Site of Market Cross

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Today's My World photo shows what might, at first glance, appear to be an uninteresting corner of Ashton. This is the junction of Old Street and Crickets Lane.

For hundreds of years, this junction was the bustling heart of old Ashton, with lines of ancient cottages running along Old Street and up Crickets Lane. The market was held at the junction of the two roads, for more than 500 years, from 1284 until it was moved to the present Market Place in 1829. For all that time a market cross stood here (not always the same one - it was replaced several times over those years).

The most recent cross now stands in Stamford Park, as we saw a few weeks ago, while a plain replica stands a few yards from here, as we saw last week.

The exact spot where the cross stood is marked by a flat inscribed stone lying in the road, as can be seen in the centre of the photograph above. The photo below shows the words "Site of old cross" inscribed on the stone.

Because of the location of the stone, most people who drive or walk past this sport are completely unaware of it! Apart from the stone, the site of the old cross is also recalled in the name of nearby Old Cross Street.


Close-up of the stone.

See Google Aerial View of this location. See Birds Eye View of this location.

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