Sky Watch: Manchester Skyline

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Today's Sky Watch photo shows the view looking from Broadcarr, on the hill between Ashton and Mossley, towards Manchester City Centre. Broadcarr is close to Hartshead Pike. The photo was taken from Lane Head Road which leads towards Lees village.

The tall building, left of centre, is the 47-storey Beetham Tower, which houses the Hilton Hotel and private apartments, and is the tallest residential building in the country.

The building is 554 feet (168.9m) tall and stands at an elevation of around 100 feet (33m) above sea level, which means that the spot where the photo was taken is around 300 feet higher than the top of the building!

See Google Aerial 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!

Sky Watch: Pointing Skyward

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A little further afield than usual today, as this Sky Watch photo was taken on an evening visit a couple of days ago to Manchester, around 6 miles west of Ashton.

The vibrant city centre is a mixture of old and new, as seen in this picture looking towards Deansgate outside the former Great Northern Railway Warehouse.

My attention was drawn to the modern structure and the dome of the older building pointing towards the moody evening clouds.

See Birds Eye View of this location.

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. You are most welcome!

Sky Watch: Evening Sky

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This week's Sky Watch is looking westwards towards Manchester from the summit of Hartshead Pike near Ashton.

See Birds 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!

Sky Watch: Pylon

Even though I was standing in the sunshine when I took this photo, the area behind the electricity pylon is definitely below an overcast sky!

The view is from Luzley Lane, between Ashton and Mossley, with the buildings in the centre of Manchester visible beyond the gloom.

See Birds Eye View of this location.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It will link 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!

Sky Watch: In the Spotlight

Another photo looking down from Hartshead Pike, but very different from last week's image from nearly the same spot.

On a very overcast day, a pocket of sunlight highlights an area around Lees Road and Lily Lanes. On the left side of the highlight is St Damians School and Playing Field.

Further back and to the left can be seen the silhouettes of the blocks of flats in Ashton, with Audenshaw Reservoirs gleaming beyond.

In the far distance, on the extreme right of the picture, the tall buildings in the centre of Manchester can just be made out. (Click to see larger version of photo.)

In the foreground is one of the dry stone walls that march across the hills in this area.

Sky Watch is a regular weekly feature on this photo blog. It will link 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 Moss North Junction

This is a view of Ashton Moss North Junction, seen from Richmond Street, on the western edge of Ashton. The photo is looking westwards, with the high-rise buildings in the centre of Manchester visible in the distance. The train is heading from Ashton towards Victoria Station in Manchester.

The signal box stands in the middle of the junction, with one of the tracks branching off to the left in front of the box and the other line passing behind it. The line to the left goes to Stockport and is used by freight trains.

To the right of the picture is a corner of Richmond Street Playing Fields. Ashton Cricket Club's ground is out of sight to the left.

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


See Birds Eye View of this location.

Get Around for a Pound

Hyde-based independent bus operator Speedwell started a new bus route yesterday. The number S50 runs every 20 minutes from Hey Farm, through Mossley, Ashton and Droylsden to Manchester Shude Hill.

The thing that makes this service a little different from the competition is that all fares, for whatever distance, are £1 (or 50p for children). That means Ashton to Manchester for £1. Mossley to Ashton for £1, even Mossley to Manchester for £1.

These are considerable reductions on the usual fares. It remains to be seen whether Speedwell can tempt passengers away from the other bus companies and, perhaps more importantly, tempt people out of their cars!

The S50 is the green and white bus in the photo, which is moving away after dropping passengers off outside Ashton Market.

Speedwell has launched a web site about the new service:
http://www.speedwellvalue.com
in which they explain their "vision".

Prospective customers should note that the bus does not divert into Tameside Hospital and the Manchester terminus is at Shude Hill rather than Piccadilly.

Sky Watch: Skyline

This week's Sky Watch offering shows the Manchester skyline seen from near Knott Hill Reservoir on a hazy evening. No glorious sunset, I'm afraid, but the light picks out the Beetham Tower, the CIS Building and other blocks in central Manchester.

Sky Watch is the regular Friday feature on this photo blog. It will link 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!

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Alphabet Friday - Manchester Road

M is for Manchester Road, the main A635 from Manchester and the M60 into Ashton.

Anyone who has been away from Ashton for many years will remember Manchester Road as being completely flat and straight, yet this recent photo is looking down a definite hill and curve! The reason is that, when the M60 motorway was built, the alignment of the road was changed, with the road level west of Crowthorne Road being raised to get enough height to cross the motorway.

In the foreground you can see the lane marked "M60". On the left is Evans Halshaw, Ford dealers, which has replaced Quicks. Behind that, the nearest block of flats is Margaret House.

Right of centre is St Peter's Church, with the tower of the Old Swimming Baths behind. Beyond that, those with sharp eyes may make out the tower of Ashton Parish Church and the spire of Albion Church.

The Ashton Canal at Portland Basin

Ashton's contribution to April's Theme Day on "Water" shows the Ashton Canal at Portland Basin. What other location in Ashton is more perfect for a watery picture? This wintry scene was captured only 9 days ago on Easter Sunday. (Click image to see a larger version.)

The stone arch bridge on the left carries the towing path across the entrance to the Peak Forest Canal. The bridge was built to be used by the boathorses that towed the narrow boats along the canal. Although the canal opened in 1796, the present bridge was only built in 1835. The canal was used for carrying coal from local mines down to Manchester.

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End of the Mayne road

For many years, Mayne's buses have been a familiar sight on the roads of Ashton, as well as Droylsden, Stalybridge, Dukinfield and Mossley.

They are about to disappear, however, as the giant national company Stagecoach is about to buy the bus company. The takeover is just waiting for the approval of the Office of Fair Trading. It is thought that, when such approval is given, as seems likely, the buses and staff will transfer to Stagecoach Manchester. [see report]

The Mayne bus garage on Ashton New Road, Clayton, where the company has been based since 1939, has already been sold and the buses are currently sharing the Mayne coach yard at Fairclough Street, Clayton.

Mayne has always been fiercely independent, resisting takeover offers from Manchester Corporation Transport and other companies since. It is reported that the company was finally offered for sale because the next generation of the Mayne family are not interested in running the business.

The coach fleet is not being bought by Stagecoach and will continue to operate as Mayne's Coaches, run from their Warrington depot, presumably retaining the existing Manchester coach yard at Fairclough Street.

Mayne's are the oldest-surviving bus company in the Manchester area. They started operating charabancs in 1923, coaches in 1925 and buses in 1929. For many years the buses were maroon with turquoise bands. From 1978 the buses changed to the red and cream livery of the coaches. In recent years the addition of a turquoise stripe indicated new low-floor buses.


For around 50 years Mayne buses ran from Manchester to Droylsden, Audenshaw and later Littlemoss. In the mid-80s the network expanded to include Waterloo, Hartshead, Smallshaw, Ashton, Tameside Hospital, Mossley, Carrbrook, Stalybridge and Dukinfield.

The familiar colours of Mayne buses have provided a touch of local colour amid a sea of buses that look identical to buses all around the country.

Update on Stagecoach takeover of Mayne

As a lot of people are arriving here after googling for the Stagecoach takeover of A Mayne and Son, I had better add an update about what is happening.

Mayne Coaches is now a separate independent company and will continue to operate as such using the Mayne name and livery.

Mayne Buses now belongs to Stagecoach. The buses have been transfered to Hyde Road depot. The buses will continue to operate along the same routes as before, using the Mayne name and livery for now. They will eventually be re-painted or replaced by other vehicles.

Stagecoach Manchester "Dayrider" and "Megarider" tickets are not yet valid on Mayne's buses. In a few week's time, however, when Mayne's ticket machines have been adjusted, these tickets will be issued and accepted on Mayne's buses, which will be a big benefit to passengers on these routes.

Link to history of the company on Mayne's website.