

The photo shows the houses on John Street, with Wakefield Road just visible running behind them. On the skyline are the hills overlooking Mossley and Greenfield, with Noon Sun Hill in the centre of the photo, the Buckton Castle hilltop to the right and Wharmton to the left.

The hills draw the eye upwards, making the sky a part of the landscape of the valley. Although a fairly sunny day, a dark cloud casts a shadow over Buckton Castle and Carrbrook to the right.

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See Bird's Eye View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Ashton Parish Church

2011-01-18T18:35:00.000Z

"A" is for "Ashton Parish Church" and today's photo shows the south side of that church.

Ashton's Parish Church is the church of St Michael and All Angels. It is said that all churches of this name are built on hills, and this church is no exception, although the hill is only evident from the south, as there is only a slight rise in ground level from Stamford Street on the north side.

There has been a church on this site before the Norman Conquest, as the Domesday Book of 1088 mentions a St Michael's Church in the east of the ancient parish of Manchester.

Parts of the present building date from the fifteenth century but most of the structure was re-built in Victorian times. The building has external buttresses, required to support the walls due to the perpendicular style with its large window areas. The tower is 145 feet high and has a peel of thirteen bells.

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See Birds Eye View of this location. See Google Street View of this location before the replica was sited here.

"Ashton Parish Church" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "A" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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Henrietta Street

2011-01-17T20:00:00.000Z

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Henrietta Street is a residential street very close to the town centre of Ashton under Lyne. It starts near the Market Hall and runs to the Old Ball Inn at the junction of Smallshaw Lane.

The houses start off as brick-built terraced houses nearer the town, progressing to substantial brick semi-detached properties, such as this one, as the distance from town increases.

Henrietta Street is the main route leading out to Ashton's northern suburbs. It was named after Henrietta Cavendish-Bentinck, wife of George Harry Grey, 5th Earl of Stamford, the major landowner in the area. The name was originally given to the new street in the town centre that was then re-named Stamford Street.

See Google Street View of this location.

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"Henrietta Street" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Sky Watch: Tails and Trails

2011-01-13T21:19:00.000Z

This week's "Sky Watch" image shows a couple of horses grazing in a field at Tonguebottom on the slopes of Hartshead Pike.

The horses are posing in such a way that their tails cannot be seen. However, that is more than made up for by the aircraft trails in the sky.

One recent vapour trail is still clearly seen, with another starting to spread out. Some strange atmospheric quirk that afternoon meant that trails from earlier in the day, rather than vanishing, had spread out into thin curtains.

The tower on top of Hartshead Pike can be seen in the centre of the image. Tongebottom, where the photo was taken, is the upper part of the valley in which Knott Hill Reservoir is situated. Before Knott Hill Reservoir was built to supply Ashton with water, a small reservoir (of which there is now very little trace) was situated at Tongebottom (or Tom Bottom, as it was known at that time), behind the present Hartshead Inn. Eventually the catchment area of the valley was not great enough to satisfy Ashton's demand for water, and the supply was pumped through from Brushes Valley and Swineshaw Reservoirs in Millbrook.

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See Bird's Eye View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Pedestrian Zone

2011-01-11T19:19:00.000Z

"Z" is for "Zone" or, in this case, "Pedestrian Zone" and today's photo shows the start of the the pedestrianised area in Fletcher Street in Ashton town centre.

Ashton has been a much more agreeable place for shoppers since traffic has been excluded from many of the shopping streets. It is hard to remember now that buses and cars used to go along Warrington Street, up the side of the Market Ground.

Market Street, running alongside the Market Hall in the photo, was once a busy two-way street. Fletcher Street, where this photo was taken, was always a side street but was still used by buses, some of which terminated here before the bus station was built.

A little square has been created at the bottom of Fletcher Street, with seating and planters arranged around a piece of sculpture entitled "The Family", making good use of the space created by removing traffic.

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See Birds Eye View of this location.

"Pedestrian Zone" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "Z" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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No Way In!

2011-01-10T20:15:00.000Z

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Sometimes you see odd things when you are photographing your world. Today's My World photo shows a little mystery in Raynham Street in Ashton.

The photo was taken last year and has been waiting around for an opportunity for me to use it. I was intrigued by the puzzle of three garages behind a palisade fence with clearly no way for the garages to be used. Speaking to a neighbour I got the impression that there may have been some sort of dispute over ownership of the land or payment of ground rent or something of that sort. It may just have been that the land has been sold and fenced off.

I shall have to go back and see whether anything has changed. It is adjacent to the site of the new mosque that will replace the one just off Penny Meadow so this parcel of land may have been part of the land involved in the site acquisition.

I only hope that there isn't someone wanting to get their car out of one of the garages!

See Google Street View of this location.

"No Way In!" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Sky Watch: Canal Reflections

2011-01-06T19:55:00.001Z

This week's "Sky Watch" image shows the wintry sunset reflected in the canal in Mossley, four miles from Ashton.

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal is mostly frozen over but there is a slight flow of water around the lock (behind the camera) ensuring that the water in the foreground remains liquid! This makes it possible to enjoy the sunset being reflected on the ripples that move out from the water outlet.

The photo was taken during the recent snowy spell while I was enjoying a bracing wintry walk!

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See Bird's Eye View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It links with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Ye Olde Vaults

2011-01-04T20:06:00.002Z

"Y" is for "Ye Olde Vaults" and today's photo shows a pub in Ashton town centre that once bore that name. It is situated on Old Street which was the original road from Manchester running through the town.

The first written records of a pub on this site are from 1808 when it was known as Heap's Vaults and Robert Heap was granted a full licence for the premises. However, it is thought to have existed, perhaps as a beer house, from around 1791. The pub seems to have been rebuilt or substantially altered in 1860, as shown by the date stone above the ground floor windows. The Heap family ran the pub for 109 years until 1900, when Walter Newton took over and changed the name to Ye Olde Vaults. (Some sources say "Ye Old Vaults" but in old photographs the sign shows the word "Olde".)

In recent years the pub has been re-named again to "Chambers" and the board outside advertised "Good cheap beer all year. Thursdays all drinks £2, Doubles add £1, 7pm - close." However, when this photo was taken, the pub was "between landlords".

Just below the roof, flaking black paint reveals that the brewery Tetley Walker were at one time the owners.

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See Birds Eye View of this location. See Google Street View of this location before the replica was sited here.

"Ye Olde Vaults" is a contribution to ABC Wednesday. For more "Y" posts from around the world please follow this link.
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